444 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



for the ground of the carpet you would have great 

 trouble in keeping their forms distinct and regu- 

 lar. For rugs, a wreath prettily arranged is a good 

 design ; or the centre may be a group of flowers, 

 while near the edges a border of grape leaves, or 

 of the convolvulus (morning glory) vine in bloom, 

 is portrayed with good effect. 



The rags composing these carpets and rugs vaiy 

 in width according to their thickness ; the strips 

 must be substantial enough to fill the interstices of 

 the cloth through which they are hooked with 

 loops so tight that they cannot be easily taken out. 

 Hold the strip with your left hand under the cloth, 

 and push the hook held in your right hand between 

 the threads of the cloth, and thus draw up the strip 

 into a loop half an inch long. Make the loops 

 as close as they will hold in the cloth. The 

 work is very handsome with the loops uncut; but 

 if they are sheared it is as beautiful as velvet. 

 Soft woolen and old silk make the nicest pile. 

 Carpet thrums, obtained at carpet mills, are next 

 best. Old doeskin and broadcloth look very well, 

 and, though they are extremely hard to loop, 

 they are so durable that they are always desired. 

 Cotton rags may be introduced, in small quanti- 

 ties ; in fact, any sort of rag that can be used in no 

 other way is available in loop-work. 



Do not forget that to make a good carpet or rug 

 of this kind the loops must stand firm in their 

 places by their own thickness, and must be as close 

 together as possible. I have seen loop-work that 

 was covered on the under side with stiff flour 

 paste to keep the rags in the cloth, and even with 

 this they were constantly dropping out. But when 

 well made there is not the slightest need of paste, 

 and the work will last a lifetime, standing un- 

 harmed through many a violent shaking. It is 

 hoped that the importance of the subject is suflS- 

 cient excuse for the great length of this chapter. 



juice; remove the seeds;' chop the lemons fine; 

 to the lemons and juice add three or four eggs; 

 three cups of sugar, (I use maple, but crushed is 

 better ;) beat the mixture well ; crust the same as 

 for apple pies, except it needs more shortening; 

 the batter will appear thin, but confine it well with 

 the top crust and it will come out of the oven all 

 right. In paring your lemons be careful to remove 

 all of the white, or your pies will be bitter. 

 North Danville, Vt. Mits. Wm. J. Stanton. 



For the New England Farmer, 

 LEMON PIES. 

 For the benefit of "A E.eader and Subscriber," 

 I send the following receipt for making lemon pies : 

 For two pies pare three lemons ; press out the 



For the New England Farmer, 

 ■WASHING FLANNELS. 



Mr. Editor: — In the Farmer for May 8, you 

 give a good rule for washing flannels, but I think 

 mine is better. It is as follows : — 



Dissolve in a tub of hot water (as hot as the 

 hands will bear) sufHcient soft soap to make a 

 strong suds, — the rosin in hard soap makes flannel 

 stifiF. In this rub the flannel, with the hands, gen- 

 tly. When it is clean take it into a tub of clear 

 warm water that has been blued, and rub it well, 

 not roughly. Then wring it out as dry as possible 

 in a towel if you please. Open a table, and lay the 

 flannel on this, making it straight by the side and 

 end of the table. Then smooth it across and down- 

 ward with the hand till it is square and straight 

 and all wrinkles are gone. Then dry it as quickly 

 as possible, — on a horse by the fire, if you can. 

 Meanwhile let your irons be heating, and before 

 it is wholly dry press it with moderately warm 

 irons. 



Flannels should never be taken from warm 

 water to cold, nor dried in a draught of cold air, 

 nor allowed to freeze. Such management shrinks 

 and yellows them. Nena. 



Among the superstitions of the Seneca Indians 

 is one of singular beauty. When a maiden dies 

 they imprison a young bird until it first be- 

 gins to try its power of song, and then, loading it 

 with caresses, they loose it over her grave, in the 

 belief that it will not fold its wings nor close its 

 eyes until it has flown to the spirit land, and de- 

 livered its precious burden of aflfection to the loved 

 and lost. 



