192 
Six children’s plates, Mother Goose series 
orate finery) are easily recognized by even the youngest 
child who has heard the old-time rhymes or has learned to 
repeat them. 
HOW TO DISPOSE OF TABLE REFUSE 
By E.1.F. 
ITH one having a small home in the country, the dis- 
posal of table refuse and other garbage sometimes 
becomes a problem. If thrown on top of the ground it is 
sure to attract flies and it cannot be burned in the kitchen 
range without creating a disagreeable odor. ‘The best plan 
is to bury it in the garden, where it will contribute consider- 
able fertilizing material to the soil. The writer used a 
pointed stake to which a piece of board about fifteen inches 
square is hinged. An excavation is dug and the stake driven 
into the ground close beside it, so that when the hinged 
board is at right angles to the stake it will cover the hole, 
thus keeping out flies and preventing the escape of odors. 
When the hole has been nearly filled, earth is thrown upon 
the contents, another hole dug and the stake with its attached 
cover pulled up and moved to the new location. A cord 
from the front of the cover to the top of the stake is an 
added convenience, as the board may then be raised with- 
out stooping. If the earth has a tendency to cave at the 
top of the excavation, four short pieces of board may be 
made into a frame to fit over the hole, the cover resting 
upon this frame. If one cares to go to the trouble of mak- 
ing a compost heap a considerable distance from the house, 
the garbage may be thrown upon it and covered with a little 
earth, but it is not wasted when disposed of in the garden 
in the way I have described, and I know of no plan which is 
more easily carried out. 
WHEN, THEREGIS NOJIICE 
T is often difficult to get ice in the country and almost im- 
possible if occupying a camp in the woods. Several plans 
for keeping food under such conditions have been devised. 
It is quite possible to install an ice machine, and such ma- 
chines are found in many expensive country houses, making 
the owners independent of a natural ice supply. When an 
ice plant is out of the question, a good plan is to make a 
dumbwaiter which may be lowered into the cellar, if there 
be one, or into a well or even into a hole dug in the ground. 
A shaft may be made of concrete or boards, the former 
being preferable in case of a permanent arrangement. This 
shaft should come three or four feet above the floor and be 
fitted with a drum at the top, upon which to wind a rope or 
chain attached to the top of the dumbwaiter. A crank is 
needed to operate the drum and s0 raise or lower the waiter. 
It is possible to have a rope run over a pulley and a weight 
attached to act as a balance, although it is really not needed. 
There should be a screen door at the top of the shaft for 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
May, 1912 
use in ventilation, and it is well to have a screened opening 
at the opposite side, too. In camp, a temporary device of 
this sort may be quickly rigged by using an old box for the 
dumbwaiter. In one camp the dumbwaiter descends into a 
cistern built under the house and made to collect the rain- 
water from the roof. There is always enough water in 
the cistern to keep the food in good condition. 
There are iceless refrigerators on the market which will 
give excellent satisfaction when ice cannot be obtained. One 
kind is built of metal and has five shelves. It is lowered 
into the cellar and is operated by a pulley and a crank. An- 
other kind is even more convenient and is especially well 
suited for use in the permanent country home. Although 
it drops into the cellar no crank is required, for it rises 
through the floor at the touch of a button. It may be used 
in the kitchen or the pantry or even in the dining-room, for 
nothing shows above the floor when the elevator has been 
lowered. Dumbwaiters of this kind are made in several 
patterns, some of them having a small receptacle for ice in 
case one is able to secure that commodity and wants a little 
for the compartment containing milk and butter. The rest 
of the cupboard is designed for use without ice. These ice- 
less refrigerators are so made that they can be installed in 
any house where there is a cellar, in an old house as well as 
a new one, and they save a great many steps when it is neces- 
sary to keep food in the cellar. They are not expensive, 
but the idea is so simple that a dumbwaiter which will serve 
the needs of most families may easily be constructed by any 
man who is handy with tools. 
CONVENIENT WINDOW DEVICE 
HEN old farmhouses are purchased for Summer 
homes or for permanent occupancy, the new owners 
are frequently annoyed to find that the windows are not 
fitted with weights. Asa rule, old-fashioned spring catches 
are used, and they are likely to be broken. ‘The purchaser 
often determines to install weights, only to find that the 
studding is so placed that this cannot be done without much 
work and consequent expense. 
The remedy lies in adopting spring balemces which will 
serve the purpose just as well as weights and which can be 
fitted to any window. Weight pockets are not required 
and neither sash nor frame needs to be altered. The weight 
of the sash is sustained by a coiled steel clock spring at- 
tached to the sash with an aluminum tape. ‘The spring is 
contained in a small metal case, which is screwed to the 
back of the frame and is out of sight. If the frame is not 
wide enough to admit a balance at the side, it is screwed to 
the top of the frame and works practically as well. 
These balances are quickly and easily attached, but there 
is one point which must not be overlooked. The sash must 
be carefully weighed and a balance ordered which has the 
proper degree of strength to sustain it. There is consider- 
able variation in the springs in order that any kind of win- 
dow may be equipped. ‘Two sets of springs, or four in all, 
are required for one window, but it often happens that the 
lower sash of a window is the one frequently raised, so that 
one set of balances will serve. In some old houses it is 
found that no provision was made for lowering the upper 
sashes of the windows, anyway. 
A NOVEL WAY OF SERVING FRUIT 
By MARY H. NORTHEND 
HERE are countless ways of serving fruit that add an 
interest to the “‘table attractive.” On page 190 is shown 
an illustration of a dish of figs and bananas ingeniously ar- 
ranged in an appetizing manner. First a number of figs of 
the best grade are selected, cut in half and hollowed out to 
form little nests, which should be filled with banana “eggs” 
made by scooping out pieces of the fruit with a spoon. 
