6/4 Reading-Course for Farmers' Wives. 



The skin acts as a heat regulating apparatus through evaporation of 

 the perspiration and tlius reduces body heat. It also serves in some 

 measure to eliminate the body's waste products in. the form of secre- 

 tions. Perspiration and secretions are absorbed by the clothing and 

 bits of dead skin are constantly being rubbed off and find their way 

 into the meshes of the fabric. After a time of w'ear, the limit of absorp- 

 tion is reached and the p/ores of the cloth become clogged. The clothing 

 begins to have a damp, sticky, oily feeling. If starch has been used, 

 the garment becomes limp. In this condition, if clothing is not actually 

 dirty it is at least vmwholesome to wear, for it prevents the proper absorp- 

 tion and evaporation of moisture from the body and thus actually 

 increases the warmth of the body in summer and makes it colder in 

 winter. It is a matter of common experience to mothers and nurses 

 that the fretting of a small child may sometimes be due to clothing 

 which has become damp and sticky with wear. A change to clean gar- 

 ments gives the needed relief by furnishing a fresh absorbing surface. 



Whenever organic matter accumulates on clothing, even to a slight 

 extent, there is a possibihty of the presence of bacteria. Washing has 

 a three-fold reason, to remove dirt and open the pores of the cloth, 

 to dry the cloth so as to renew its power of absorption, and to 

 destroy any bacteria which may be present. As a household process 

 laundering often proves an arduous task instead of an interesting occu- 

 pation, for, unfortunately, many houses are not equipped in a way to 

 remove the burdens of wash-day. An understanding of conditions will 

 greatly aid the person having this task to perform, through knowledge 

 is only one-half of the whole and cannot take tlie place of proper equip- 

 ment as a labor-saving device. 



fadrics. 

 A first step toward gaining knowledge of laundry methods is to learn 

 something of the nature of the things to be laundered and the way 

 these respond to the common reagents or solvents used in the laundry. 

 The common fibres used for clothing are of both vegetable and animal 

 origin. Cotton and linen are the chief vegetable fibres and the chief 

 animal fibres are wool and silk. Among the common laundry reagents 

 (substances capable of forming a reaction) are two classes of chemicals 

 known as acids and bases. Acids were so named because of the sour 

 taste conmion to many of them. Acids and bases possess as a char- 

 acteristic property the power to unite with each other to form a third 

 substance called a salt. They are said to neutralize each other. Thus, 

 if hydroohJoric acid (muriatic acid) and sodium hydroxid (lye) are 



