niNTS AKD HELPS. 491 



That salt pork will be nearlj as nice as fresh, if soaked in sweet milk and 

 water, equal parts. 



That if we wish to prolon{j our Uves we shonld always put one day 

 between washing and ironing. 



That liver should be thrown into boiling water after being sliced thin and 

 then ftied in lard or dripping. 



That pie cruat will not be soggy if it is brushed over with the white of an 

 egg before the fruit ia put in. 



That half a cup of vinegar in the water will make an old fowl cook nearly 

 as quick as a yoang one, and does not injure the flavor in the least. 



That a tough beefsteak may be made eatable by mincing it pretty fine 

 with a chopping -knife and cooking qoickly in a pot with a close cover, to 

 prevent the steam from escaping. 



To Keep Apples. — 1. Having selected the best fmit, wipe it perfectly 

 dry with a tine cloth, then take a jar of suitable size, the inside of which is 

 thoroughly coated with cement, and having placed a layer of fine sand per- 

 fectly dry at the bottom, place thereon a layer of the firuit — apples or pears, 

 as the case may be — but not so close as to touch each other, and then a 

 layer of sand; aud in this way proceed till the vessel is full. Over the upper 

 layer of fruit a thick stratum of sand may be spread and lightly pressed 

 down with the hands. In this manner choice fruit perfectly ripe may bo 

 kept for almost any length of time, if the jar be placed in a situation free 

 from moisture. 



2. Take fine dry sawdust, preferably that made by a circular saw from 

 well seasoned hard wood, aud place a thick layer on Iwttom of a barrel. 

 Then place a layer of apples, not close together and not close to staves of 

 the tarrel. Put sawdust hberally over and around, aud proceed nutU a 

 bushel and a lialf, or less, are so packed in each barrel. They are to be 

 kept in a cool place. 



The Best Kind of Bed«. — Do you sleep upon a feather bed ? We hope 

 not. Years ago a feather bed was supposed to l)e an important part of a 

 housekeeping outfit. If you have a feather bed, put it in the spare room, 

 lock the door, and loose the key. A curled-hair mattress of the beat quality 

 makes one of the most desirable couches, but curled hair is expensive and 

 all cannot afford it. The next best thing, indeed, almost as good, is afforded 

 by that plant, so dear to every American farmer — Indian com. Whoever 

 grows corn, need not lack for the most comfortable of beds. We are awaie 

 that ticks are sold filled with husks with the stem part left on. A bed of 

 this kind is not the kind of husk bed we have in mind. To make the very 

 best possible husk bed, save the husks from the green com as it is daily 

 used. The husks are coarse, aud should be slit. An old-fashioned hatchet, 

 where there is such an implement, answers well, but a substitute can be 

 made by driving a few large nails through a Iward, and filing them sharp. 

 Drawing the husks across these will slit them into shreds an inch or less 

 wide. An old carving fork may lie used to slit the husks. Then put them 

 to drj- in a garret or some airy loft. If the green-corn season is past, then, 

 at the regular husking of the field crop, secure a stock for mattresses. Re- 

 ject the weather-worn outer husks, taking only the thin, papery ones. 



Artificial Gold. — This is a new metalUc alloy which is now very exten- 

 sively used in France as a substitute for gold. Pure copper, one hundred 

 parts; zinc, or, preferably, tin, seventeen parts; magnesia, sis parts; sal- 



