1SG7.' 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
145 
TEE IMEJiEMLB. 
■ (£±7~ For other Household Items, sea "Basket " pages.) 
Home-Made Household Ornaments. 
The Cone Bracket, fig. 1, may be made at a trifling 
expense, by any one of moderate skill and taste. 
Cut the bracket of any desired shape from pine, or 
if it can be procured walnut is better, as it needs 
no staining, and the glue adheres more firmly, If 
CONE BKACKET. 
of pine, stain with powdered umber mixed with a 
little water. After the two pieces of the bracket 
are nailed together, a piece of wood two inches 
square aud one inch thick, glued to the center of 
the lower piece close to the top, gives strength to 
the bracket, and raises the work in the center. 
Have a good assortment of cones, acorns, etc., at 
hand, and dispose them on the frame to suit the 
fancy •, this may be done in a great variety of ways. 
The engraving shows one, the central, figure of 
'0 
^SHlk 
Fig. 2.— BRACKET. 
which is a large open pine-cone ; at the top aud 
bottom, smaller cones not open ; at the sides, 
butternuts, spruce and hemlock cones, with large 
ajid small acorns. The border is made of inverted 
aeora-cups — a row on the edge of the frame and 
one on the surface: these must be of uniform size 
and shape. Now have good hot glue and fasten 
each piece, beginning at the center. When this is 
done, let the work dry thoroughly, after which var- 
nish with thin furniture varnish, and it is complete. 
Fig. 2 shows a bracket to be cut with 
a narrow saw and penknife. It can 
all bo done with the knife, but the 
saw makes much more rapid work. 
It is finer work than that shown in 
former illustrations, but it requires 
little skill after the pattern is marked 
upon the board. This should be of 
thin stuff, about three-eighths of an 
inch in thickness, after it is planed 
down. The shelf is fastened by glue, 
and by small brads or screws driven 
in at the back. The support under- 
neath may be put on with glue or 
with a small brass hinge. A board 
seven or eight inches wide is suffi- 
ciently large for work of this pattern. 
Piuc, white wood, black walnut and 
butternut are suitable woods for 
Fig. 3. 
kind ol work. The latter, we think, is quite over- 
looked as an ornamental wood. It is nearly as dark 
aud haudsume iu the grain as black walnut, and in 
many parts of the country much more accessible. 
Fig. 3 is a '• cornucopia " made of perforated card 
board. The board is cut square, of any desirable 
size; six or eight inches will do for lamp lighters 
or papers. It is worked with bright scarlet worst- 
ed, single thread, six holes square, in alternate 
squares, as shown in figure 3. Beads of suitable 
size to match are then sewed upon the vacant 
squares. The inside is lined with tissue paper and 
the edges bound with ribbon. It is then drawn to- 
gether in cornucopia shape, sewed up at the edges, 
and furnished with three bows. It will save labor 
to slip in an extra lining of tissue paper, which can 
be removed as often as soiled, and replaced. This 
is a convenient article for Ehaving paper, to have 
nearthe glass where "my lord" attends his morning 
toilet. There is nothing like having these little 
conveniences haudy to keep him good natured. 
Leaves from the Diary of a Young 
Housekeeper. — 3io. ME. 
PRIZE ESSAY BY MRS. LAURA E. LY3IAN, STAMFORD, CT. 
ApiH 3. — When I was looking over Edward's 
wardrobe I found a great deal of old flannel — some 
red, some blue, some gray — and a variety of worn 
out clothing. It will make me just such a rug to 
lay before my kitchen stove as I have been wishing 
for all winter. I talked with Jennette about it, 
and we determined to devote these rainy days, when 
we can not visit and are not likely to have com- 
pany, to making the rug. I explained what I wanted 
to Edward, and he made me some frames, aud a 
hook to work it with out of an old fork. Our 
grocer gave us a coffee bag, saying that he never 
sold trifles like that to a regular customer. I rip- 
ped it open, hemmed around with strong linen 
thread and sewed it into the frame. It is about 
two yards long and one wide. Then Jennie aud I 
displayed our taste in drawing a pattern. As our 
variety of colors was limited, black predominating, 
and I intended it only for the kitchen, I could not 
expatiate iu a brilliant cornucopia, such as I made 
for a parlor rug before I was married. So we de- 
cided to make a wide, variegated border into which 
everything would work, and have the centre-piece 
three diamonds, filled around with black, (fig. 1.) 
We worked the diamonds first, using our most 
brilliant colors. The rags we cut into strips from 
a quarter to half an inch wide and pulled from 
the underside through the foundation, holding the 
strip in the left hand and the hook in our right. 
Edward made us some hooks out of two old-fash- 
ioned forks, by breaking off the tines and filing 
down the shank into the shape of an enormous 
crochet needle. Mrs. Wilson came iu while we 
were at work and was so delighted with the idea of 
a rug iu this style, which she had never seen before, 
that she is going to have one. She has so many 
bright colors from the little girls' woolen dresses 
they have worn and laid aside, that she can make a 
splendid thing of hers. I told her when she was 
ready I would bring over my worsted patterns and 
help her draw the design for the centre. 
The hook is of this shape, fig. 2, with the 
handle on the upper end, of course. When the 
points of the hook got dull we sharpened them 
with the file. Jennie and I worked pretty steadily, 
aud in less tbau a week our rug was done, the sur- 
face trimmed off evenly, and laid before the stove. 
Mother has rugs of this sort that have been in use 
for ten years, and are still serviceable. It is an ex- 
cellent plan to make rag carpets out of worn cloth- 
ing, but I need rugs also to save my carpets. 
April 10. — I find I must have another bed for the 
summer, aud have been casting about in my mind 
tu get one up. I know Edward wants to buy ten 
acres more of laud, aud so I am unwilling to suggest 
any unavoidable outlay for family expenses. I 
asked him if be bad any special use for that pile of 
husks in the corn house. " No," he said, " only to 
throw into the barn-yard for manure." I told 
him I thought there were enough to make an ex- 
cellent mattress, and at an expense of ten yards of 
ticking wo could manufacture an article that would 
be as good as one costing eight dollars. He assent- 
ed, aud the next rainy day, wheu he can uot plow, 
we will all go out and make a frolic of picking over 
BUG PATTEKJf. 
and splitting up the husks. Edward says he can 
make a mattress needle out of an old umbrella 
brace, and so our new bed will cost us a trifle over 
three dollars. 
April 15. — Jennatte said she would stay a few 
days longer if I would undertake my house-cleaning. 
Edward didn't have much done to the old part of 
the house before wo were married, and I have been 
thinking all winter what a good cleaning that clingy 
paint and brown ceiling would get as soon as the 
weather became warm enough. So the other day 
we began, taking one room at a time, so as not to 
have any more disorder than we could possibly 
help. I could leave the dinner getting entirely to 
Sue, with some instruction, and she was very proud 
of the trust. Instead of using strong soap suds for 
cleaning paint, I tried a recipe that I found in an 
old number of the Genesee Farmer, I believe. Sue 
went dowm to the paint shop and got five pouuds of 
Spanish whiting ; I had a bucket of warm water, 
and, squeezing my flannel wash cloth nearly dry, 
pressed it on to some whiting I had put on an 
old plate, aud rubbed the paint with it ; then 
washed my cloth out and wiped it dry. Jennette 
followed me with a dry flannel cloth, rubbing the 
clean paint, which by this process was very easily 
cleaned, and looked better than any old paint I ever 
saw cleaned by the common method of -soap suds. 
April 17. — Edward has been at work around the 
door all day, and the yard is so much improved ! 
The wood is all 
cut and piled in 
the woodhouse, 
for he says that, 
when seasoned 
under cover, it 
' gives out more 
heat in burning 
than when used green, and docs not consume so 
fast. The chips are raked into a large pile, the 
sleigh and sled stored away for the season, the sap 
buckets piled away in the woodhouse loft, some of 
the gate posts that were heaved by the frost have 
been set upright, and three or four pickets that 
were off nailed on the frout fence. Iu the garden 
a place has been spaded for early peas aud for onions. 
On the south shelf of our kitchen window some of 
my flowers have given way temporarily to boxes of 
rich dirt, in which we have cabbages just peeping 
out, and tomatoes an inch high. I mean to have at 
least fifty plants of grape tomatoes. Mother sent 
me the seed, and she has preserves 
made of them which are delicious. They 
are very prolific, and when ripe have a 
delicate flavor not found iu the other 
varieties. I brought with me from 
home some flower seeds, aud a few 
choice euttiugs of tea aud bouquet roses. 
They arc growing well iu pots, hut the 
ground on the north aud west sides of 
the house, where I intend to plant 
them, is not quite warm enough yet. 
April 25. — House cleaning aud white- 
washing all done ! And my walls and 
ceilings look so well ! I had a few pounds 
of Spanish whiting left, which I added 
to my slaked lime, and put in also a 
few handfuls of salt and a Utile dis- 
solved white glue. Edward helped us Fig. 2. 
by doing some of the whitewashing one raiuy 
forenoon, and Jennie aud I did the rest inside. I 
had considerable left, to which I added two hand- 
fuls of brown sugar, some more salt, and ochre 
enough to make a pale straw color, with which Sue 
has covered the masonry around the caldron iu the 
woodhouse, the back fences and outhouses. She 
looks upon it as fun, and, after a little instruction 
in dipping and rapping out her brush, succeeded iu 
doing very good work. The first of May will find 
the premises inside and out iu as perfect condition 
as to cleanliness as a sanitary inspector could wish. 
I must not forget to ask Edward when lie goes to 
Syracuse to get a little sulphuric acid, or some 
chloride of lime for disinfecting purposes. I asked 
Mr. Reynolds for some, aud lie said there was no 
demand for such strange chemicals iu this plain 
farming community. Then, said I, with a laugb. 
