626 THE UOUSEHOLB. 



ping in newspapers is said to insure safety against moths, as they cannot 

 cut through the printer's ink without dying; but it is wise to sprinkle the 

 garment with pepper unless one intends to take it out during the warm 

 weather. 



To Keep Ijamp Cliinmeys fi-om Cracking. — The following recipe 

 for keeping lamp chimneys from cracking is taken from a Leipzig journal 

 devoted to the glass interest. Place your tumblers, chimneys or vessels 

 which you desire to keep from cracking, in a pot filled with cold water, add 

 a little cooking salt, allow the mixture to boil well over a fire, and then cool 

 slowly. Glass treated in this way is said not to crack even if exposed to 

 very sudden changes of temperature. Chimneys are said to become very 

 durable by this process, which may also be extended to crockery, stone- 

 ware, porcelain, etc. The process is simply one of annealing, and the 

 slower the process, especially the cooling portion of it, the more effective 

 will be the work. 



Care of Velvet. — How to brush velvet is a thing, easy as it seems, not 

 known to everybody. The whole secret lies in the management of the 

 brush. Take a hat brush that is not too soft, but has the bristles elastic, 

 and that will return at once to their original state after being pressed aside. 

 Hold tliis firmly under the palm of the hand, in the direction of the arm, 

 and with the bristles downward; and pressing them first gently into the 

 substance of the velvet, then twist around the arm, hand, and brush alto- 

 gether as on an axis, without moving them forward or backward. The 

 foreign matters will be drawn up and flirted out of the flock without injury 

 to the substance of the velvet; and the brush must be lifted up and placed 

 in a similar manner over every part required to be brushed. By this means 

 velvet will be improved instead of deteriorated; and will last for years. 



Housekeeper's WeigHts and Measures. — Two gills make half a pint. 

 Two pints mate one quart. Four quarts make one gallon. Half a gallon is 

 a quarter of a peck. Two gallons make one ] eck. Four gallons make half 

 a bushel. Eight gallons make one bushel. About sixty drops of any thin 

 liquid will fill a common-sized teaspoon. Four tablespoons, or one-half a 

 gill, will fill a common-sized wine-glass. Four wine-glasses will fill a lialf- 

 pint measure, a common tumbler, or a large coffee-cup. Ten eggs usually 

 weigh one pound before they are bi'oken. A tablespoonful of salt weighs 

 one ounce. 



Cleaning Matting. — To clean and freshen old matting, rub it with a 

 cloth wet in salt water, being careful not to allow any drops of water to dry 

 in the matting, as they will leave spots difficult to remove. Heavy, var- 

 nished furniture should never rest directly upon the matting, for even good 

 varnish, becoming soft in warm weather, will stain the straw. Matting may 

 be turned if the loose ends of the cords arc threaded in a large needle and 

 drawn through to the other side. 



To Remove Coffee or Milk S<ains. — The use oi glycerine is recom- 

 mended for this purpose. The silk, woolen, or other fiibric is painted over 

 with glycerine, then washed with a clean linen rag dipped in lukewarm rain 

 water, until clean. It is afterwards pressed on the wrong side with a mod- 

 erately warm iron as long as it seems damp. The most delicate colors are 

 unaffected by this treatment, 



