1868.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
25 
TOE »OSEI»ILID 
(,XS~ For other Household Items, see •■ Basket " pages.) 
Lap Robes and Picture Frames. 
EXTRACTS FROM THE I'lilZE ESSAY BV MISS EVA M. 
COLLINS, ROCHESTER, N. V. 
Some time ago we sent a number of thiugs away 
to be colored. We send the wool requisite for fam- 
ily use to the factory to be spun into yarn. As 
Ralph was about starting with the fleeces, it oc- 
Fig. 1. — LAP ROBE. 
currcd to me, as grandmother repeated to him some 
special instructions concerning a part of a fleece 
which was to lie very coarse fur oversoeks, that 
coarse, slaek-t » istcd yarn from 
flue wool would make a capital 
lap robe. It could be colored 
as brightly as zephyr, would be 
warmer, more durable, and no 
more expensive than a horse 
blanket. I could knit it in Af- 
ghan stitch, in long strips, and 
crochet them together, and the 
rube could be as loug aud as 
wide as I pleased to make it. 
How nicely it would look iu 
our large new cutter, and how 
comfortable it would be, espe- 
cially when the front seat was 
in, and both the good buffalo 
robes were used iu front ! But 
Ralph was starting. "Oh ! fa- 
ther, call him back." "Halloo, 
Ralph:" "What is it child ?" 
" Oh ! father, put in another 
fleece. I want to make a lap 
robe. Can you spare one more?" 
" Wait Ralph, here is an errand fur your little lin- 
ger, and I expect we shall turn out in flue style 
next winter."— There is the lap rube complete, 
(fig. 1)— fifteen strips, four inches iu width, aud 
four feet iu length — .-,cvcu 
of them tiaek, four scar- 
let, two green, and two 
orange, put together with 
scarlet. Katie embroider- 
ed a palm-leaf near the 
points of each strip, tig. 2, 
as fast a- completed, and 
Jennie made tin- tassels to 
eon' -pond. [A palm-leaf 
in embroidery is nothing 
like a natural palm-leaf— 
ir more rescuvofes a erazj letter G than anything 
else, and our arti6t supposing that it was a very bad 
G, made his drawing accordingly. — Ed.] About 
i i, i iches we put in a star in zephyr, in 
re contrasting with the 
strips upon which they 
were worked, to preserve 
. n agreeable harmony of 
color. Desirable colors not 
4. Fig.o. indicated by tbe colored 
were used to advantage upon the block, al- 
ternating with the stars upon the colored strips. 
Father and I have been Initiating the robe into the 
mysteries of active service, or rather ourselves 
into sailing under such gay colors with sobriety. 
it. ami:. 
Fig. 
st rips 
Fia 
Our " Shaksperean Reading " comes off to-night, 
and will be at our house for the first time. We be- 
gin "Brutus" alias "Julius Caesar," to-night. 
Father and I stopped at the rectory and found our 
rector, Mr. N., and the gentlemen who are to read 
the parts of Cassius, Antony, Julius Ca>sar andCas- 
ca with their Shakspeares. Mr. N. is Brutus. He 
is our most correct reader, and whenever he will 
consent to it, he is made the hero of the play. We 
meet every fortnight, and read only one act in an 
evening. Two miscellaneous readers are appoint- 
ed, each limited to twenty minutes, aud several are 
designated to furnish the music. Father bought 
an engraving of Carpenter's " Signing of the Eman- 
cipation Proclamation " a few days ago, and as I 
am to read for oue, I intend, if our President docs 
not think it out of order, 
to spend my twenty min- 
utes upon an explanation 
of the picture, with some 
extracts and anecdotes 
from Carpenter's book. 
The picture looked deso- 
late all alone after it was hung. It was all there 
to be sure ; but there were so many legs, aud coats, 
and arms, as to become wearisome, before it was 
possible to get into the spirit of the tableau, at 
least so it 6eemed to me last eveniug, as I was 
studying the scene iu view of to-night ; but it is all 
right now. Something is neededabove the picture. 
I would hang my little head of Christ there, only 
the engraving is so exquisitely fine, the " Cabinet " 
would look coarse in comparison. The better way 
will be to bring down the frame I made fur Char- 
lie's photograph from my room for to-night, and let 
Washington preside. The way I made the frame is 
quite a good one for variety. It is made of gilt 
paper, which comes in large sheets, one of which 
is sufficient for three frames like 
rVl. oue in fig. 3. The outer row of 
>^7 points is made from strips half an 
yj inch in width, cut into pieces two 
inches in length. The strips used 
=' '• for each of the other rows are a 
trifle narrower aud shorter than fur the row imme- 
diately outside. Double the paper down first from 
the left, as iu fig. 4, aud then from the right, as iu 
fig 5, aud sew each row of points, beginning with 
the outer one, upon an oval cut from au old box 
cover, fig. 6. The inner row of points is a piece 
of the gilt paper upon which poiuts are cut neatly, 
aud pasted over the last row of stitches, fig. 7. 
Deportment at Table. 
A mother wishes to know what she shall do to 
secure agreeable maimers in her children at table. 
There are probably a good many mothers among 
our readers pressed with the same solicitude. 
Good breeding shows itself at the table more 
than elsewhere, for here we come to gratify 
an animal appetite, aud without some painstaking 
to redeem its coarseness the repast is likely to be 
purely an animal exercise. Children learn more 
readily from example than from precept, aud unless 
the parents are agreed in having a little formality at 
the table, it will be impossible to form decorous 
habits iu the children. If the parents will observe 
the rules of good breeding themselves, there is 
very little difficulty in training the children. It 
helps the matter very much to have the table Bel 
in an orderly manner. Every article to be used 
upon the table should have its place and be in it at 
the beginning of the meal. It is a terrible annoy- 
ance to any well bred person to have a perpetual 
ruuning to the pantry or kitchen for some forgot- 
ten article. Then neatness in the appearance of the 
table helps neatness and order iu the children. 
Glean table-cloths and napkins are contagions some- 
what Tie' meals should be at fixed hours, and 
punctuality at the tabic should Vie insisted upon, 
Nothing should be allowed to intrude upon the 
time allotted to meals. It should be made a time 
of leisure aud social enjoyment. Mental care and 
haste disturb digestion and make dyspeptics. 
There should be a few rules observed iu good soci- 
ety laid down and enforced so early that the chWd 
will have no rememberance of a wrong way of using 
his knife and fork or haudling his cup or goblet. 
Politeness is always to be insisted upon, and broth- 
ers and sisters should be made to study each other's 
happiness. This will make them agreeable in 
larger circles. Politeness often contributes more 
to one's success iu life than brains or capital. 
Foot Warmers. 
Many people suffer more in the winter from cold 
feet than from any other cause. The feet are easily 
kept warm while exercising, bat in a sitting posture, 
while riding iu a carriage, or at home, there is much 
inconvenience and exposure to taking cold. Fur 
invalids it is especially important that a good cir- 
culation of the blood should be kept up at the ex- 
tremities. Those ancient and time-honored devices 
to remedy cold feet, the junk bottle and the stone 
jug filled with hot water, often led to petty disas- 
ters, more vexatious than perilous. The corks 
would fly out or get luosc aud make a bad matter 
worse. Yankee ingenuity has improved upon these 
primitive inventions, and we have in fig. 1 a vessel 
holding about two quarts of water, quite as couven- 
T WARMER. 
iently handled as the bottle, aud the cork inserted 
upon the tup so that if it fly out under pressure of 
steam there is no danger of leakage. This is a very 
convenient article for the 
bed of au invalid or for 
the carriage in a cold da}-. 
Fig. 'J is another form of 
pjo. 2 the same article. It pre- 
sents a larger surface to 
the feet aud is more convenient for use while sit- 
ting. If wrapt in cloths or sheepskiu with the 
wool on, it will retain its heat for a long while. 
The heated stone or brick has beeu improved upon 
by cutting slabs of soap- 
stone into convenient 
sizes, and putting handles 
upon them. They are 
much neater in appear- 
ance, and are always at 
hand. Fig. 3. Aside from 
the suffering which these 
articles prevent, there can be no doubt of their use- 
fulness even for those in health. It is much letter 
for a robust mau to ride with comfortable feet, than 
to be beuumbed with cold. It is by timely atten- 
tion to little things that the health is preserved. 
Gems or Aerated Kolls. 
The only convenient article for cooking Gems is a 
French roll pan for baking, shown iu the engraving, 
and we cannot warrant success iu anything else. The 
pans are made of cast iron, and can be had at the large 
FRENCH ROLL 
hardware and furnishing stores in the cities at about 
£450 per dozen, and 75 cents single. Put the pan 
upon the stove, heated nearly to redness. Take 
one cup of water, one cup of milk, aud three cups 
