190 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



fatrits' Drpartiiunt 



OKIGINAL DOMESTIC RECEIPTS. 



[Written for the Genesee Farmer by various C»rrespondents.] 



Crumb Cloth. — Prepare a frame of narrow strips 

 tvf boiirdti, the size you wish the cloth to be when 

 spread under the eating table. Take substantial 

 brown factory cloth, and sew it together till it tills 

 the frame ; then hem it all around. Stretch the 

 cloth on the frame, and tack it fast with small 

 carpet tacks. Fill the cloth with common paste, 

 made of wheat or rye flour, and let it dry. Pre- 

 pare your paint — any color you like — and paint 

 only one side. Give it two or three coats. 



Blacking Stoves. — Pound and rub some good 

 black lead into a powder; then mix strong cotfee 

 with it till the mixture becomes as thick as cream. 

 If the air is cold and damp, warm up the ^ove 

 slightly. Rub it witli the mixture, and polish off 

 with a dry brush. This stove blacking makes a 

 fine polish and prevents the stove from rusting 

 when put away for the summer. 



Glue. — Use a piece of zinc to stir your glue, or 

 keep a small piece of zinc in the bottom. It is 

 said to prevent it from acquiring that unpleasant 

 odor common to glue. 



To Polish Flat-ihons. — If your flat-irons are 

 rough, rub them well with fine salt, and it will 

 make them smooth. 



To Wash Ribbons.— Ribbons of any kind should 

 be washed in cold soap-suds, and not rinsed. 



Old Ckape.— a bit of glue, dissolved in skim- 

 milk and water, will restore old crape. 



Grease Spots. — A hot shovel held over varnished 

 furniture, will take out grease spots. 



Skleoting Carpets. — If you are buying a carpet 

 for durability, choose small figures. 



Beds. — Oat straw is the best for filling beds. It 

 should be changed once a year. 



Young Housekeepers. — How many young house- 

 keepers are tried and perplexed with what some 

 would consider sn^all matters! Many have been 

 brought up by well-meaning mothers, who have 

 allowed them to assist in the smaller matters of 

 housekeeping; but instead of placing the respon- 

 sibility of making jiies, bread, and cakes, entirely 

 upon them, have preferred to do it themselves. Is 

 this right? Were mothers to be more dependent 

 upon their daughters, would they not, in general, 

 make better housekeepers? 



Well do I remember, when a young housekeeper, 

 my first attempt at making mince pies. It is true, 

 1 had some considerable knowledge of housekeep- 

 ing; but I had never, until then, been dependent 

 upon my own judgment in household matters. 



Like most young wives, I was extremely anxious 

 that my husband should think me a model house- 

 keeper; and therefore I went to work with real 

 earnestness. We had some nice beef, and I was to 

 ti-y my skill in making pies. I had often assisted 



my mother by chopping the meat, raisins and suet, 

 but to make pies alone I never had. However, I 

 had considerable confidence in myself. 



I knew that a good crust must be made of lard 

 and water; but I did not then know that the lard 

 must be cut up and well worked into the flour be- 

 fore the water was added. So I made my crust, 

 and it was hard and tough. The mince, although 

 finely hashed, was not very nicely seasoned, and I 

 filled the crust too full ; so they boiled over in the 

 oven, and ot course were somewhat smoked. My 

 husband was not disposed to find fault. He said 

 the crust was a little tough, and that they had got 

 a little smoky. I was not suited with them, and 

 thought I would have better pies next time. But 

 it took more than one next time to have my pies 

 just as I thought they ought to be. Then I had 

 conquered, when my liusband told me they were 

 the best pies he ever ate. 



Many such lessons of patience and perseverance 

 did I learn the first years of married life. 



Armada, Mich, MRS. A. J. 8. 



Woman's Ocoupation.— In these days of progress 

 and improvement, not the least among the many 

 evidences we meet with of the triumph of science 

 over difficulties hitherto supposed insurmountable, 

 is the invention of sewing machines. Woman need 

 now no longer be a mere mechanical drudge, 

 doomed to pass her days forever in the seclusion 

 of home — wasting away her energies, and her life, 

 in the everlasting occupation of needle-work. The 

 days when Tom Hood wrote his pathetic "Song of 

 the Shirt " have passed away, and are numbered 

 auKMig the things that were. It may perhaps be 

 said by some, that with the introduction of sewing 

 machines, woman's occupation is gone. This, per- 

 haps may be true ot many of those who, having 

 been educated in a former age, find that education 

 too limitad for the present time, and have no re- 

 sources to fall back upon, or the ability to adapt 

 themselves to follow new channels of life. 



So long as the present system of female educa- 

 tion is followed, the etfect of this loss of her occu- 

 |iati(m will be to make her still more dependent. 

 But a revt>lution in the system of education must 

 sooner or later take place, and woman must be fit- 

 ted — not to be a mere ornament to a house — a 

 gewgaw to be taken around for show, like a little 

 dog led by a golden chain, or as a mere household 

 skive. No! woman must be be so educated as to 

 become not merely the companion, but the teacher 

 of man. Her education must be carried out on a > 

 sounder and broader basis. She must be taught so 

 as to be fitted to become herself a teacher. She 

 must be fitted to take care of herself, and to feel 

 that she has a mind, and that her mind is capable ( 

 of being directed into channels of thought — by 

 which she can acquire a position of independence, 

 and exercise a greater and better influence than she 

 at present does. She should also become more ac- 

 customed to out-door exercises, and should study 

 physiology ; and take an interest in the discoveries ■ 

 of science, and what is going on outside of her 

 own immediate circle. progress. 



Greens. — It is perhaps not generally known that 

 the leaves of one of our common weeds, known as \ 

 Lambs-quarters^ when boiled, make excellent greena. 



