426 HOME LIFE IN FLORIDA. 



ant and healthful, and by pushing a broom-stick in the 

 open slit the needles are stirred up and kept from packing. 



The great advantage of this method of making the tick- 

 ing lies in the facility with which it may be emptied, the 

 contents j^icked over and replaced, making each time a 

 " good as new" mattress, without the labor of a new tick- 

 ing ; there is no ripping to be done except at the end which 

 was sewed up last, only the strings to untie and tie again. 



Bolsters and pillows : For bolsters and pillows, the same 

 materials as for the mattress — pine needles, palmetto, moss, 

 shavings — are often used ; but for those who can procure 

 them, feathers are far preferable, especially for the pillows. 

 They need not be geese feathers to be comfortable ; those 

 of chickens, killed for the table, are good enough if prop- 

 erly cured, and this is a simple matter ; scalding does not 

 hurt them ; all that is necessary is to dry them very thor- 

 oughly. A good way is to put them in a bag and lay them 

 in a moderately warm oven ; the small feathers are all right, 

 but the pen-feathers (wings and tail) need to be stripped. 



The bureau : For the bureau, a box of suitable size is 

 just the thing, and four blocks glued and nailed at the 

 corners will make the feet ; if you have casters, so much 

 the better ; always use them, if possible, on heavy furni- 

 ture, it saves all around, the furniture itself, the floor, the 

 carpet and, more than all, your own strength. Many a 

 woman has made herself an invalid for life by pushing or 

 pulling or lifting heavy furniture. Sisters, don't do it ; if 

 you can not have casters, let the dirt be ; better that than 

 injure your health. 



Instead of drawers, which are difficult for an amateur 

 to fit properly, put in shelves. Strips nailed on the inside 

 of the box for the shelving to rest on are best ; it is best, 

 too, not to fasten the shelves, but slip them in, so that they 

 can be readily taken out to clean. A front nailed on the 



