470 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
dark place, or wrap it with paper, to exclude the 
light, which injures its bleaching properties.—[The 
solution iu which Potash takes the place of Lime 
is vastly better than one of Chloride of Lime, as in 
that Lime may become insoluble, and remain in the 
fabric. This solution is sold at the drug stores as 
Javelle Water, but it may be prepared with little 
trouble. See “ Household Notes and Queries ” on 
another page.—E d.]—I doubt whether this solution, 
so prized by city people, is any more effective as a 
general thing, at least for fresh stains, than sour 
milk or buttermilk. The liquid may remove some 
old, scalded-in stains, which milk can not affect. 
Milk, either sweet or sour, will sometimes work 
wonders in removing stains from colored goods. 
Only yesterday, I had proof of this. I put a cup of 
stewed frost grapes into a lunch basket for my hus¬ 
band, and forgot to cover it with a slice of bread 
fitted inside the cup, as I usually cover anything 
Juicy. Half an hour after he started from home, 
his basket and his light grey trousers were found 
in the sitting-room (I was washing in the shed), 
and one side of the garment was streaked with 
dark purple stains all down its length. 1 couldn’t 
pour hot water through each one of these countless 
spots and spatters, and I couldn’t apply a bleach¬ 
ing fluid ; but I had sour milk, and after one leg of 
the garment had soaked half an hour in this, no one 
eould find a stained spot, and when the pantaloons 
were washed and pressed, there was no sign of 
grape stain. A child’s dress stained with the same 
fruit got into the wash without attention to the 
stain, and now there is a hopeless light bluish spot 
made by the fruiLjuice. Those who have no boil¬ 
ing water, nor bleaching fluid, nor sour milk at 
hand, can try the fumas of a common sulphur 
match held close below the moistened stain while 
burning. This is said to remove most fruit stains 
from white cloth or the fingers. Sweet apple 
A CONVENIENT WOOD-BOX. 
stains can be removed by sour milk, and plum 
stains by either sweet or sour milk, I am told. 
- Another Wood-Box. 
There are many places in the country, where, we 
are glad to say, wood is still the fuel of the house¬ 
hold. The planting of forests upon the now tree¬ 
less prairies, will possibly cause the wood-box to 
replace the coal-hod ; and the shovel and the tongs 
will be restored to their places as necessary parts 
of the furniture of the kitchen. In the engraving 
we present still another box for holding Arc-wood, 
which has the advantage of being cheap and handy. 
An ordinary heavy dry-goods' or other box is the 
basis, the cover being braced with cross slats and 
provided with hinges, so that it can be closed when 
desired. It is a common experience that the shovel, 
if not provided with a place, is often at the bottom 
of the wood in the box when wanted, and the same 
may be said of the tongs. To remedy this trouble, * 
four hooks—the same as used in closets for hang¬ 
ing up clothes—are fastened to the outside of the 
box, one pair for the shovel, and the other for the 
tongs to rest upon. A handy place being thus pro¬ 
vided for these tools, they should, and doubtless 
will, be found there. A coat of paint—lead-color 
is perhaps the best for the kitchen—will improve 
the appearance of the box. A Wood-Box of some 
kiDd is needed in the kitchen of every wood-con¬ 
suming family, and this will be as conducive to 
neatness and convenience as one more expensive. 
A Feather Chair. 
In the Ladies’ Department at a State Fair, which 
we recently attended, there was a little chair made 
of feathers, which attracted much attention. The 
chair, which the accompanying engraving repre¬ 
sents one-fifth its real size, was made entirely of 
turkey feathers. The back is formed by the vanes 
or plumes of two feathers, the quills passing down 
and fastening to the two rockers, thus forming the 
two hind leg6. The rockers consist of two quills, 
with the vanes removed and running to fine points 
behind. The front 
legs, and the arms 
and “ rounds ” are 
made of the lower 
portions of as 
many quills, and 
two or more tips 
are arranged across 
each other, to form 
the bottom. It is 
easily constructed, 
and makes a neat 
and novel orna¬ 
ment. What the 
particular use of 
the feather chair 
is,wedidnot learn; 
A CHAIR of FEATHERS. but it i s intro¬ 
duced here as a hint to those who occasionally make 
“ fancy articles ” for sale at fairs, and who wish to 
make something out of the usual run of such things. 
The Communities’ Mop-Wringer. 
- - -<!*■- 
When a family is increased from six to eight, to 
250 to 300 members, domestic labors become cor¬ 
respondingly magnified. In the Oneida (N. Y.) 
Community, where the members live as one im¬ 
mense family, the consequent enlargement of tasks, 
which are but trivial in an ordinary family, have 
made it necessary to devise means for facilitating 
them. In August, 1877, we illustrated a Vegetable 
Washer, which was invented by one of the Com¬ 
munity, Mr. J. Leonard, and we now present 
another of his inventions, a Mop-Wringer. As 
every one who uses a mop knows that the most 
disagreeable part of the work, the wringing, is that 
upon which its proper execution depends, and will 
no doubt wonder why such a help had not been in¬ 
vented long ago. Unlike the Vegetable Washer, 
the utility of this is not confined to large establish¬ 
ments, but is equally a help in an ordinary house¬ 
hold. The Mop-Wringer, as seen by the engrav¬ 
ing, is a modification of the Clothes-Wringer, in 
this case made easily portable, so that it may be 
carried to the work. It consists of a bench upon 
wheels or castors, with a shelf below, upon which 
one or two pails of water can be placed. The up¬ 
per part carries two rollers, between which the mop 
is passed, and subjected to strong pressure by a 
spring (not shown in the engraving), which adjusts 
the rollers to any thickness of mop; these are 
operated, as in the ordinary wringer, by means of a 
powerful crank. The manner of using the Wringer 
will be understood from the engraving, and it 
operates without making it necessary to touch the 
mop with the hand. Since its invention, another 
use has been found for the Mop-Wringer—that of 
a household truck. The lid, shown open in the 
engraving, shuts down flat, forming a place upon 
which, as well as upon the bench below, trunks 
and other heavy articles may be moved about, and, 
when made (as some are) with rubber tires to the 
wheels, it moves noiselessly along the floor. 
Canary Birds. 
So many questions are asked us about Canary 
Birds, especially as to care, breeding, etc., that we 
reply to them in a general article. This pretty lit¬ 
tle captive bird—and its prison is a happy one, or 
should be made so—gets its common name from 
the Canary Isles, where it abounds in its wild state, 
and is clothed in a gray or brown plumage, quite in 
contrast with the white, yellow, and green of the 
domesticated varieties. The Canary birds have 
long been esteemed for their beauty and melody, 
and were domesticated in Europe nearly three cen¬ 
turies ago, where, at the present time, they are 
bred on an extensive scale, especially in France and 
Germany, from which countries we import them by 
the tens of thousands. The Canary-bird trade is 
vastly greater than would be supposed by those 
who have not looked into the subject. In England 
there have been annual shows—and what beautiful 
shows they must be !—for the last half century, at 
which large prizes have been awarded among the 
different varieties, which are reckoned up by dozens. 
So far as looks are concerned, a bird is valued ac¬ 
cording to the purity of its coloring, or if mixed, in 
proportion as the markings are regular. A mottled 
or spotted bird is not held in much esteem, while 
one which is a pure yellow, or a yellow with black 
wings and tail, is greatly prized. But above the 
color is the song; and in the choice of a bird it 
is best to observe the rule, “ Sacrifice color to ac¬ 
complishment.” Nature seldom unites rare beauty 
and great accomplishments. A person should not 
reject a sweet singer because its tail feathers are 
gone ; they will soon come out; but this can not 
be said of the voice where it is wanting. Some 
estimate a bird’s value by the loudness of the voice; 
we prefer the softer—and we think sweeter—tones, 
in fact, have almost been incensed by the noise 
which some birds will make when they sing. 
First, as to Cages, of which there are many dif¬ 
ferent styles, but none 6hould sacrifice the comfort 
of the bird or endanger its life. The large wooden 
frame cages are fast passing out of date, and are 
superseded by those made entirely of metal, which 
are neater, lighter, easier cleaned, and less liable to 
harbor insects. The wires, against which a bird 
will often pick more or less, should never be coat¬ 
ed with paint, as it may cause its death. Ample 
provision should be made for food and water 
within the cages, and there should be a proper ar¬ 
rangement for hanging it up—a hook, or a stout 
ring, is better to hang it by than a ribbon, which in 
time will wear out, when the cage and contents 
may have a fall. Perches and a swing will of course 
be provided. Canaries are very fond of a bath, and 
should be given water for one nearly every day. The 
tub should be removed when the bath is over. To 
see the little fellow enjoy the splashing and flutter¬ 
ing, is worth all the trouble. Above all things in 
the keeping of birds, neatness is of the greatest im¬ 
portance. They need attention every day. If the 
bird is “ too much of a trouble,” then do not keep 
it a day. Birds are very tender things, and as such 
are very susceptible to treatment, good or bad. 
They should have a plenty of air and light, but not 
the dazzling sunshine. A bird should not be out- 
of-doors when the air is at all chilly ; and in winter 
it is cruel to leave it in a room in which the tem¬ 
perature goes down to freezing or below. 
‘‘What shall we feed our birds?” is a question 
frequently asked, and it is an important one, as 
their health depends largely upon their food. Do 
not dose them with sweetmeats; their systems de» 
