17 G 
October, 1891. 
GAR DEN \ 
Conducted by Martha Clark Rankin, 
Gloversv-ille. N. T. 
October. 
N the autumn house-clean- 
ing and in planning for the 
winter, it is always best to 
think of comforts first and 
luxuries afterwards. If 
possible, supply deficiencies 
in kitchen furnishings and 
make the room as fresh, clean, and pleasant 
as may be for the long cold months. If 
your dining room boasts no side-board, at 
least have some shelves on which to ar- 
range your prettiest pieces of china. It 
will be a pleasant sight for your eyes on 
many a dull, gloomy day. 
Try to have the bedrooms thoroughly 
comfortable, and do not forget to see that 
the servant's room is warm and supplied 
with whatever is necessary for cold weather. 
Many housekeepers are culpably careless in 
regard to their servants', rooms, and then 
wonder that they have so much trouble in 
keeping good maids. The “ Golden Rule ” 
is the best solution of the “ servant girl 
problem ” yei discovered. 
Towards the end of the month, it is wise 
to take out all winter clothing and bedding, 
and hang it out to ah-. Then the first cold 
weather, which often comes so unexpect- 
edly. will not find us unprepared. We shall 
know too just what we have to depend upon 
and what new purchases must be made. 
By buying at once and beginning the sew- 
ing, no one will have to wait for necessary 
garments while we tire ourselves out trying 
to do two days' work in one. Dress-makers 
and sewing girls are less busy early in the 
season, and as the fashion papers are sent 
out so long in advance, there is no trouble 
in deciding upon suitable styles. There are 
always a good many alterations to be made, 
and some cast-off garments to be given to 
the needy poor who will be doubly grateful 
for receiving them in advance of their need, 
rather than after they have undergone some 
weeks of suffering. The wise housekeeper 
“ looketh well to the ways of her household ” 
in these as in a score of other matters. 
About Knives. 
It is surprising how few households have 
a proper equipment of knives. Work that 
might be done easily and quickly often re- 
quires an expenditure of twice the neces- 
sary tune and strength simply from the 
lack of suitable knives. 
A cook was lately asked why she had left 
an apparently good place. “ Because they 
haven't got a sharp knife in the whole 
house,” was the answer. 
Many a good cook labors at a great dis- 
advantage because she is obliged to use the 
one sharp knife for all sorts of purposes. 
Even housekeepers, who are quite particu- 
lar in most respects, will allow the same 
knife to be used for cutting meat and vege- 
tables, and provide nothing but the carving 
knife for cutting bread. 
All who have attended the lectures given 
by professional cooks, Miss Parloa, Miss 
Corson, or Mrs. Rorer, must have observed 
the ease and rapidity with which they cut 
up a chicken, took the bones out of a piece 
of meat, or pared a potato. This was due, 
not so much to the fact that they under- 
stood doing it better than their listeners, nor 
that they had done it so many more times, 
as that for each operation they had a sharp 
knife just suited for the work. 
In selecting knives, it is of great impor- 
tance to have them of the right shape and 
of a good quality of steel. Poor steel can- 
not be highly sharpened, and soon shows a 
nicked and jagged edge. An emery wheel 
is a great convenience for the rougher part 
of the sharpening process, while the finer 
work should be done with an emery knife 
sharpener. 
For the table, nothing finer can be desired 
than the beautiful French carving knife. 
It is flexible and strong, and will take a fine 
edge. It would seem needless to urge that it 
should never be used for any other purpose. 
The bread knife has a little different 
shape, but equally good steel, and is used 
solely for cutting bread on the bread board. 
Thus kept, it will last a life time. There 
are many styles, some with fancy handles 
more or less elaborate, and the words 
“Bread Knife” engraved on the steel. 
These two are the essential knives for the 
dining-room. 
For the kitchen, half a dozen should be 
provided. A “ butcher knife,” for all heavy 
work; a smaller meat knife, for cutting out 
bones, preparing meat for stews, &c. : a 
knife for paring potatoes and other vegeta- 
bles : a sharp steel knife, silver plated, for 
cutting apples and other fruit: a kitchen 
bread knife: and a garnishing knife, for use 
in preparing vegetables as a garnish. 
A Hallowe’en Party. 
While we housekeepers are so busy with 
the autumn work, we must not forget the 
younger members of the household. It is 
not enough that we keep our children well 
fed and clothed: we ought to make all their 
life under the home roof as happy as possi- 
ble, in order that they may take out from 
it nothing but pleasant memories. 
Boys and girls both usually enjoy a Hal- 
lowe’en party, and as it should be informal, 
no elaborate preparations are necessary and 
it really makes very little trouble. The 
forms of amusement will vary somewhat in 
accordance with the ages of the guests, 
though most of the traditional charms 
afford amusement to those of all ages. 
“Bobbing” for apples in a tub of water 
usually comes first; while some prefer to 
suspend an apple by a twisted string, in a 
door-way. The members of the company 
are summoned, one by one, to get a bite; 
and as neither apple nor string may be 
touched, it proves very difficult as well as 
exceedingly funny. 
A pleasant feature at such a party is to 
have one of the prettiest girls dress as a 
fortune teller and go about the room dis- 
tributing favors. In each there is tucked a 
tiny slip of paper on which the future of the 
individual is foretold. Of course the pro- 
phecies should all be happy ones, and the 
giving of each preceded by study of the 
palm, or other gypsy- like method. This is 
an appropriate close for the merry making. 
Women’s Clubs. 
Every city boasts a goodly number of 
women's clubs: while there is hardly a town 
or large village without one or more. The 
most important of these are united in what 
is called a General Federation of Women's. 
Clubs, which includes more than a hundred 
organizations from twenty-seven different 
states. 
In spite of the derogatory remarks made 
about the “ club mania,” as it is called, it is 
evident that the effect of these clubs is 
wholesome and beneficial. Not only are 
there opportunities to make up the deficien- 
cies of earlier life, but meeting together in 
this way and interchanging ideas gives an 
impulse to more thorough work, and broad- 
ens the horizon. Of course, extremes here, 
as elsewhere, are ridiculous, and it is foolish 
for an ordinary woman to belong to more 
than one or two. 
Iu some respects the most valuable of all 
are the “Domestic Science” or “House- 
hold” clubs. In these, the various matters 
pertaining to housekeeping and home- 
making, the chemistry of foods, and kin- 
dred matters are studied and discussed with 
results whose benefits are evident in many 
households. 
The Care of the Hair. 
“ If a woman have long hair, it is a glory 
to her,” wrote the apostle long ago: and, 
nowadays, women strive to have their hair 
not only long, but thick, soft, and fluffy. 
Many and contradictory are the directions 
given for the care of the hair; but it is safe 
to say that it ought to be thorough tly 
brushed every day, and the scalp kept free 
from dust and dandruff. 
For most people, a thorough washing of 
the hair is not necessary oftener than once 
in two months, though it is a good plan to 
rub cold water into the scalp with the 
fingers every night before retiring. The 
hair should also be brushed for a few 
minutes every night, and the ends clipped 
once a month. There is an old tradition 
that cutting when the moon is new will 
make the hair grown long; when full, will 
make it thick; but few, in the present age, 
would pin much faith to it. 
Salt and w-ater is considered excellent for 
the hair, and it is said that sailors are never 
bald, the salt air in which they live being 
conducive to a healthy growth of the hair. 
For w-ashing the head, many use tin * 
white of an egg, rubbing it thoroughly into 
the scalp, then washing in weak ammonia 
water, and rinsing thoroughly with clear, 
tepid water. Others use borax and water 
with excellent results. 
