HOUSEHOLD. 



211 



bed at once, and it cannot be repaired 

 except by the factory, and at mucb ex- 

 pense. All brass beds of to-day are 

 lacquered, and it is this lacquering 

 process wbich gives them the finish, 

 which is to be seen in the filmy sheen 

 on the surface. The use of polish or 

 soap and water cuts through this sur- 

 face or finish and exposes the raw 

 brass surface which as everyone 

 knows tarnishes very rapidly in the 

 atmosphere. (2) Never rub a brass 

 Ibed "With any rough surface. It is not 

 wise to lean against the foot of a brass 

 bed. Friction of this kind if persisted 

 in will gradually wear through the 

 finish, giving the surface a scratched 

 appearance. It is unwise to throw the 

 bedclothes over the foot of a brass 

 bed. Better to lift them right off the 

 bed and throw over a chair. (3) In 

 the care of brass beds it is best to rub 

 them as little as possible. Dusting off 

 lightly with a piece of sott chamois 

 cloth is recomnfended. 

 Springs. 



For the same reasons that the steel 

 bed is to be preferred so the steel 

 frame spring is to be recommended. 

 The Tvood frame spring, because of its 

 unsanitary characteristics should be 

 taboo in every farm home. This is all 

 the more the case in view of the fact 

 that steel frame springs can be bought 

 at prices very slightly in advance of 

 the ordinary cheap wood frame spring. 



In addition to being "Steel frame," 

 or "Wood frame," springs are of sev- 

 eral different kinds. While certain 

 kinds have certain advantages, it is 

 largely a matter of choice what kind 

 of spring you use. (1) Woven wire 

 fabric. These springs consist of a 

 fabric woven of very fine wire, the 

 fabric then stretched very taut and 

 fastened to the frame. This style of 

 spring is pro'ba'bly most widely known 

 at the present time, but is gradually 

 giving place to other styles because 

 of certain defects. 



The woven wire spring cannot (ex- 

 cept, perhaps, the very most expen- 

 sive) be guaranteed not to sag. Be- 

 cause the fabric is stretched so taut 

 if it does sag it lacks any elastic 

 powers to pull itself back to the orig- 

 inal state. Again, if the fabric gives 

 way. has a hole punched in it, or is in 

 any way damaged, the spring "becomes 

 practically useless, because repairs 

 can l>e made only on the machines of 



the factory. (2) Link fabrics. These 

 springs have a fabric made of heavier 

 -wire usually about 13 gauge, which 

 as the name implies, is formed into 

 links so that the whole fabric pre- 

 sents a chain work appearance. At- 

 tachment to the frame is made by 

 means of helical springs. Helical 

 springs can be described as like the 

 spring of window blind, but in the 

 case of bed springs they are much 

 shorter and made of heavier wire. The 

 wire of the fabric usually is tinned or 

 coppered, while the helicals are us- 

 ually black japanned. 



The advantages claimed for link 

 fabric springs are: (1) They can 'be 

 guaranteed not to sag. The helical 

 springs have great elastic powers and 

 after a strain on the fabric, draw it 

 back to the original level position. 

 (2) The link fabric is more resilient 

 and shapes itself more completely to 

 the contour of the body. (3) They are 

 less liable to Injury because of the 

 flexibility of the fabric and, if dam- 

 aged in moving about can usually be 

 repaired by m?&.ns of a few new links 

 ■which can be attached very simply 

 and by almost anyone. (4) Because of 

 the open nature of the fabric, such 

 springs are considered more sanitary. 

 For that reason the link fal)ric is be- 

 ing widely used in hospitals, and in- 

 stitutions of various kinds. (5) Coil 

 springs (or spiral springs). These 

 springs consist of rows of coil springs 

 (such as those used in sofas and 

 chairs) set on and fastened to a steel 

 framework. Generally speaking, such 

 springs are very flexible and frequent- 

 ly are preferred by persons who like 

 a soft bed. In past years some people 

 have had unpleasant experiences with 

 coil springs due to the separate 

 springs moving out of place, but In 

 present day springs of that type, such 

 trouble has been overcome. The 

 separate springs are so securely fas- 

 tened into position that they cannot 

 move out of place. (6) Upholstered 

 box springs. These are a modifica- 

 tion of the coil spring type. The rows 

 of coil springs are attached to a wood 

 framework, and securely interfastened. 

 A covering of felt is put on and a case 

 of ticking is put over the whole spring, 

 tacked down to the wood frame-work 

 at the sides and upholstered much after 

 the same manner as a couch or sofa. 

 One point should be borne in mind in 



