246 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[August, 
tion from polished steel glittering but cold, but will 
beam as from inner depths like the light of the 
diamond, which canuot be successfully imitated. 
Conveniences in a House. 
Molly Greenfield, writes to the American Agricul- 
turist : " Mr. A, is building a new house. He has 
been doing so for a long time. His means were 
limited, and he could not finish it all at once, so it 
has been slowly growing toward completion, much 
of the work being done by himself in his leisure ; 
for although a farmer, who works on his own land 
with the boys, he is a mechanical genius. It is not 
every one who knows how to build a good farm 
house ; things need to be hanfly for business. Mr. 
A. — whose wife has had something to do about the 
matter — has hit the nail pretty squarely on the 
head. The house is large, high, mostly of brick, 
well built, and presents a fine appearance ; cellar 
under the main building, large and light — think 
he has a dark room partitioned off for roots : pota- 
toes, perhaps most farmers know, turn green and 
grow watery, exposed in a light cellar. Here is an 
arch with large kettles for making soap, etc., and 
just at hand a well made leach tub, and a fire proof 
smoke and ash house, in one corner. Mr. A, has a 
rail-road oh which to get things into the cellar. 
Farmer's wires would like Mrs. A's kitchen I think. 
It is of good size; what woman likes to roast in a 
little " tucked up " kitchen, cooking for harvesters 
in summer ? Adjoiuing the kitchen is a small siuk 
and wash room, a pantry, and a meal room with 
chests for flour and meal, kneading shelf, (drawer 
beneath), etc. There is a door into the meal-room 
from the wood-shed, so that flour can be brought 
in and emptied without being scattered over kitch- 
en and pantry. Back of the kitchen stove is a per- 
manent wood-box, built partly in kitchen and part- 
ly iu wood-shed, to be filled from the latter, and 
the wood being removed into the former through a 
hinge door or cover. There is also a niche for the 
honest old clock that has served faithfully about 
thirty years, and so far as I know is good for thirty 
more — a niche with a door for the gun, two 
or three cupboards, several drawers in the wall for 
work, etc., a china closet, and shelf for any pur- 
pose required. The kitchen is very well lighted — 
who wauts to work iu a dark room ? Farmers' 
wives spend so large a portion of their lives in the 
kitchen that it should be one of the brightest — 
pleasantest rooms in the house. I don't know but 
they would be thought strangely out of place, but 
I would have flowers and pictures and maps there, 
little ' loop-holes to let the suulight in,' and 
snatch a pleasant thought from, while the weary 
mother toils for her family, or the ' hired girl ' 
faithfully performs her round of duty. And then 
too, where the mother is, there the babies will 
be, and where children are there should be a great 
deal of brightness, beauty, and much to instruct." 
To "Crystallize" Grasses, Flowers, etc. 
■ — 
Several correspondents have inquired how bou- 
quets of dried grasses, flowers, etc., may be cover- 
ed with small crystals, so as to present the appear- 
ance of frost work. Usually we do not admire or- 
namentation of this kind ; it looks artificial and 
unnatural ; but as it is quite in vogue in some sec- 
tions we give the directions. Dissolve 14 ounces 
of alum in a quart of soft spring water, (ob- 
serving proportion for a greater or less quantity,) 
by boiling it gently in a close tinned vessel over a 
moderate fire, keeping it stirred with a clean 
stick until the solution is complete. When the 
liquor is almost cold, suspend the object that is to 
be crystallized, by means of a small thread or twine, 
from a lath or small stick laid horizontally across 
the aperture of a deep glass or earthen jar, as being 
best adapted for the purpose, into which the solu- 
tion must be poured. The respective articles 
should remain iu the solution twenty-four hours ; 
when taken out they are carefully to be suspended 
in the shade and remain until perfectly dry. 
When the objects to be "crystallized" are put into 
the solution while it is quite cold, the crystals are 
apt to be formed too large ; on the other hand 
should it be too hot, the crystals will be small iu 
proportion. The best temperature is about 65" of 
Fahrenheit's thermometer. Among vegetable spec- 
imens that may be operated upon, are the moss 
rose, the hyacinth, ranunculus, garden daisy pink, 
and a great variety of others ; in fact, there are few 
subjects in the vegetable world that are not eligible 
to this mode of ornamentation. 
The fitness of the solution for the purpose may 
be ascertained by putting a drop of it on a slip of 
glass, aud seeing if it crystallizes as it cools, if so, 
the solution is sufficiently strong. Then twist 
around a sprig of a plant, a cinder, or a wire orna- 
ment of any kind, some cotton, or still better, some 
worsted. After being immersed, as already direct- 
ed, the surface of the whole will be found cov- 
ered with beautiful crystallizations. 
Recipes for Dyeing. 
Mrs. S. A. Macerackin of Fairfield Co., O., sends a 
number of recipes, which seem to be sensible and 
in the main founded upon correct scientific prin- 
ciples. Mrs. M. says that in 1830 she wove a car- 
pet, of yarn dyed according to these directions, and 
though it has since been subjected to constant 
wear, the colors still hold good. Rain or other 
soft water should be used in these recipes, and the 
yarn be thoroughly rinsed after dyeing. 
Madder Med. (Tried only on woolen yarn). For 
2>£ lbs. yarn take % lb. alum, 1 quart of bran, and 
1 lb. of madder. Dissolve the alum in sufficient 
water to cover the yarn, and boil the yarn in the 
solution for two hours, and then rinse, wring aud 
dry it. Boil the brau with two gallons of water 
and strain, add the liquor to the madder, which has 
been soaked the proceeding night in strong vine- 
gar, enough to wet it, add sufficient water to allow 
the mixture to cover the yarn and briug the whole 
to a scalding heat. Put the yarn into the dye and 
let it scald for half an hour without getting hot 
enough to simmer. When the yarn is removed 
from the dye it may be made of a bright red by 
washing iu soap suds, or it maybe made crimson 
by dipping it in weak lye slightly warmed. 
Fink.— For 2 lbs. yarn, take % oz. of cochineal, 
\\4 oz. cream of tartar and 3 oz. of chloride of tin. 
This last may be had at the drug stores under the 
name of muriate of tin, or tin mordant. Soak the 
cochineal in a quart of warm water, aud add it to 
warm water enough to cover the yarn, add the 
cream of tartar aud chloride of tin, aud throw in 
the yarn and boil until the desired color is obtain- 
ed. Double the cochineal will make scarlet. 
Yellow.— Make a strong decoction of black-oak 
bark, enough to cover the yarn, aud for each lb. of 
yarn add }£ lb. of alum, and 1 oz. of chloride of 
tin. Boil until the proper color is produced. 
Orange— Proceed as for yellow, but add madder 
iu sufficient quantity to produce an orange color. 
Or instead, for 1 lb. of yarn take 1 oz. arnotto, and 
IX oz - of pearl ash. Slice the arnotto into 3 
quarts of water and dissolve the pearlash in an 
equal quantity, and mix the two liquids and boil. 
Put in the yarn and simmer 15 or 20 minutes, and 
wash it in strong soap suds as soon as it comes 
from the dye. 
Dark Brmon. — Into a vessel large enough to con- 
tain the yam, put white-walnut bark enough to 
half fill it. Fill up the vessel with water and boil 
for an hour. Take out the bark and put in the 
yarn and boil. Remove the yarn and air it, and if 
not dark enough dip it in lye, increasing the 
strength of the lye if a very dark shade is wanted. 
A reddish brown may be given by adding a handful 
of camwood to the above. 
Light Brown. — Proceed as for dark brown, using 
white-ash bark instead of walnut, and dip the yarn 
in strong lye. The yarn as it comes outof the dye, 
may be nearly white, but the lye will darken it, and 
if one immersion is not enough, dip it again. The 
lye will not injure the yarn if it be thoroughly 
rinsed afterwards. 
Camwood Brown.— V or 2 lbs. of yarn boil 1 lb. of 
camwood, iu water sufficient to cover the yarn, 
until the color is extracted. Put in the yarn and 
boil until it has taken the color, then remove it, 
add to the liquor X oz. oil of vitriol, and put iu 
the yarn again and simmer. If not dark enough, 
add 1 or 2 oz. of blue vitriol and simmer until the 
desired shade is obtained. 
Blue.— One ounce of pulverized Indigo dissolved 
in 6 oz. of concentrated oil of vitriol makes what 
the druggists call Sulphate of Indigo, and what is 
known to the old fashioned dyers as " chymic." If 
the indigo be good and the acid sufficiently strong, 
the solution may be made in a glass bottle. For 
fear of failure in both of these particulars, it is as 
well to buy the Sulphate of Indigo ready made 
from the drug stores. For 1 lb. yarn, dissolve X 
lb. alum in sufficient water to cover the yarn, add 
a little of the Sulphate of Indigo, put in the yarn, 
boil for a short time and rinse well. The depth of 
color may be graduated by using more or less of 
the Sulphate of Indigo. 
Green.— Prepare a yellow dye of black-oak bark, 
as directed above, add gradually the Sulphate of 
Indigo, until the proper shade of green is pro- 
duced, put in the yarn, stir well and let it boil. 
Lilac or Purple. — For each pound of yarn dissolve 
X lb. of alum in sufficient water, and simmer the 
yarn for 2 or 3 hours. Make a dye of X lb. Nica- 
rauga wood for each lb. of yarn by boiliug out the 
wood in sufficient water.' Put the yarn from the 
alum water iuto this dye and boil from 15 to 20 
minutes, remove and drain it, dip in strong lye and 
rinse well in cold water. 
Influence of Colors upon the Complexion. 
c . 
The following suggestions on the choice of col- 
ors suitable for various complexions are taken 
from "Touman's Hand-book of Household Sci- 
ence," a work we have repeatedly and deservedly 
commended for its valuable and interesting treat- 
ment of subjects pertaining to every household. 
"Any colored objects, as bonnet trimmings or dra- 
peries, in the vicinity of the countenance, change 
its color; but clearly to trace that change we must 
know what the cast of complexion is. This varies 
infinitely, but we recognize two general sorts, light 
aud dark, or Uonde and brunette. In the blondes or 
fair-eomplexioned the color of the hair is a mixture 
of red, yellow, and brown, resulting in a pale 
orange brown. The skin is lighter, containing lit- 
tle orauge, but with variable tinges of light red. 
The blue eye of the blonde is complementary to 
the orange of the hair. In brunettes the ' hair is 
black", and the skin dark, or of an orange tint. The 
red of the brunette is deeper or less rosy than that 
of the blonde. Now the same colors affect these 
two styles of complexion very differently. A green 
setting in bonnet or dress throws its complement 
of red upon the face. If the complexion be pale 
and deficient in ruddy freshness, or admits of hav- 
iug its rose-tint a little hightened, the green will 
improve it, though it should be delicate iu order 
to preserve harmony of toue. But green changes 
the orange hue of the brunette into a disagreeable 
brick-red. If any green at all be used, in such case 
it should be dark. For the orange complexion of 
brunette the best color is yellow. Its complemen- 
tary, violet, neutralizes the yellow of the orange 
aud leaves the red, thus increasing the freshness of 
the complexion. If the skin be more yellow than 
orange, the complementary, violet, falling upon it 
changes it to a dull pallid white. Blue imparts Kb 
complementary, orange, which improves the yellow 
hair of the blondes, and enriches white complex- 
ions and light flesh tints. Blue is therefore the' 
standard color for a blonde, as yellow is for a bru- 
nette. But blue injures the brunette by deepening 
the orange, which was before too deep. Violet 
yellows the skin, and is inadmissible except where 
its tone is so deep as to whiten the complexion by 
contrast. Rose-red, by throwing green upon the 
