Sec. 25.] EXCERPTA OF USEFUL KNOWLEDGE FOR HOUSEWIVES. 413 



36 cents ; 7 lbs. grease, 28 cents — 04 cents for a barrel of soap. Anotlicr re- 

 ceipt says : 



" One hundred pounds of pjood soap for $1 30 : Take six pounds of potafeli, 

 75 cents; four pounds of lard, 50 cents; quarter of a pound of rosin, 5 

 cents. Beat up the rosin, mix all together well, and set aside for five days; 

 then jnit the whole into a twelve-gallon ca^k of warm wafer, and stir twice a 

 day for ten days, at the expiration of which time you will have about one 

 hundred ])0unds of excellent soaji." 



The following is considered a valuable aid to the washerwoman, by one 

 who has tried it. She says : 



"Take one pound of sal soda and half a pound of unslaked lime; put 

 them in a gallon of water and boil twenty minutes ; let it stand till cool, 

 then drain off and put it in a stone jug or jar. Soak your dirty clothes 

 all night, or until they arc well wet through, then wring them out and rub 

 on plenty of soap, and to one boiler of clothes well covered with water add 

 one teaspooiiful of the washing lluid. lioil half an hour briskly, then wash 

 them thoroughly through one suds, and rinse well with water, and your 

 clothes will look better than the old way of washing twice before boiling. 

 This is an invaluable recipe, and I do want every poor tired woman to 

 try it." 



Another one says : " Take two pounds of soda ash, two pounds of hard soap, 

 and ten quarts of water ; cut the soap fine ; add all together, put into a kettle, 

 and bring to a boil, then take it off the fire and stir until nearly cool. Put 

 your clothes to soak the evening before you wasli. In the morning, wring 

 out, boil them in water, to which is added nearly a pint of the compound 

 to every pailful. Wash out iu the same water and rinse, and your washing 

 is dojie." 



4G1. flasliiii? .llachiiifs liave been contrived, patented, made, and sold and 

 discardeil almost as luunerously as "patent churns." "We have tried a good 

 nuiiiv. Tlie ciiurns have all been given up for the old dasiier, and notwith- 

 standing washing was " made easy," the old wash-board still holds its place, 

 thou"-li sonic wasiting machines are worthy of commendation as assistants in 

 the laundry. None will do all the work. Perhaps our lady readers will say 

 that we ought to tell them which to buy. Wo can not do it. The latest 

 exjierience of our family is decidedly in favor of Doty's New York maeliine, 

 '• improved," which acts upon the ]>lan of a cloth-dresser's fulling-mill, and 

 is very easily worked. The " Metropolitan washing machine" is the jxHind- 

 ing barrel improved by springs that make it work easy. It is uset'ul for 

 iicavy work. C'LornKS Wki.m.kus are worthy of the highest commentlntion 

 Thev arc the most important ot' all household labor-saving machiniM. The; 

 iire "made of different forms, but the i)rineiplo in each is the bame, being con- 

 structed to attach to the edge of a wash-tul), and contain two elastic rollers 

 which arc turned by a crank with one hand, while with the other the washer 

 picks up one end ol" a garment and holds it to the rollers, througii which it 

 passes rapidly and falls int.) a clothes-basket a great deal drj'cr than any 



