343 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
gether, and must be laid outside the folds of the 
skirt. Then double over the cuds, to lit 1 lie length 
of the trunk or valise, and it may be carried very 
smoothly without taking much room. For a ear- 
pet-bag, it is better to roll it, which may be done 
very tightly without rumpling. 
Parlors and Parlor Ornaments. 
We Americans are a wonderfully utilitarian 
people, yet few seem to realize that there is utility 
in refined enjoyment. We have often alluded to 
the stiff, dark, shut up parlors or " best rooms", 
too good to use, aud which, while scrupulously neat 
and furnished with chairs, tables, sofas, and hand- 
some lamps or candlesticks, are so utterly lacking 
in attractiveness that they would be shunned by 
every member of the family were the blinds not 
closed aud the curtain down, the air close and 
every thing kept ever in appropriate order for a 
funeral. A stranger shown into one of these rooms 
has nothing to do but twirl his fingers and wait. 
The blinds are turned and throw an uncertain light 
into the prevalent obscurity, and there is not a 
thing to look at but some old fashioned annuals or 
gift books and the family portraits perhaps. Now 
it requires a great deal of training to destroy in 
man or woman the love of the beautiful, and, it is as 
natural for a girl to put flowers iu her hair as to put 
cherries in her mouth ; each act is done for her own 
enjoyment. Her staid mother regards the fruit as 
food and the flowers as vanity. So, gradually the 
natural taste and love for having beautiful things 
about her is educated out of the daughter of this 
frugal housewife aud excellent mother. The 
guest who is not a stranger is shown into the " sit- 
ting room" or kitchen at once, and receives hos- 
pitable welcome that more than takes the place 
of a welcome which might be extended to the 
stranger, not in words, but by the pleasant sur- 
roundings of a bright, fresh, genial room, adorned 
with flowers, pictures, and other interesting objects, 
Hi' windows of which look out upon a pleasant 
flower garden, grassplot, or distant hills and valleys. 
If any young lady reader of the Agriculturist 
knows any such stiff, close, shut up parlor within a 
mile or two of her comfortable, light, sitting room, 
and follows our counsels, she will get up bright 
aud early somemorniug, and first, opeu the windows 
to see from which the pleasantest views are ob- 
tained, aud then leave the bliuds open and the 
curtains drawn, at least at the most attractive 
one. Then she will set the chairs at an easy angle 
as if somebody had been sitting so that he could 
cast an occasional glance at the prospect. If there 
is a centre table, place a few of the most attractive 
books, engravings, or photographs, she has upon 
it, and then picking some flowers, arrange them 
in a plate of sand and moss, or in a loose easy bou- 
quet with pretty green leaves, and place this among 
the books aud pictures, (don't try to make a still' 
green-house bouquet) ; or arrange both the plate aud 
the bouquet, put the former on the table aud the 
latter on the mantelpiece. Now she may draw up 
the rocking chair near to the centre table, selecting 
that spot from which the room, the tabic, aud the 
window will all look prettiest, where also the chair 
itself will have an inviting, hospitable look to 
one entering the door. This done, let her take a 
seat at the window or table, imagine herself a 
stranger, and think how she would feel. See if the 
room offers not only a welcome, but attractions 
Which will in a measure make good the lack of her 
own society, while she is washing her hands, 
taking off her apron, and making ready to receive 
her guest. Finally set the door open, and fasten 
it, if the chronic tendency to stay shut makes it 
swing to. This is what may be done iu a parlor, 
without outlay cither in money or labor for other 
adornments than those which the garden and libra- 
ry of every well-to-do farmer's family affords. 
The outlay of a little money and the exercise of 
a little good fastc will furnish any room with many 
additional attractions, without considering house- 
plants which add so much to the agreeableness of 
any apartment. The multiplication of beautiful 
photographic pictures, copies of distinguished 
work- of art, which arc sold af. very moderate 
rates, places a. most elegant and interesting class of 
parlor ornaments within the meaus of almost every 
one. Really beautiful engravings or lithographs 
even, are much more expensive— and let us beseech 
our readers to content themselves with flowers 
alone, rather than make use of the cheap colored 
lithographs which are so apt to attract those of un- 
cultivated taste. 
Rustic Picture Frames. 
Rustic work for (his and other purposes is in 
great favor now-a-days in the fashionable world, 
and many and beautiful are the imitations of bark, 
rough wood, leaves, viues and moss upon bark and 
twigs of trees, etc. These are cast in bronze, zinc 
and iron, for picture frames and similar purposes. 
Papier-mache is also pressed into a multitude of 
rustic forms of great beauty, and the wood carvers 
exercise their skill in producing in oak, black wal- 
nut aud butternut, devices representing rural tilings. 
With a little care in selection and skill in handling- 
tools, we may frame our photographs and engrav- 
ings and crayons Willi rustic work as much more 
beautiful than the costly products of the bronze 
foundry, as nature is supcriorto art. Oak wood de- 
nuded of the bark presents a beautifully corrugated 
surface, out of which the knife easily removes the 
few fibres which adhere, aud it is ready for varnish- 
ing as soon as it is seasoned. The "season cracks" 
should they occur maybe filled with dark brown 
putty and will even highteu the general effect. 
Natural sears, knots, spots whore branches have 
been removed or only short spurs left, all add great- 
ly to the ornamental effect. Pieces of suitable di- 
ameter, sawed carefully iu two lengthwise, are very 
easily worked, matched at the corners, etc., and 
make strong durable frames. Wood having beau- 
tiful bark, uot too rough, covered partly perhaps by 
close clinging lichens, is very pretty, wrought into 
frames in the same way, and when one once begins 
to make such things it is remarkable how many 
beautiful objects he will find ready to his hand. 
Preparing for Cold Weather. 
The change of temperature from the 90* of Sum- 
mer to the freezing and zero points of Winter, ne- 
cessitates no little preparation to secure continued 
health and comfort. The most important part of 
this work is to have the body itself iu right condi- 
tion. No extra amount of clothing will secure ge- 
nial warmth, if the heat-producing organs in the 
system fail to properly perform their functions. 
As most readers are aware, our garments are not 
needed so much to keep the cold out, as to keep in 
the heat which arises from slow combustion of 
part of the food in the system. A person with 
vigorous digestion, active circulation, aud a clean 
skin, will feel comfortable with an amount of cloth- 
ing under which a dyspeetic or consumptive would 
shiver with cold. The out-door life of the farmer 
usually secures the right working of his heat pro- 
ducing apparatus, but the female portion of (he 
community need instruction and care on this point. 
More out-door exercise is wanted to give tone and 
vigor to the system, and prepare it for any changes 
of weather. Some regard should be had to the 
character of (he food, with reference to maintain- 
ing auimal heat. That containing a large portion of 
carbon is best fitted for cold weather, as fat meat, 
buckwheat cakes, etc., which wisely form a large 
part of the staple provisions iu Winter. We re- 
peat a bint frequently given in the American Agri- 
riilliirix/, on keeping the feet warm. As they are 
constantly in use, perspiration is more copious 
there than in some other parts of the body, and 
hence the socks soon become damp. In that state 
they rapidly conduct heat away, and cold extremi- 
ties and the resulting evils of " taking cold," and 
other derangements, often follow. The preventive 
is to wipe the feet dry, and change the socks dur- 
ing the day. Bathing the feet iu cold water in the 
morning and rubbing them well with a coarse tow- 
el will aid in making them less sensitive to cold. 
It is unwise to defer putting on thicker clothing 
until late iu the Fall. The rapid change from warm 
lo cooler weather iu Autumn, is often more trying 
to thehcalththan the severer cold of settled Winter. 
In arrangements for heating dwellings, economy 
of fuel is worth considering, but not to the disre- 
gard of the health of the occupants. It is possible 
to make a room nearly air light, and thus keep out 
every breath of wind that might "bring in the 
cold," but it would soon become unfit for occu- 
pancy. There is very generally great disregard to 
ventilation, especially in Winter. If is desirable to 
avoid cold drafts from crevices in the doors and 
windows, but better leave these, than not provide 
for the escape of the vitiated air, and the ingress of 
that which is pure. A ventilating flue connected 
with the chimney, such as was described in the 
Agriculturist, Vol. XX, p. SOP, (Oct., 18111,) is well 
adapted for this purpose. A large sized stove is 
more economical and less prejudicial to health than 
a small one. Iu the latter it is uecessary to keep 
flic fire brisk, and the rapid draft carries away 
through the pipe a much larger proportion of the 
heat produced, thau would escape were the fire only 
moderate. The stove must also often be kept 
nearly or quite red-hot to supply sufficient warmth, 
and this rapidly spoils the air for breathing. In 
large stoves, both these difficulties arc obviated ; the 
fuel is more slowly consumed, and a more moder- 
ate temperature is diffused from the greater surface. 
Before putting up stoves and building fires for 
Hie Winter, examine all flues and be careful that no 
defects will allow the escape of fire to ignite sur- 
rounding wood-work, aud also that there be no 
danger of conflagration from soot which may have 
collected during the previous year. 
Put Water on the Stove.— Important. 
This subject has been referred to in some pre- 
vious volumes of the American Agriculturist, bni is 
so important iu respect both to health and comfort, 
that we refer to it again. Let the reader look a 
little into the science of the matter; the practical 
lessons to be learned, will be useful. The air acts 
upon water like a sponge; it sucks up and secretes 
more or less of the fluid, but with this difference, 
viz., that the warmer the air, the more water will 
it secrete. For illustration, take a room 12 by 15 
feet and 9 feet high, which coutains 1630 cubic feet 
of air. This amount of air at the freezing point 
(82° F.) will contain only 3807 grains, or a little over 
J^ pint of water. Heat the air to 50°, and it will 
absorb 6889 grains or very nearly a full pint. Heat 
the air to 70° or barely to a comfortable summer 
warmth, and it will absorb 12,863 grains or nearly 
a quart of water. Heat the same air to a 100° or 
fust above blood warmth, and it will absorb 30,975 
grains, or nearly 2}o quarts of water! That is, in- 
creasing the temperature, increases the capacity of 
the air to absorb water. In a cold room the air 
often feels damp; warm the air by a stove and it 
becomes dry audunpleasant — the moisture hasbeen 
absorbed aud hidden ill the air, aud Hie sponge-like 
capacity of the air draws the moisture from the skin. 
On the contrary, cooling the air lessensits capac- 
ity to hold water, aud it deposites the surplus. A 
tumbler of cold water cools (he air near it, and the 
surplus moisture is deposited upon the outside of 
the glass. The window panes exposed to the out- 
side cold, cool the adjoining air on the inside, and 
(lie moisture is deposited on the glass. The air 
thus cooled sinks down, more warm air takes i(s 
place, and more moisture is deposited, until the 
glass is dripping wet, and, perhaps, the water freezes 
upon (he windows. A cold current of air meets a 
warmer one in the atmosphere, and chills it ; the 
moisture previously concealed is thrown out in the 
form of vapor or clouds, and when the deposit is 
large, the watery particles unit e and descend in rain 
drops. (Digging a soil, that is opening the cooler 
soil to admit the hot atmosphere, causes a conden- 
sation of moisture; hence the advice to hoe fre- 
quently to alleviate the effects of a severe drouth.) 
