854 



NEW ENGLAND FAKMER. 



July 



if you can find any of the hanging, gray-beard 

 moss on dead trees, or decaying branches, place a 

 little of it here and there about the edge of the top 

 of your column. A stand made in this way is 

 quite pretty. 



For holding most of your plants, the larger stand 

 and tray, mentioned in a previous chapter, will 

 suffice, and these, too, can be of domestic manu- 

 facture, by exercising a little ingenuity. If you 

 have more than eight pots, the tray should lie two 

 and one half feet long and two feet wide. Around 

 the sides of the tray the smaller pots should be 

 placed ; and a small wooden form, six or eight 

 inches high and eighteen inches long, should oc- 

 cupy the vacant space in the centre, on which the 

 larger pots arc to be set. All these things can be 

 done by the boys. They can also get the peat, or 

 bog soil ; and spread it for drying ; and then the 

 sand to mix with it after it becomes dry— for the 

 bog-earth, or peat, always needs sand with it to 

 make it light and fertile. And the leaf-mould 

 they can make by gathering the leaves that fall 

 from the trees, and any other decaying vegetable 

 matter, and stirring them over occasionally ; mix- 

 ing with the heap a little lime, in the fall, and 

 then in the spring stirring it again, and sifting out 

 the most decayed to put with the other materials 

 when the plants have new soil given them. And 

 they, and the girls too, can make themselves very 

 handy at that time; the old saying is— "Many 

 hands make light work:" it ought to be "pleasant" 

 work, for the most disagreeable occupation be- 

 comes delightful if those we love share it with us. 



A few words more ought to be said about in- 

 sects. If you find that, with all your care, they 

 still trouble your plants, just give them a dose of 

 bitters. Buy an ounce of quassia wood at the 

 dnxggist's, and lioil it in three pints of water till 

 there remains but one quart of the liquid. Dip 

 the tender shoots of your plants in this, after it has 

 become cool, and wash the I'cst with a small mop 

 made of a bit of sponge ; and in a few minutes 

 wash them over again with clear water, — it injures 

 plants to allow this liquid to remain upon them. 

 If this does not remove them, try tobacco in the 

 same way — let them see that yon are determined 

 to fight it out on that line. I should like to tell 

 yon of a battle I had once with the Aphides, when, 

 as the history-books say, "the enemy was repulsed 

 with gi-eat slaughter," and all the "weapons and 

 munitions of war" that I possessed, were an old 

 squirt-gun and a bowl of tobacco tea. But I found 

 that prevention was far better than cure ; for my 

 poor plants for the remainder of the winter looked as 

 miserable as any refugees from Rebeldom ; .and I 

 have been careful to keep a plenty of ti-usty spies 

 and scouts on the track of the enemy ever since,— 

 and believe that, in case of invasion, the gueiTilla 

 method of warfare is the surest and safest for 

 flowers. 



The treatment of plants that had been frozen 

 was spoken of in a former chapter, but one impor- 



tant point was accidentally omitted. All plants 

 that are frozen should not only have their pots 

 placed in cold water, but the plants themselves 

 should be sprinkled with the same, and kept from 

 the sunshine until the leaves resume their natural 

 appearance. Ferneries, that are now so fashion- 

 able, deserve a more extended notice than I have 

 been able to give them — at some future time they 

 shall receive attention. And the preparation and 

 arrangement of several articles of floral decora- 

 tion, ought properly to be considered under this 

 head ; but the length of this chapter has, I fear, 

 already taxed the patience of my readers too 

 much, — so these also must wait till a more con- 

 venient season. 



Note. — Althoiigh the author has cultivated House 

 Plants successfully during the past twelve years, she 

 has not relied solely upon lier own experience in the 

 preparation of tliese papers, and bhe takes this oppor- 

 tunity gratefully to acknowledge her indebtedness to 

 several sources for much valuable information upon im- 

 portant points. 



HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. 



CONTRIBUTED FOR THE NEW ENGI.AND FARMER. 



Messrs. Editors. — The two following receipts 

 for making hard soap were given me some eight 

 years ago, and as I have never seen them in your 

 paper, I send them to you to use as you think 

 best : — 



Hard or Chemical Soap. 



Six pounds of clean fat or tallow ; six pounds 

 sal soda ; three pounds of lime and four gallons of 

 water. Melt the fat, dissolve the lime and soda in 

 boiling water, and let it remain over night to settle ; 

 then strain the water into the grease, not disturbing 

 the sediments, and let boil until done or until 

 thick ; take it out to cool. When cold, cut in bars. 

 Poor Man's Hard Soap. 



Put in an iron kettle five pounds un'slacked lime ; 

 five pounds sal soda; three gallons soft water; let 

 it soak over night ; in the morning pour off the 

 water ; then add to the water three and a half 

 pounds of grease ; boil till thick ; turn in a pan to 

 cool and then cut in bars. 



These receipts will make a large quantity of 

 good hard soap, but not equal to that made with 

 the Saponifier or concentrated lye. I have used 

 that for making hard soap for six years, and 

 should not know how to get along without it. 

 Have tried all four of the receipts given for using 

 it, jjut like the third one best for washing clothes, 

 but it shrinks more in drying than others. 

 "Washing Soap. 



Two pounds bar soap, (made from the Saponifier) ; 

 one ounce liorax. Shave the soap fine. Put that 

 and the borax in one quart of water and simmer 

 until well mixed. One-fourth of a pound of this 

 is suflicient to do a ■n-ashing for six persons. 



I have used this soap with the Union Washing 

 Machine and Wringer, for several months, and 

 can do a washing in one half the time with less 



