HINTS AND HELPS. 627 



To Mend Cracks in a. IVall. — Mend cracks in a wall with plaster of 

 Paris mixed with cold water to a very soft paste. Wet but little at a time, 

 as it hardens rapidly, and cannot be used again. Apply with a knife blade. 

 If the plaster is not convenient, fill cracks with stiff flour paste, cover with 

 a strip of white moshn, and whitewash over. Old, cracked closets look 

 wonderfully well after this treatment. 



To Kt^p auUc. — If milk is brought just to the boiling point, then poured 

 immediately into cans and sealed air tight, it will keep indefinitely. As the 

 air is expelled by boiling, the milk keeps just as canned goods do. If glass 

 jars are used thoy must be heated so thai the boiling milk will not break 

 them. Many families keep but one cow, and this plan will enable them to 

 have milk during the weeks that she is dry. 



To Preserve Steel Pens. — A simple mode of preventing ink firom dam- 

 aging metallic pens, is to throw either into the inkstand or the bottle in 

 which the ink is kept, a few nails, broken bits of steel pens (not tarnished) 

 or any other pieces of iron not rusted. The corrosive action of the acid con- 

 tained in the ink is expended on the iron intrcdoced. 



To Destroy Clinkers In a Stove.^ — Clinkers will accumulate on fire 

 brick. Empty the stove or grate of coals and ashes; while hot, throw in two 

 or three quarts of oyster shells, or a less quantity of salt, then cleave off 

 the clinkers. 



To Clean Damasic Curtains. — If crimson, wash well with ordinary 

 soap and water, then rinse in clean cold water, wring through a wringing- 

 machinc, and hang in the open air to dry. If the curtains are green, use 

 gall instead of soap. Silk trimmings must be removed, as they cannot be 

 cleaned. 



Hard Soap. — Six pounds sal-soda, four poonds nnslacked lime, twenty- 

 foiir quarts rain-water. Put all on the fire, and boil, then set off and let 

 settle. Drain off and put over the fire with six pounds clear grease, and 

 one-half pound rosin. Boil until it begins to thicken, throw in a couple 

 handfuls of salt. Let cool and cat. 



To Clean Tea and Coffee Pots. — Discolored tea and coffee pots may 

 be cleaned by filling them with water in wMch two or three tablespoonfnls 

 of wood ashes have been placed,'and letting it boil up, then wash thoroughly 

 with hot soapsuds, and rinse. 



Ink on Clothing. — To extract ink from cotton, silk, or woolen goods, 

 dip the spots in spirits of turpentine, and let it remain for several hours; 

 then rub thoroughly between the hands, and it will all disappear without 

 changing either the color or texture of the fabric. 



Volatile Soap, for Removing Paint, Ktc. — Four tablespoonfnls of 

 spirits of hartshorn, four tablespoonfnls of alcohol, and a tablespoonful of 

 salt. Shake the whole well together in a bottle, and apply with a sponge or 

 brush. 



To Clean lAmps. — Oil lamps sometimes bum dimly because of their 

 •becoming incmsted inside with the settling from the oil. Take soapsuds 

 and till the lamp about one-third full; then put in a little coarse sand and 

 (hako vigorously. Every particle of the settling will soon be j^moved. 



