1878.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
105 
the ends will all be at one side, and then shearing 
off the ends of the husks, fairly even, but not too 
smooth. A board thus stuffed with husks, and 
nailed to the one that holds the scraper, would 
answer. A scraper and rough mat being provided, 
as here represented—and there should be several of 
them—they should not be placed at the house, but 
where they will be used at some distance from it. 
Almost every farm-house is surrounded by its gar¬ 
den, or front-yard, and in these the walks are, or 
should be, in good order. Such a scraper and mat 
should be placed where the men leave the fields or 
the barn-yard, and enter the better kept surround¬ 
ings of the house. If these are placed where they 
may be used, at some distance from the house, it 
will prevent much mud from being brought to and 
accumulating on the piazza and steps, and the 
“ thickest of it ” being removed by these, the foot¬ 
cleaning contrivances at the house will serve for 
finishing, and be kept in better condition. 
--——-®»——. —- 
Strong Button Holes 
Mothers who sometimes buy cheap ready-made 
garments for their families, or who “ put out ” a 
part of their sewing, are often annoyed by the weak¬ 
ness of the button holes, which break out on very 
slight provocation. In making button-holes on 
drawer bands or aprons, or where they are likely to 
get torn out, I strengthen them before working the 
edge, by sewing a long stitch from one end of the 
slit to the other, on each side, sewing a stitch 
several times across the end where the strain comes. 
This is more important than the use of a very coarse 
thread without these strengthening lines. Tailors 
have another way of strengthening their button¬ 
holes on cloth, but I am not now competent to give 
their process -exactly. I am only thinking of the 
little garments to be worn by children who turn 
summersaults, climb trees and fences, and chase 
and catch each other. F. K. 
Avoidable Misery and Deaths. 
Not a cheerful topic, but one that it is our duty 
to treat. We have hardly looked, through a paper 
for several months, without finding a notice of seri¬ 
ous burning or death, from the careless use of 
kerosene. Did all these casualties occur in one 
place, and within a few days of one another, the 
account would be more appalling than that of the 
yellow fever in a Florida city, or of a battle in Tur¬ 
key. As they are scattered here and there, but lit¬ 
tle heed is paid to them—yet the aggregate of ke¬ 
rosene accidents is frightful, and what is the most 
distressing feature, they arc all avoidable. A large 
share of these accidents—so-called—result from the 
use of kerosene in kindling fires. Bridget finds the 
wood is damp, or the kindlings do not burn up at 
once, so she gets the can, and pours on the kero¬ 
sene—that is usually the last of Bridget. We do 
not call these accidents—they are wilful self-slaugh¬ 
ter. We suppose there is no help for absolute 
idiocy of this kind. But this is not the kind of 
danger to which those who read the American Agri¬ 
culturist are exposed. We assume that those suffi¬ 
ciently intelligent to read, will not try to kindle a 
fire with gunpowder, or with kerosene. But be¬ 
sides these suicidal performances, we find that there 
is just now an epidemic of lamp explosions. These, 
while equally avoidable with the fire-kindling cat¬ 
astrophes, are likely to occur with a different class 
of persons, and now, as long evenings make the use 
of lamps more general, it is important for every 
housekeeper to think of this matter. What kind 
of kerosene are you using ?—It is not well to trust 
altogether to the storekeeper ; it is a matter of quite 
too much consequence to be indifferent about. 
There is danger, and great danger, in poor oils; 
with good oils there is no danger—provided ordi¬ 
nary care be used. The light oils give just as bril¬ 
liant a light as the heavy ones, they are much 
cheaper—but you use them at a fearful risk. The 
names of certain makers, such as Pratt, Devoe, and 
others, are a guarantee of the safety of their oils— 
provided they reach the consumer as they left the 
factory. Any oil that gives off an inflammable va¬ 
por at a heat of less than 110° is unsafe ; this is the 
lowest that should be tolerated, and the best oils 
will stand the test of 150° or more. It is a matter 
of vital importance — of 
life and death—and it is 
an imperative duty of all 
housekeepers to see that 
they are furnished with 
safe oils. If the person 
with whom you deal can 
not furnish them, goto the 
next town, or elsewhere, 
until they can be found, 
and in the mean time use 
tallow dips, or anything 
but cheap oils. If noth¬ 
ing better can be done, let 
two or three neighbors 
combine and send for a 
barrel of some reliable 
brand, but under no cir¬ 
cumstances useunsafeoils 
for a single night. Lamps 
never explode, the vapor 
of unsafe oil does, and 
will, somehow, in spite 
of every lamp. No mat¬ 
ter what the kind of oil, 
never fill a lamp while it is lighted, and even with 
the best oil, be as careful as if it were unsafe. 
mY S <k 
Ait In-Door Game with Marbles. 
BY L. D. SNOOK, YATES CO., PA. 
[Here, youngsters, your friend, Mr. L. D. Snook, comes 
around again ; this time ue has a game to bo played with 
marbles in the house—in fact, on a special table, but a 
table so simple that any boy who can use a saw can make 
one. I generally try all such things before I give them 
to you, but I have not had time to try this, and I am 
very sure that Mr. Snook would not give you anything 
that was so difficult as to require more than fair skill— 
though he says that it takes skill and practice to play it 
well.— The Doctor.] 
The game requires a board, which is made from a piece 
of stuff, 14 inches wide and 18 inches in length at its 
longest part. A thin wooden strip is nailed around the 
edge, except at a space of 6 inches at A, where four 
marbles are placed in small indentations in the board 
and one inch from the edge. Five strips, K, K, K, K , K, 
one-quarter of an inch thick and half an inch wide, and 
from 4 to 9 inches in length, are glued or tacked upon the 
surface of the board at the angle shown—the spaces be¬ 
tween these division strips are numbered from 10 to 50, 
as shown in the engraving. Besides this, are required a 
small mallet and a slate for keeping the account of the 
game. To play the game, each marble is struck in suc¬ 
cession by the mallet in such a manner that it will strike 
the end strip, S , or side strip, T, and rebound at an angle 
and enter one of the numbered division spaces. Each 
marble is struck in succession, and all are to remain upon 
the board until the last one is struck. A marble coming 
at rest in the division marked 30, is to be counted so 
many off, or should it be so unfortunate as to stop in the 
open space marked 5, or the play ground marked 20, they 
also must be counted off—thus the player will find that it 
is skill and not luck that wins. The dotted lines, if, 
show the course a marble will take when struck by the 
mallet. A large number can play at this game, each one 
having a shot at four marbles, the count of each person, 
with the discounts, being kept on a slate or piece of paper. 
Aunt Site’s Clints. 
Horace. —“ The seven wise men of Greece’’are sup¬ 
posed to have lived in the fifth century before Christ. 
Their names are Bias, Thales, Chilo, Pittacus, Solon, 
Periander, and Clcobulus. The reason of their being 
called “wise,” is given differently by authors, but the 
most approved accounts state that as some Coans were 
fishing, some strangers from Melitus brought whatever 
should be in the nets without seeing it. When the nets 
were brought in they were found to contain a golden 
tripod which Helen is supposed to have thrown there. A 
dispute arose between the fishermen and the strangers 
with regard to whom it belonged, and, as they could not 
agree, they took it to the temple of Apollo, and consulted 
the priestess as to what should be done with it. She said 
it must be given to the wisest man in Greece; and it was 
accordingly sent to Bias, who declared that Thales wis 
wiser, and sent it to him. Thales sent it to another, and 
so on until it had passed through the hands of all the men 
distinguished afterwards as the “ Seven Wise Men ; ” and 
TO BE PLAYED WITH MARBLES. 
as each one claimed that the other was wiser than he, it 
was finally sent to the temple of Apollo. I suppose these 
gentlemen were known to he wise because they, them¬ 
selves, believed in their own ignorance, and “much wis¬ 
dom teaches how little mortals know.” 
Raising Canaries.—Irene B. asks: “Will you please 
to give some information as to the management and the 
treatment of canary birds If you want to mate a pair 
of canaries, let them be side by side in separate cages for 
some time before you put them together. When you do 
place them in the same cage, don’t be surprised if they 
quarrel a little at first. As soon as they appear to be ac¬ 
quainted, put some tow and linen raveliugs into the cage, 
and let them make their own nest. Keep the cage where 
the birds will not be disturbed. If you find that the eggs, 
1. home-made photograph frame.— See next page. 
after being laid, disappear, (the birds often eat them,) 
take them away one at a time as they are laid, and place 
them carefully in cotton, giving the bird some imitation 
eggs in her nest. The nest-eggs may be of chalk, wood, 
or even of white wax, and are to be kept in the nest until 
she begins to sit steadily, then remove Hie sham eggs, 
and replace the real ones. When the young birds appear, 
give them, for food, boiled and mashed rape seeds ; egg, 
boiled hard, and bread crumbs, all thoroughly mixed to- 
A GAME 
