DOMESTIC ECONOMY, HYGIENE, DIETETICS. 



431 



layers of thick paper and cotton wadding 

 usually interposed between the floor and the 

 carpet by way of lining. 



The floor should be inlaid, or at any rate 

 laid in hard woods, and should be frequently 

 polished with wax. One large carpet is used 

 to cover the greater part of the room, or per- 

 haps rugs are spread in different places, be- 

 neath tables, and before sofas, pianos, book- 

 cases, and other articles of furniture, much 

 as we are accustomed to lay them upon our 

 carpets. This insures much greater cleanli- 

 ness and a remarkable absence of dust. 



BENZINE. 



A colorless liquid, lighter than petroleum, 

 and obtained from that oil in process of re- 

 finement. It is sometimes used as a burning 

 fluid, but is extremely dangerous ; also as a. 

 substitute for turpentine in mixing paints, but 

 its chief value in the household comes from its 

 power of dissolving fats, wax, and paramne ; 

 every kind of grease spot on clothes may be 

 removed by it. In using, saturate a woolen rag 

 and rub over the spot, renewing several times. 

 Benzine must never be used near a fire or light 

 of any kind ; for it is so inflammable as to take 

 fire at a considerable distance. Keep it in a 

 dark, cool place. 



OLIVES. 



The fruit of the olive tree, which is exten- 

 sively cultivated in Italy, Spain, and the South 

 of France, partly for the green fruit, and partly 

 for the oil which it yields when mature. 

 Olives are oval in shape, with a smooth rind, 

 and closely resemble a small half ripe plum. 

 For the purposes of the table they are gathered 

 when immature, and are then pickled in salt 

 and water, and barreled for exportation. The 

 Italian olives are the best, then the French, 

 and lastly the Spanish, which, though large, 

 are not so well flavored. In choosing, select 

 the light colored and bright looking ones; 

 those which have a blackish cast are unfit to 

 eat. 



Pickled olives are supposed to have pecul- 

 iarly appetizing properties, but they are eaten 

 chiefly with a view to remove the taste of food 

 from the mouth, previously to enjoying the 

 flavor of wine. They should be passed round 

 after the soup. 



OLIVE OIL. 



This oil, sometimes called salad oil, is ex- 

 pressed from ripe olives. It is largely used in 

 the more delicate kinds of cookery, instead of 

 butter, and is a useful addition to salads, pre- 

 venting them from fermenting and from caus- 

 ing flatulency. When it is fresh and pure it 



has only a very slight yellowish-green color, 

 and but little smell or flavor, so that it may 

 even be drunk by those who like oil ; and it 

 cannot be doubted that it is one of the most 

 easily digested fats in food. Its use in cook- 

 ery might properly be extended in this country, 

 notwithstanding our excellent animal fats. 



The best quality of oil is that produced by 

 the first gentle pressure of the olives, and this 

 is at once bottled in the flasks peculiar to the 

 article. Stronger pressure on the fruit breaks 

 the kernels and produces an inferior grade of 

 oil, which is exported in jars and barrels. 

 Italian oil is superior to either French or Span- 

 ish, and is distinguished as Florence, Lucca, 

 and Gallipoli oil. The first is most desirable. 



CURTAINS. 



Window curtains should be selected in ac- 

 cordance with the general principles of taste 

 laid down in the article on DECORATION. Ac- 

 cording to their several purposes, and the na- 

 ture of the apartments, the quality of the 

 materials and the manner of hanging them 

 must be determined. In this country partic- 

 ularly, window curtains are necessary to ex- 

 clude the cold air which pi-esses in from the 

 windows in winter when the fires are burning, 

 however closely the sashes may be fitted. But 

 there is another cause for this which is not 

 generally thought of. The warm air in a room, 

 which always occupies the upper part near the 

 ceiling, coming into contact with the glass, is 

 cooled by it, and, descending immediately in 

 consequence, diffuses itself through the lower 

 part of the room and is felt as a cold current 

 coming from the windows, though no outside 

 air may actually have entered them. Curtains 

 check this partly by preventing the warm air 

 from reaching the glass, and partly by turning 

 the current sideways. 



But though curtains help to keep air out, 

 heavy ones may exclude it too much an3 also 

 keep bad air in. They should therefore be 

 hung on rings sliding on rods so that they can 

 be drawn entirely away from the window. For 

 the same reason lambrequins are very objec- 

 tionable, more so even than curtains, as they 

 have no opening in the center, and are fixed 

 obstacles to ventilating the upper part of the 

 room where the air is most heated. As to 

 taste, too, this arrangement is certainly inferior 

 to others. The rod and rings are more " con- 

 structive " than the cornice, and the general 

 effect conforms to the purpose in view. It is 

 well that curtains are now so seldom used for 

 shutting ventilation away from beds. In low- 

 priced materials curtains are apt to be cheaper 

 than lambrequins because the latter require 

 more fringe. 



