THE BEDROOM

The family bedroom should be on the first floor if possible. Matting is better for the floor than carpet, because freer from dust, and this is the room used in case of sickness. If made properly it will wear several years. Canton mattings are made on boats in pieces about two yards long, and afterward joined on shore into pieces of fifty yards. It is easy to see where these short pieces are joined ; after cutting into lengths, first sew these places across and across on the wrong side, then sew the breadths together and tack down like a carpet. Matting should never be washed with anything except moderately warmed salt and water, in the proportion of a pint of salt to a half pail of soft water. Diy quickly with a soft cloth. A bed room matting should be washed twice during the season, a room much used, oftener. In this room there

346 THE BUCKEYE COOK BOOK.

should be a medicine closet, high above the reach of children, where are kept camphor, hot drops, mustard, strips of old linen, etc., for sudden sickness or accident. There should also be a large closet, a part of which is especially set apart for childrens' use, with low hooks where they may hang their clothes, a box for stockings, a bag for shoes, and other conveniences, which will help to teach them system and ■order.

THE GUEST CHAMBER. The bed of the guest chamber should always stand so that when one opens the eyes in the morning, the light from the window will not be directly upon them, as it is trying to weak eyes and unpleasant to strong ones. Keep the bureau where the sun's rays will never strike the mir- ror, and where it will not be heated by the stove, as either will granu- late the amalgam. Chambers should always be provided with tran- soms over the doors, and windows arranged so as to lower easily from the top. A light feather bed covered with a case like a pillow, may be either used over the mattrass, or a comfort may be used over it and the feather bed under it. Tacked on the inside of the washstand doors, two crotcheted pockets are nice for bathing sponges, and there should be plenty of towels, especially of those coarse, rough ones which make a morning bath such a luxury. A broad oil cloth in front of the wash- stand is also a protection to the carpet in bathing, and is needed when there is no bath room up stairs.

THE KITCHEN. It is almost impossible to give any directions excepting in a general way regarding the kitchen, as there is an endless variety of plans and arrangement. The main thing is to systematize everything, grouping such things as belong to any particular, kind of work. For instance, in baking do not go to the china closet for a bowl, across the kitchen for the flour, and to the farther end of the pantry or store room for an egg, when they may all just as well be within easy reach of each other. Study and contrive to bring order out of the natural chaos of the kitchen,, and your head will save your hands and feet much labor. There is an old and true saying that "a woman can throw out with a spoon faster than a man can throw in with a shovel." In cooking meats, for instance, unless watched, the cook will throw out the water without letting it cool to take off the fat, or scrape the dripping-pan into the swill-pail. This grease is useful in many ways. Bits of

HOUSEKEEPING. 347

meat are thrown out which would make good hashed meat or hash ; the flour is sifted in a wasteful manner, or the bread pan left with dough sticking to it ; pie crust is left and laid by to sour, instead of making a few tarts for tea. Cake batter is thrown out because but little is left ; cold puddings are considered good for nothing, when often they can be steamed for the next day, or, as in case of rice, made over in other forms. Vegetables are thrown away that would warm for breakfast nicely. Dish towels are thrown down where mice can destroy them. Soap is left in water to dissolve, or more used than is necessary ; the scrub brush is left in the water, pails scorched by the stove, tubs and barrels left in the sun to dry and fall apart, chamber pails allowed to rust, tins not dried, and iron ware rusted ; nice knives are used for cooking in the kitchen, silver spoons used to scrape kettles, or forks to toast bread ; cream is allowed to mould and spoil, mustard to dry in the pot, and vinegar to corrode the castor ; tea, roasted coffee, pepper and spices to stand open and lose their strength ; the molasses jug loses the cork and the flies take possession ; vinegar is drawn in a basin and allowed to stand until both basin and vinegar are spoiled ; sugar is spilled from the barrel, coffee from the sack, and tea from the chest. Different sauces are made too sweet, and both sauce and sugar are wasted ; dried fruit has not been taken care of in season, and becomes wormy ; the vinegar on pickles loses strength or leaks out, and the pickles become soft ; potatoes in the cellar grow, and the sprouts are not removed until they become worth- less ; apples decay for want of looking over ; pork spoils for want of salt, and beef because the brine wants scalding ; hams become tainted or filled with vermin, for want of the right protection; dried beef be- comes so hard it can't be cut ; cheese molds and is eaten by mice or vermin ; bones are burnt that will make soup ; ashes are th

348 THE BUCKEYE COOK BOOK.

as dish-wipers ; mats forgotten to be put under hot dishes ; teapots melted by the stove ; water forgotten in pitchers, and allowed to freeze in winter ; slops for cows and pigs never saved ; china used to feed cats and dogs on ; and in many other ways a careless or inexperienced housekeeper wastes, without heeding, the hard earned wages of her husband. Economy counts nowhere so well as in the kitchen.

Use a cloth to wash potatoes. It is no trouble to keep one for this purpose, and it will save your hands and your time. Some prefer a brush. Tie a strip of muslin on the end of a round stick, and use to grease bread and cake pans, gem-irons, etc. Have two large pockets in your kitchen apron, and in one of them always keep a holder. A piece of clam or oyster shell is much better than a knife to scrape a kettle, should you be so unfortunate as to burn anything on it. ■ If you use a copper teakettle, keep an old dish with sour milk and a cloth in it, wash the kettle with this every morning, afterwards wash- ing off with clear water, and it will always look bright and new. Cut a very ripe tomato and rub over a kitchen table to remove grease. The juice will also remove stain? from and whiten the hands. A piece of sponge fastened on the end of a stick or wire is the best thing with which to clean lamp chimneys.

If you use oil buy the best kerosene ; to test it place a small quantity in a teacup, and if it does not easily ignite when brought in contact with a lighted taper or match, it is good ; poor oil will ignite instantly. Keep oil in a ten gallon can with a faucet at the lower part, so as to draw off into a smaller can or lamp filler ; set the large can in a cool dark place, keep all the articles used for cleaning, filling and trimming lamps by themselves. For these purposes provide an old waiter (to hold the things), a lamp filler, pair of scissors or a lamp trimmer, box of wicks, soap, washing soda, and several soft cloths and towels, also a wire hairpin with which to keep open the vent in the burner. When lamps need an extra cleaning, add one tablespoon soda to a quart of water, being careful that none of the bronze or gilding comes in contact with the soda. When the wick becomes too short to cany up the kerosene, and if you have not time to put in a new wick, a piece of cotton rag pinned on below will prove a good feeder. If a hole is broken in a glass chimney, paste on a piece of paper and it will answer its purpose until you get a new chimney. When the burners of lamps become gummy and prevent the wicks moving freely, boil them up in suds over the fire a short time, and

HOUSEKEEPING. 349

they will become entirely clean and work well. Lamps may become in- crusted inside with settlings from the oil, and ordinary washing will not remove it. Take soapsuds and fill the lamp about one-third full, then put in a little sharp sand, and shake vigorously. A few minutes will remove every particle of settlings. Always fill the lamps every day and in the day time. Never fill a lamp after dark near a lighted lamp. Never light an almost empty lamp, as the empty space is nearly always filled with a. very explosive gas. In putting out a lamp turn the flame down low, and wave a fan, book or paper across the top of the chimney. Blowing down a chimney is very dangerous when a lamp is nearly empty and turned up high. Never start a fire with the oil.

If kitchen floors are simply oiled, two or three times a year, no grease spot is made when grease drops on them, for it can be easily wiped up, — carpet or paint is not advisable. Neither paint nor paper the walls, but once a year apply a coat of the good old fashioned white wash. Do not have the wood work painted, the native wood well oiled and varnished lightly, is much the best finish. A wide, roomy dresser is a great convenience. It should have two wide closets below and three narrower ones above, with a row of drawers at top of lower closets. Here should be kept all pots and kettles, sauce-pans, waffle- irons, kitchen crockery, tins, etc., all arranged and grouped together so as to be convenient for use. If possible have good sliding doors, and at top and bottom of same have a narrow sliding panel for a ven- (ilator, whioh should be closed when sweeping. By this arrangement every article of kitchen ware can be enclosed from the dust and flies. A well appointed sink is a necessity in every kitchen — should be near both window and range, so as to have light, and also be convenient fo the hot water. It should be provided with a " grooved " and mov- able dish drainer, set so as to drain into the sink. Always have lamps placed at each end, or at the sides, so that the room may be well lighted in the evening. Never place a range or cooking stove opposite a door or window if it can be avoided, as any draft will prevent the oven from baking well.

Not less than three large windows are desirable in every good sized kitchen. Have your kitchen cheerful, pleasant, well ventilated, con- venient and clean.

Fill new tin pans with boiling water (having a little soda in it), let stand on a warm part of the range for a while, wash in strong soap

350 THE BUCKEYE COOK BOOK.

suds, rinse and dry well. Scouring tins very often with whitening or ashes wears them out; if properly taken care of, washed in suds and thoroughly dried, they" will not need scouring.

Boil ashes or a bunch of hay or grass in a new iron pot before cooking in it ; scour well with soap and sand, then fill with clean water and boil one or two hours.