980 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



through the middle, and iron it; then iron the sleeves and the front of the shirt; last, iron 

 the bosom on the bosom board; wet the bosom once with a damp cloth, and iron hard and 

 quickly with a polishing iron. 



Cuffs and collars are also ironed on the bosom board, as the shirt bosom is. A shirt 

 collar should be ironed lightly first on the wrong side; then turn it over and iron hard on the 

 right, until there is a high polish and it is perfectly dry. In ironing a skirt, slip it over the 

 skirt board ; have the clothes basket under the board, so that the skirt may not touch the 

 floor. Iron the right side.&quot; Muslin, embroidery, and prints should be ironed on the wrong 

 side; this gives them a much newer and fresher look. 



Washing Window Curtains. Plain white window shades should never be run 

 through the wringer, as the wrinkles tlras produced cannot be easily removed. Wash clean, 

 and starch rather stiff in starch that contains a little gum-arabic. Hang up dripping wet, 

 and let them dry in this manner. Muslin and lace curtains should, of course, never be put 

 in with the regular washing, as they are easily torn. They can be handled with much less 

 danger if folded before putting them into the water. They should not be rubbed much, but 

 put them to soak a few hours in strong soap suds. Squeeze the water through the meshes 

 carefully with the hands, changing the water frequently. Starch and dry in the sun. Lace 

 curtains should be stretched evenly and pinned to a sheet that is laid on a clean lawn, and 

 fastened in some way at the corners, or the sheets may be pinned to a carpet in a room where 

 they \vill not be dusted. Blue slightly, and put a little gum-arabic water in the starch, but 

 never iron them. While drying, take pains to see that the edges are pulled out perfectly 

 even and straight, as they will not hang well if they are not even when dry. We have seen 

 nice lace curtains completely ruined the first time they were washed, from the ignorance of 

 the washer, and have also seen them manipulated with such care during the washing process 

 that they came out looking as fresh as when new. 



Washing Prints. To wash prints, delaines, and lawns that will fade by using soap, 

 make a starch water similar to that made to starch prints with, and wash in two waters with 

 out any soap; rinse twice in clean water. If there is green, dissolve a little alum and put in 

 the starch water. 



The Buffalo Moth. This moth has within a few years been very destructive, its 

 destructiveness being particularly manifested upon carpets; hence it has been called the 

 carpet bug&quot; or &quot;carpet beetle.&quot; It works under the edges of 

 carpets, making large holes near their margins. Where there are 

 cracks between the floor boards, it will fre 

 quently follow these, and, by working along, 

 cut off whole breadths of the carpet. 



It will also eat woolen articles of cloth 

 ing when packed away or hanging up, furs, 

 feathers, etc., the same as the common house 

 moth, but are vastly more destructive and more 

 difficult to exterminate. The accompanying cuts 

 show the moth and beetle considerably magni 

 fied. The moth is about three-sixteenths of an 

 inch in length, and covered with long, brownish 

 hairs, those at the sides being in tufts. The 

 length of the beetle is about one-eighth of an 

 a, BUFFALO MOTH. a, BUFFALO BEETLE (Magnified), inch. It is black, and rather prettily marked 



with bright brick red and white. The best 



means of killing this insect is to lay a wet, folded sheet along the edges of the carpet, and 

 slowly pass hot irons over it, in order to produce all the steam possible, which, penetrating 

 the carpet and cracks beneath, will kill the moth. Before carpets are put down it would be 

 well to fill the cracks in the floor, and especially between the base board and floor (which is 

 their favorite retreat), with putty or plaster of Paris. Where the cracks are small, hard soap 

 may answer the purpose. 



Selecting Meats. Steer or heifer beef, when properly fattened, is the best. It is 

 tender, has a fine grain, a yellowish white fat, and is firm in texture. When first cut, it will 

 be of a dark red color, but after a few moments exposure to the air it will change to a bright 

 red. It will also have a juicy appearance; the suet will be nearly destitute of fibre, and 

 appear dry and crumbly. Older beef, such as the flesh of the ox or cow, will seem coarser 

 in texture, be darker in color, and less juicy. 



