i6 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



October, 



A Talk about Lamps. 



Lamps when new, as every one knows, work 

 better and give a finer light than when they 

 become old. Let us look at some of the reasons 

 why this is so, with a view to having them 

 always work as near like new lamps as possible. 



First astothe wR'k. This is the pump that con- 

 veys the oil to the flame, and it must be in good 

 working order. After being used for a while 

 it gets clogged with dirt and other substances 

 that are in the oil, and failing to pump to its 

 full capacity— a dim light follows. Remedy: 

 wash the wick thoroughly once a week in hot 

 soap-suds, or in water to which some sal-soda 

 has been added, drying well before use. 



Then, as the oil is consumed from the lamp 

 the lightest part (of course at the top) is burned 

 fii'st, leaving the heavier at the bottom. By 

 filling repeatedly whenever the lamp is about 

 half empty, the oil gets so heavy that its course 

 to the flame is slow and inadequate. To pre- 

 vent this common trouble the lamp, especially 

 if it be a large one, should be kept partly filled 

 with water so that the body of the oil is kept 

 near to the flame. And then it should be allowed 

 to get very near empty before each new filling. 



With use, the burners soon become gummed 

 up and need to be cleaned. The wick passage 

 should be scoured out about once a month with 

 scouring dust or ashes, using a whale bone 

 bound with woolen cloth for the purpose. The 

 many small holes that admit external air must 

 also be kept open to ensure free combustion. 

 To boil the burner in soap-suds for an hour, 

 occasionally, will tend to better work. 



Without a clean chimney no lamp can be 

 satisfactoi-y. We have little to offer on this 

 point to housekeepers. By cleaning the chim- 

 ney every day soap is hardly required, but if 

 long neglected some must be used. A sponge 

 is very useful for working through the inside 

 of the chimney in cleaning it. When glass 

 lamps become clouded with a deposit on the in- 

 side some lime water will aid in cleaning them. 



Why lamps explode is a very important 

 question. Where the vapor of kerosene is mixed 

 with a certain part of oil it becomes explosive. 

 The poor oils throw off of this vapor freely. A 

 lamp partly full is more in danger of exploding 

 than a full one, because of the space filled with 

 the mixture. To turn a lamp down when 

 leaving the room is not a safe course, as the 

 flame is in this way brought nearer to the con- 

 fined air in the lamp. It should either be put 

 out or be left to burn with near the usual blaze. 



Brieflets. 



Naphtha will loosen up old paint. 



Coffee unground improves with age. 



Steel-faced flat-irons are labor savers. 



Salt with nuts pleases most tastes, besides it 



aids (ligestlnli. 



In cleaning greasy pans, some sal-soda in the 

 water will help on. 



For turning whitewash to brown, add brown 

 sienna and a little alum. 



" Sally, what lime do your folks dine y" '*Soonas 

 you go away— that's missus' orders." 



A paste of emery powder and sweet oil, applied 

 with tlannel, will clean steel perfectly. Polish with 

 a piece of leather. 



To take paint smells away, the English people 

 tell about soaking a handful of hay in a pail of 

 water, standing this in the room. 



For cleaning hair brushes, Tadd a few drops of 

 aminuuia to a dipper of water aud tind this to do 

 better than anything else. Mrs. G. C. 



In some homes a close closet catches all the 

 soiled clothing until washday. No worse plan 

 could exist for health. An airy loft or room is the 

 place for such clothing. 



Temper the glass and earthen ware. Putting 

 such in a boiler full of cold water, and heating to 

 the boiling point, allowing it to cool again, will do it, 

 to the saving of a good deal of breakage. 



A door or drawer that sticks even a little may 

 vex one a great deal; help any such holding place 

 by rubbing the soap bar over it a few times. If it 

 sticks much a plane must be employed; or, in case 

 of a door, it might be re-hung. 



Can anything be more uncleanly and disgusting 

 than the kitchen apron used as a handkerchief, 

 with factory at four cents a yard ? Some people one 

 runs across are guilty ; point the present paragraph 

 out to them. Let no child get into such a habit. 



Danger Ahead. One housekeeper in Connecticut 

 is said to have put a Squash into the oven to bake 

 and it exploded with a loud noise, lifting the toiJ off 

 the stove. If this thing goes on in the Cucurbitse 

 fanuly the next thing we know Pumpkin pies will 

 begin to blow up, and then what will become of the 

 liberty for which our forefathers fought and bled. 



Tffalnut Stain. You can turn Pine or Whitewood 

 shelves, tables and the like, to a fine Walnut stain 

 by applying with a brush the following prepara- 

 tiou; Thin-sized shellac, 3 qts. ; dry burnt umber, 

 1-2 lb.; dry burnt sienna, 1-2 lb ; lampblack, 1-8 lb. 

 Shake well until mixed. This to be followed by a 

 coat of shellac varnish. Such a stain and finish, 

 give some very common home-made things quite a 

 store-like appearance. 



The report that physicians are in many cases 

 prescribing light housework to women as a remedy 

 for various complaints sounds well, especially in 

 view of the great scarcity of etficent hired help. All 

 fastidiousnessaside, and it must be admitted that 

 housework for gu-ls and women is as beneficial in 

 many respects as mild gymnastic practice. Sweep, 

 iug rooms, beating beds, cleansing glass and paint, 

 indoors and out. can every one of them be recom- 

 mended for creating a wholesome glow and dispell- 

 ing torpidity of circulation. 



Nasturtium Pickles. Those who have never 

 made or used them do not know what they have 

 missed, as a relish with cold meats, oysters, etc . 

 They are easily prepared. Seeds that are quite 

 young and tender should be turned into a jar of 

 cold vinegar. When the bottle is full pour out the 

 vinegar into a pan on the stove, adding a little salt, 

 some Pepper-corns, a bit of Ginger-root and also 

 some sugar, but not much, and letting all come to a 

 boil. Then pour this boiling hot over the seeds and 

 cork tightly until used. 



OVI 



Itry. 



Some Important Points for Now. 



Ventilation of the hen house is one of these. 

 The fact that poultry is included among the 

 " fowls of the air," that by nature choose to 

 range at large and to roost in tree tops, shows 

 their need of plenty of fresh air. Without it 

 they cannot thrive in confinment. Bearing 

 upon this matter the /^/-ac^/f'a/ Fanner offers 

 some ideas as follows: 



The lack of proper ventilation, together 

 with filthiness, causes more disease in the flock 

 than all other causes combined. Deprived of 

 free air for any length of time and hens begin 

 to droop, their eyes grow dull and they seem 

 to take but little interest in life. 



Feed fowls as well as one can, provide every 

 luxury, apply ever3- remedy of medical science, 

 still without pure, unadulterated air you will 

 be unable to induce them to lay an egg. In 

 perhaps 99 cases in every lUO of failure in the 

 poultry business we believe such failure is 

 owing to the want of pure air. 



One of the needs in producing eggs during 

 the season of frost and snow is a good supply 

 of green food. It is not at all difficult to have 

 a supply on hand for the fowls. Cabbage, 

 Turnips, Apples, etc., all easily preserved, are 

 relished and serve to keep them healthy and 

 sound, inducing them to furnish fresh-laid 

 eggs when the}'" are most appreciated. Gener- 

 ally in winter grain is the chief resort, with 

 the evident result of the fowls becoming fat 

 and having no inclination to lay. Comfortable 

 quarters have much to do with the amount of 

 eggs shelled out, yet this must be ably seconded 

 by a supply of good green aud other food. 



Every careful poulterer should keep a stock 

 of cai'bolic acid always on hand; it is as indis- 

 pensable as Corn or Oats. It costs about 20 



cents a quai't in the crude state. It can be 

 used by mixing a little of it with water in a 

 watering pot and sprinkling it about the quar- 

 ters. This will drive lice away if done often 

 and will purify the atmosphere and surround- 

 ings of a fowl house, assisting thereby to ward 

 off disease and impuiities. 



Another way to use the acid is to put a tea- 

 spoonful in a pail of whitewash and apply this 

 to the walls of the house, letting no crack or 

 opening be missed. Also apply to the nests, 

 roosts, floor, and then the fowl house will be 

 free from Uce, bugs, and insects of all kinds. 



CONDENSED POULTRY NOTES. 



Feed wheat for more albumen 



The Dorking is the oldest breed. 



Disease is death to profits at least. 



Pepper is the seasoning to go into hen food. 



Our small potatoes are to make big-priced eggs, 

 nest winter 



With wild birds, molting takes place in the sea- 

 son of most food. Do you take the hint? 



"To be sure those are Leghorns; don't you see 

 the horns on the legs," quothUncle Johnat the fair. 



The earth is getting damp outdoors now; this 

 suggests that now the dust-bath under roof be put 

 in order. 



A floor of earth, the surface a foot higher than 

 the land outside, is about as complete a floor as can 

 be desired for the hen-house. 



One way of getting up exercise in the winter 

 quarters is to hang a sheaf of oats just high enough 

 that the hens must jump tQ get the kernels. 



We prefer to have the hen-house, that is, its main 

 windows, facing a little east of south, rather than 

 straight south, for we value early sunshine in it 

 more than sunshine at tlie end of the day. 



The joints of my nest boxes are now louse-proof, 

 for when they were nailed together I first smeared 

 the parts that were to meet with a mixture of lime., 

 kerosene and sulphur. I applied the same stuff to 

 the joints of the chicken coops. Louis. 



Don't. Because a hen may be forced to eat al- 

 most anything, don't give her bad food and then 

 look for good well flavored eggs. Because she will 

 drink foul water when no other is to be had, don't 

 force her to it, and then expect good health, eggs 

 and flesh. 



Hens will pick up a good deal of fine chareoalif 

 given the chance. This shows that their systems 

 crave, hence need it. Charred Corn is one of the 

 best shapes in which to furnish it. Feed this once 

 a week during fattening and it will improve the 

 flavor of the meat also. 



Let there be Light. That's what the windows 

 are for in the poultry house. But if never cleaned, 

 as is the case with one house we saw the other day. 

 (and of very many we did not see) a desirable end 

 is defeated. The hens are deserving of better 

 treatment than to be kept behind such filth-clogged 

 windows. In fact they will pay for the cleaning, 

 if it must be put on such grounds. A whisk for the 

 cobwebs and loose filth, and a cloth for polishing 

 the glass, if rightly applied, may soon let daylight 

 through. Next take hold of the dirty fioor, if such 

 a one exists. 



Are you fattening some fowls for market? Then 

 remember that buyers do not want poor stuff. The 

 markets are overrun with half-fattened, poorly 

 dressed, poor paying and poor eating poultry. You 

 should aim to get way above this A lean six- 

 months' chicken is not as tender as a fattened year- 

 old bird. When good healthy young fowls or tur- 

 keys are shut up close, regularly fed all the food 

 they can digest, and given fresh water— or better, 

 milk daily— they gain very fast. When they are 

 fat it is time to market them. But even the choicest 

 birds may be ruined by bad killing and preparation. 

 There is no better way to go about this than to be- 

 gin by fasting them for such a time as will give the 

 food a chance to become digested and the bowels 

 empty or nearly so before killing. Immediately 

 they are killed they should be hung up by the feet, 

 or they may be hung up before killing, bleeding 

 them as they are suspended. Dry -pick while warm, 

 singe over an alcohol lamp flame and lay on a table 

 to cool, being trussed up nicely into shape, keeping 

 them so by wrapping in strips of muslin until they 

 get cold. In twelve hours they may be packed. 

 The birds should be packed in layers aud very 

 close. They nnist be thoroughly cold before this. 

 Clean Oats straw affords one of the best linings and 

 layer materials that we know of for packing. 



