660 DR. CHASE'S RECIPES. 



of mollifying aspect while the interest is paid; the very devil of destruction 

 when the payments fail. [Beware of them. — Author.] 



1. Feather Beds, Old, to Renovate Without Steam. — Old 

 feather beds may be renovated or cleaned very satisfactorily by putting them 

 out during a heavy shower, turning, to give both sides a good soaking. [And 

 the author can't see, if it does not rain when and as hard or as long as it is 

 desired for this purpose, why a woman can't get up a good " heavy shower" of 

 her own by means of plenty of warm water and the ordinary house or garden 

 cprinkler; she certainly could, and I think be better than the natural cold 

 shower.] Dry thoroughly in the sun, beating with a stick to loosen up the 

 feathers, as you do a carpet to get out the diist. The bed may lay upon the 

 ground to receive the water, but should be placed upon slats or sticks across 

 chairs, or something of this character, while drying. 



Remarks. — On boards or poles, one end on the fence sloping towards the 

 Bun, is the better way. If there are stains on the tick they can be cleaned at 

 the same time in the following manner: 



2. Feather Bed Tick, To Remove the Stains.— Pulverize some 

 starch and stir it into sufficient soft soap to make quite a thick paste, enough to 

 cover the spots caused by children's wetting it. When dry, brush off and wash 

 with clean water by means of a wash-cloth or sponge. Dry again in the sun, 

 and whip to lighten up the feathers. 



Corn Crib, Rat Proof.— A correspondent of the Practical Farmer 

 gives the following directions for making that most necessary of farm build- 

 ings — a rat proof corn crib. He says; " Build a good substantial house, 13 

 feet wide, 8 feet high and as long as you want it. This vdll give you 2 cribs, 1 

 on either side. Put your building on stone pillars, 1 foot, or more, above 

 ground (mind, the pillars must not be wider than the sill, else the rats will stand 

 on them). Side up with lath 23^x1 inches of hard wood — I used oak — putting 

 them on up and down, being careful to have them just 3^ inch apart. The 

 gables and any part of the building that does not come in contact with the corn 

 can be sided up with common pine boards; for bottoms of cribs, laths length- 

 wise, )4 ^^^^^ apart; balance of floor between cribs lay tight, of pine boards. 

 My building has a string of ties between the sill and plate to nail to and cross 

 ties to hold the building together. Every 8 feet of these ties spike a good strong 

 scantling, or plank across them lengthwise of the building as far in from the 

 plate as you want the width of top of crib, then set up studding from floor, as 

 many as will be sufficiently strong for crib; mortice the end in floor, gain the 

 top into the horizontal scantling about ^ of an inch, then lath the inside of the 

 crib with any kind of lath (I would keep up the hard wood), just close enough 

 to keep in the corn, commencing 10 inches from the floor, to leave room for the 

 corn to come down into the trough, putting these lath on lengthwise. Then 

 put a common sized door in the end, between the cribs. You can put a lock 

 on the door, and all is secure— I did not lock mine and gained something by it, 

 as I found a stray mitten in the crib on a cold morning. To get the corn in the 

 crib make doors above the plate the size you want them, the same 9& donner 



