1881 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
329 
A Hint About Papering. 
Mrs. M. A. Stuart, Yakima Co., Washing¬ 
ton Terr., feels that she is much indebted to 
the American Agriculturist for the useful 
hints it has given her, and would send some 
in return. In all new countries the people 
resort to many makeshifts that are not 
necessary in older places. She writes that on 
the Coast (meaning of course the Pacific), 
many of the houses are finished without 
plastering. Instead of lathing and plaster¬ 
ing the partitions and walls, they tack upon 
them very thin cotton cloth or muslin, the 
thinner the better. This is tightly stretched 
as it is tacked on, and finally the wall paper 
is applied to the cloth as if it were a plastered 
wall. It is singular how extremes some¬ 
times meet. A few days after this letter 
came we visited a country place where the 
owner had employed a skilled architect to 
remodel the lower floor of an old farm house. 
While examining the improvements, and no¬ 
ticing how well the modern wall paper 
covered the old and new walls, we were in¬ 
formed that, before papering, cloth had been 
first applied all over the rooms, the new 
work as well as the old, and the paper was 
put upon the cloth. Here we have an ex¬ 
pedient adopted as a matter of necessity in 
the farther northwest corner of our country, 
made use of near New York to avoid the 
cracking that might result from applying 
paper alike upon old walls and new. In both 
cases the shrinking and tearing that might 
come from papering directly upon the par¬ 
titions and walls are avoided. Some experi¬ 
ence in pasting paper upon stretched cloth, 
for an entirely different purpose, induces us 
to suggest that the paper while drying be¬ 
comes wrinkled in such a manner that one 
may suppose that the operation is in some 
manner wrongly done. Wait until it is thor¬ 
oughly dry, and the paper will become per¬ 
fectly smooth, and as “ tight as a drumhead.” 
Household Notes and Queries. 
Household Paste and Mucilage.— We 
have complaints of inability to make labels 
adhere to bottles, tin cans, etc., and asking 
for help. If a label is attached to a bottle by 
means of ordinary mucilage of Gum Arabic, 
it will be very sure to come off in the first dry 
time. Apothecaries use for this purpose— 
sticking paper to glass, mucilage of Gum 
Tragacanth. Put a few bits of the gum into 
water, and let it soak in a warm place ; when 
the gum seems soft throughout, pour off the 
surplus water, and thoroughly stir and heat 
the swollen gum until it is uniformly smooth, 
adding water if necessary to make it of 
the proper consistence to use with a brush. 
This, while it answers for glass, does not well 
adhere to tin, but may be made to do so by add¬ 
ing a little honey, or a few drops of glycerine, 
neither of which will unfit it for use upon 
glass, etc. Tragacanth does not, like Gum 
Arabic, dissolve in water, but only swells up. 
In the canning factories they use for attaching 
Labels to Tin, a flour paste, to which Sal 
Soda and Molasses are added. To every 8 oz. 
of Flour, use an ounce of Soda and a gill of 
Molasses.. The soda is dissolved in the water 
used for the paste, the flour is rubbed up with 
the solution, the molasses added, and all 
boiled together, and stirred until well cooked. 
Ha ir Brushes are readily cleaned by the 
use of soap and water, afterwards rinsing 
thoroughly. A method preferred by some is 
to add a little Ammonia water, and wash the 
brush in this. Ammonia (or Spirits of Harts¬ 
horn as it is called) varies greatly in strength, 
as sold in the shops; if fairly strong a table¬ 
spoonful to a pint of water will answer. 
Drying Grasses. —Mrs. *“ S. M. J.” The 
trouble of “ shedding and making a litter ” is 
due to the fact that your grasses were too old 
when gathered. While in some' grasses age 
makes no difference, others drop the parts of 
then- flowers in a most annoying manner. 
Watch the grasses, and when they are fairly 
developed, cut them. Not only will this pre¬ 
vent the “shedding” referred to, but the 
grasses will be of a much finer color. The 
best way to dry them is to tie in small bunch¬ 
es, and hang them heads downwards in an 
airy room where there is no dust. 
Poison in Toilet Powder.— Mrs. “W. M. 
S.” The accounts of poisonous “Toilet,” or 
“ Infant Powder,” refer to those made in Eu¬ 
rope. It is easy to avoid all risks by using 
home-made powder upon young children, who 
often chafe badly, and to whom an applica¬ 
tion of powder brings great relief. The most 
expensive Toilet Powder is nothing but per¬ 
fumed starch. Starch rolled fine with the 
rolling-pin, and passed through the finest mus¬ 
lin sieve, will give quite as useful a powder 
as that which brings the highest price. Any 
desired scent may be given to the powder by 
adding a few drops of perfume. 
The Hay Fever. —“ M. C. S.” We can 
give you no help as to the cure of Hay Fever, 
as none, so far as we are aware, is known, 
though of course “sure cures” have been 
advertised. There is nothing positively known 
as to the cause of the annoying trouble. It 
is generally thought to be due to the pollen 
of some plant floating in the air, and coming 
in contact with the sensitive membranes of 
the nose, throat, etc. Some are very sure 
that it is the pollen of the common Rag-weed 
that causes the disease, but some persons are 
afflicted before this plant blooms. A change 
of residence, especially going to a moun¬ 
tainous locality, has been found generally 
beneficial. A friend, who suffers greatly from 
Hay Fever, finds relief by going to the sea¬ 
shore, where he claims there is no Rag-weed. 
A “Pipe” Picture Frame. 
Mr. “H. A. C.,” Delaware Co., Pa., has 
been making some picture frames out of old 
a picture frame of gas pipe. 
gas pipe and sends a drawing and description 
of his work. He writes : “ I cut my pipe to 
the required length, have threads cut on the 
pieces and join them by ‘ elbows.’ ” After 
the frame is made it may be varnished, 
painted, or gilded, and with bows of ribbon 
at the comers it may be made very pleasing 
in appearance—much more so than at first 
thought would seem possible from a gas pipe. 
The engraving shows a “pipe” frame. 
“The Saving of the Nation.”—Dry Earth. 
A number of years ago we visited an 
esteemed contributor to the American Agri¬ 
culturist, and as he showed us about his 
place, we passed through an outbuilding 
where there was a large bin filled with some¬ 
thing that we did not at first recognize. 
Seeing an inquiry in our look he exclained : 
“There, that is to be the saving of the na¬ 
tion.” The article was finely sifted dry 
earth, which, as gathered on his place, was 
of a color so peculiar that we did not at first 
recognize it. The gentleman referred to 
was, and is, one of the strongest advocates 
of the earth closet, and also thoroughly be¬ 
lieves in the value of dry earth as an absor¬ 
bent and disinfectant in many places where 
others might not think of using it. Whether 
employed in the earth closet, or for other 
uses, it is all important that the dry earth 
shall be dry —not merely not wet or moist, 
but absolutely dust dry. This month usually 
brings a time which, while unfavorable to 
plant growth, is the very best to collect dry 
earth. Our directions here refer to laying in 
the family supply ; if large quantities are 
required, then road scrapers and other imple¬ 
ments will be needed. The first step is to 
select the stiffest, most clayey piece the field 
or garden affords. When ready to collect, 
kill the weeds by using a light cultivator over 
the piece, and then harrow it several times 
during the day. If the operation is confined 
to the garden, use some of the hand cultiva¬ 
tors, or a push hoe, to kill the weeds, and a 
long-toothed rake instead of the harrow. 
Having made the surface light, fine, and dry, 
by repeated stirrings, the next day it is to be 
gathered. Prepare a platform of old boards, 
laid down in a level place close at hand, using 
a few nails to keep them together. Where 
much earth is required, permanent platforms 
that may be drawn by horses are used. The 
earth that has been made fine and loose is to 
be shovelled upon the platform, and allowed 
to remain exposed to the sun for several 
hours. It is impossible to make earth per¬ 
fectly dry by leaving it in place ; no matter 
how dry the surface may seem, there is al¬ 
ways moisture brought up from below, and 
it is only by placing it upon a platform that 
sufficiently perfect dryness cap be secured. 
Harrowing the earth one day, and placing 
that from the surface on boards, to cut 
off all moisture from below, the drying 
becomes practically complete. In stor¬ 
ing the earth, care must be observed to 
have the bin above the surface of the 
ground, so that no moisture can enter 
from below, and it must of course be 
under cover where no moisture can reach 
it from rains, etc. Before storing, the 
earth should be sifted to remove all 
lumps, pebbles, dead weeds, etc. A 
garden sieve or a mason’s riddle will 
answer the purpose. Sandy earth will 
be easier to collect, but do not take 
it, if other is to be had, as the deodorizing 
power is due to the clay the earth con¬ 
tains. While earth can be dried by arti¬ 
ficial means, it is vastly cheaper to employ 
the sun to do the work. Lay in an abund¬ 
ance of dry earth, enough to last a year, and 
do it at once, and the health and comfort 
of one part of the nation may be saved. 
