HINTS AND HELPS. 525 



Pr«s«rving Pmlt. — Dr. Kedzie says: In cooking »cid frniis honse- 

 keepere unwittingly waste a good part of the engar. Anxious to get the 

 fullest effect of the sugar upon the small fruits, they boil the two together, 

 and thus convert most of the cane sugar into grape sugar. Several years 

 ago my assistant in chemistry tested this matter by placing one hundred 

 parts of npe gooseberries in a stewpan with water to cover them, added 

 twenty-five parts of sugar and cooked the fruit. A second portion of the 

 same berries was cooked without sugar, and after the fruit was partially 

 cooked the twenty-five parts of sugar added, and when this sugar had dis- 

 solved both samples of cooked fruit were analyzed, when one-half the sugar 

 in the first batch was converted into glucose, and only one-teuth of the cane 

 sugar in the second batch was thus changed. If the gooseberries had been 

 green the results would have been more striking. If very a«id fruits, like 

 currants and cranberries, are rapidly cooked by boiling and then set to cool 

 for a few minutes and the sugar added, a fine jelly-like mass will be found 

 when the sauce ia cold, very diflferent from the watery mess so often seen. 

 In making preserves the same principles hold good for the most part, though 

 preserves are more apt to work or ferment if sugar is not cooked with the 

 fruit. In this case it is better to steam the fruit till it is so tender that a 

 straw may penetrate it, then put the fruit into cans, add the sugar, and seal 

 up at once. Three pounds of sugar for four pounds of fruit will be ample. 



VLo-w to Preserve Peal her*. — The disposal and management of the 

 feathers is a thing that calls for attention. As soon as a fowl is killed, and 

 while yet warm, let it be carefully plucked. Separate the large wing- 

 feathers; put the others into small paper bags previously prepared. Put 

 these bags into an oven and let them remain about half an hour; take them 

 out, repeat the process two or three times, then keep the feathers in a dry 

 place till required. The oven must not be too hot. Care must be taken to 

 free the feathers of any skin or flesh that may adhere to them while being 

 plucked, or they will be tainted. The hard quilly portiog of the larger 

 feathers must be cut oflf with a pair of iciaBors. The wing and tail feathers 

 may be stripped and added to the others. Previous to putting them in the 

 oven, some recommend that the feathers should be put loosely into a dry 

 tub or basket and shaken up daily, so that all may in turn be exposed to 

 the air. Others recommend, as an easier plan, merely to suspend the bag 

 from the ceiling of a warm kitchen, or on the wall behind a fire-place, where 

 it IS practicable. In this case they wUl take longer to dry. Feathers can be 

 quickly and eflfectually dried and cleaned by the agency of steam; but it is 

 leather an expensive method, and the thrifty henwife will doubtless prefer 

 having the produ«e of her own yard prepared under her own eye and by 

 her own directions. 



Putting Away Winter Clothing — Housewives when abont to put 

 away their heavy wmter clothing should select one closet in the house in 

 which to hang the dresses, overcoats, and heavy jackets. The clothes should 

 be hung on a line in the yard on a sunny day and well aired and beaten. 

 The closet should be thoroughly washed and sprinkled with good black 

 pepper and insect powder. Then hang the garments up and close the door. 

 They will keep all summer, but more pepper should be put in every month. 

 Furs should have the same treatment, and after being thoroughly sprinkled 

 with black pepper, should be put in newspapers so that no air may get at 

 them. Everj- opening iu the paper must be sealed. Thi» proceisa of wrap- 



