THE YOUNG 
are sure they then received. No parent, no 
nurse, capable of alarming the young, is fitted 
for her position. Children, as nearly as possible, 
should be trained not to know the sense of fear, 
which, above everything else, is to be feared in 
their education, early and late. 
— The records of industrial progress nowadays 
read not unlike what the English laureate once 
termed " fairy tales of science." There seem to 
be no limits to the transformations which material 
products undergo at the hands of the modern 
scientist. These remarks are suggested by the 
very suggestive title of a book lately published, 
" The History of a Lump of Coal from the Pit's 
Mouth to a Bonnet Eibbon." The alchemic power 
of science, even if it does not transmute whatever 
it touches into gold, yet, by means of judicious 
separations and combinations of elements for- 
merly regarded as useless, can so increase the 
value of products that its effects fall little short 
of those dreamed of by the magicians of the Mid- 
dle Ages. It is implied in what has been said 
above that the influence of scientific research 
upon industrial methods is growing more marked 
with each succeeding year. This state of affairs 
is now generally recognized and was alluded to 
by Dr. Siemens in his address as President of the 
British Association, who declared that the ad- 
vancement of the last fifty years has rendered 
theory and practice so interdependent that tm in- 
timate union between them is a matter of abso- 
lute necessity for our future progress. 
Botes aiib Queries. 
In continuing this department, which has been found of 
so much value, we would remind our readers who wish for 
information on any of the arts and sciences, that they are 
cordially invited to make their wants known through this 
column, and those of them who can furnish accurate 
answers to questions asked are requested to send in replies. 
Doubdess many of our subscribers may know of methods, 
processes, or devices that may be better or more suitable for 
the particular c?se in question than anything generally 
known, and it is this reason that induces us to keep this de- 
partment open for a medium, where an interchange of ideas 
and practices may be made to the advantage ot all our 
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when forwarding their communications — either questions or 
answers — not for publication, unless expressly so stated, but 
so that we may know where to find the wiiter if desirable. 
Comm unications should be sent in on or before the first of 
each month previous to publication, to insure insertion in 
next issue. 
Answers. 
57. Paklok Plants.— In reply to Ida, I beg 
leave to submit the following hints and sugges- 
tions: 
In growing plants in the house we must first 
bear in mind that not every plant is suitable for 
such culture. 
First, there is no better plant than Abutilon 
striatum. It grows freely, is not troubled by in- 
sects, and is always in bloom. The gaily-colored 
bells are very pretty. 
Next, the Calla-Lily, so called, though not 
botanically a lily, will grow well and give a profu- 
sion of bloom. Give it plenty of pot room, let it 
grow very large, allowing all the suckers to re- 
main, and give plenty of water. We have seen 
plants, thus treated, with a dozen flowers each. 
SCIENTIST. 161 
Chinese Primroses are very easily grown and 
flower freely. They should have light, rich soil, 
and the pots should be well drained, for if the 
soil becomes sodden the plants never flourish. 
Cyclamen do well with window culture. The 
soil should be rich, and the plants once started 
into growth should never suffer for want of mois- 
ture. 
The Monthly and Sanguina Eoses, so seldom 
seen now, are the best for the parlor; a very 
double rose fails to open its buds. Eoses brought 
directly from the green-house to the parlor sel- 
dom do well. 
The winter-blooming Fuchsias, speciosa and 
serratifolia, are capital window plants, and are 
always in bloom. 
Daisies and Violets seldom do well in the par- 
lor ; the air is too hot and dry for them, and they 
are very subject to the attacks of green fly. 
Of Geraniums the Zonale or Horseshoe varie- 
ties are the best. They give little bloom until 
after the short days, but when they once begin to 
flower are seldom out of bloom. The species 
with sweet-scented foliage are worth growing, 
but the flowers are insignificant. 
Of Ferns, the best for the parlor is Pteris trem- 
ula, the next Adiantum cuneatum. These ferns 
will withstand both gas and furnace heat, and are 
always beautiful. 
One great secret in growing plants well is to 
water thoroughly. Few plants, unless in a very 
dry position, need water every day; but when 
watered the soil should be saturated: the super- 
fluous water should be allowed to drain off, for 
there is scarcely a plant (Calla-Lily excepting) 
that flourishes if water remains on the roots. 
Attention should be given to washing the foli- 
age, for a plant breathes through the leaves, and 
if the pores are stopped with dust the plant suf- 
fers. 
The temperature of water used for plants 
should be that of the room in which they are 
growing— warmer if you please, but not colder. A 
plant is a living being; its wants are few. but 
careful attention to these is essential to its health 
and beauty.— Flora. 
58. Cleaning Kid Gloves. —If Katie B. will try 
the following, I think she will be quite satisfied. 
For a temporary cleaning, when the gloves are 
required for use in a few minutes, the easiest 
way is to take a piece of white flannel, dip it in 
milk, rub over it a piece of white soap, and then 
with this rub the soiled parts of the gloves. The 
advantage of this process is that the gloves can be 
worn ten minutes after having been cleaned ; but 
the disadvantage is that the threads of the seams 
remain dirty. Benzine is better in this respect, 
and makes everything about the glove perfectly 
clean, as it dissolves all greasy dirt. It may be 
used in the same way as the milk above de- 
scribed, or as is done by those who make kid- 
glove cleaning a regular business. The gloves 
are put into a large glass-stoppered bottle, and 
shaken up with the benzine; in a short time the 
benzine will have dissolved all the dirt, is poured 
off, the gloves wrung out and dried on a hot 
plate ; otherwise they will for a long time after- 
ward smell of the benzine. The benzine used for 
cleaning may be recovered again in a clean con- 
dition by distilling at a low heat.— Boston Giel. 
59. WooD-PoLiSHiNG.— " Big Boy " will not be 
able to do good work in polishing wood until he 
has had some practice in the matter. He should 
flrst try his hand on some prepared pieces of 
wood, and not attempt to finish constructed work 
until he is satisfied with the experiments. Wal- 
nut or similar woods are best finished with fine 
glass-paper. No. o: then color linseed oil with 
alkanet root and rub into the wood, and after- 
ward let it stand for a time until the oil has thor- 
oughly soaked in ; then proceed to fill the pores 
with a composition of plaster of Paris, three 
parts, tallow one, and a little red polish. This is 
to be thoroughly worked until it is mixed and 
becomes a crumbly mass. It can be rubbed into 
