306 



DOMESTIC ECONOMY. 



[Chap. IV. 



SECTION XXV.-EXCERPTA OF USEFUL KNOWLEDGE FOR IIOUSEWHTS. 



NDER this head, -n-hich really means selecting 



ii'-cs- choice extracts from books that we read, ■we intend 



\r^ to gatlier up a great number of useful things, and 



concentrate them hero for easy reference in a some- 



■ffhat miscellaneous order. 



AYe will open the section with a most valuable line 

 of advice, selected from a letter of an excellent house- 

 wife to her daughter, wlicn about undertaking the 

 responsibilities of housekeeping. She says: 



423. ". Always Buy Good Articles, notwithstanding 

 the first cost is more, in preference to cheap or low- 

 priced sorts, which are generally the mest uneconomi- 

 cal ; and sometimes low-priced articles of food prove 

 detrimental to health. Make it a point to read every- 

 thing that comes in your way about domestic economy. 

 Ton cau not learn too much. Keep a little memorandum-book, with alpha- 

 bet pages, and make it a rule to store up excerpta from all you read, for 

 future use. It will prove to you a lasting source of useful knowledge. 

 Frequently you need only make a reference in your memorandum where to 

 look for what you want. No head is large enough for a storehouse of all 

 that a good housewife will at some time want to know." 



424. Ecouoniy of Farm-house Lights. — This is a very important question for 

 the consideration of farmers' wives, who may find that it will not always be 

 good economy to burn their own tallow. Certainly not, if it can be ex- 

 changed for a light-producing substance which will save the hard, unplea- 

 sant labor of candle-making, and at the same time afibrd a much better and 



a pleasanter light. Unfortunately, we have no standard of comparative 

 cost of tallow — the almost univei'sal source of farm-house light — with fluid 

 substances. E. N. Kent, of the United States Assay Ofiice, tells us, in the 

 following table, M-hich is the most economical as regards cost of oleaginous 

 substances for light. 

 42.5. Cost of Oils for Light Compared : 



Malcriala T^mnI-,P,l Retail Price of Oil Cflsl of an Kqnal 



"""'"'"'• Lamp Used. per Gallon. Amount of Light. 



Kerosene oil Kerosene SI 00 $4 10 



Camphene Camphene C3 4 85 



Sylvie oil Rosin oil 50 6 0-3 



Rape-seed oil Mechanical 1 50 9 00 



Whaleoil Rolar 1 00 12 OU 



Lanl oil Solar 1 25 17 00 



Sperm oil Kolar 2 25 2G 00 



Burning fluid Large wicli 87 29 00 



426. Cost of Oil and Candles f oiuitaredi — Dr. Ure gives the comparative cost 

 of an equal amount of light per hour from tho following substances: 



