210 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[May, 
TEE E0U8EE0ILJD. 
For other Household Items see “ Basket ” pages. 
Rain-water Strainer. 
BY L. D. SNOOK. 
During every brisk shower the roofs of build¬ 
ings are washed clean, and if the water is allowed 
to flow directly into the cistern, much dust, dirt, 
leaves, etc., is carried with it to render the water 
impure. This is particularly noticeable with shin¬ 
gled roofs. This can be avoided by having the in¬ 
let pipe so arranged that the first barrel or so of 
Fig. 1.— STRAINER FOR CISTERN. 
water will run to waste, and the balance be con¬ 
ducted to the cistern, and this without attention 
during each shower. Figure 1 shows a portable 
strainer, consisting of a box, p, three feet square 
and four inches deep. A bit of coarse cloth is tacked 
to the upper edge; this will allow water to pas3 
quite rapidly, and should be six inches lower at the 
center than at the sides. Supports or handles, b, 
b, are attached to the sides, the ends of which 
rest upon the walls of the cistern, h. The inlet pipe 
r, discharges immediately upon the cloth e, which 
retains all leaves, coarse dirt, etc. This cloth should 
be cleaned three or four times per year, which is 
easily done by placing the box p, bottom up and 
dashing water upon the cloth. The strainer de¬ 
scribed is for a cis¬ 
tern located in the 
cellar and easily ac¬ 
cessible. The strain¬ 
er shown in fig. 2, is 
for use in the side 
pipe. The manner 
of constructing is 
fully shown in the 
engraving. It is best 
located about five 
feet from the ground, 
or within easy reach. 
The box l is 18 inches 
square and 6 inches 
deep. The strainer 
should be depressed 
about one foot that 
it may not overflow 
during heavy show¬ 
ers. .The box should 
be easily removed for 
cleaning the strainer, etc. In either plan to prevent 
the water from dashing too violently upon the cloth 
it should fall upon a sieve or something to retard the 
fall and divide the stream. 
Something about Pancakes.— Some people 
suppose that pancakes are always unhealtliful, but 
I think, if well made, they are more wholesome 
than either sour or heavy bread. It is often said 
that they are just as good without as with eggs, 
but I don’t think so. Made without eggs, they are 
very apt to be either “ soggy ” as they cool, or too 
thick to be enjoyable. When eggs are plentiful, 
allow one egg to each cup of “ wetting,” usually 
sour milk or sour buttermilk. When really sour, 
milk does not keep increasing in sourness, though 
it soon becomes bitter. Each cup of really sour 
milk or buttermilk, requires half a level teaspoon¬ 
ful of soda carefully dissolved before mixing it 
with the batter. White flour alone is not so good 
as genuine graham, or a part corn-meal (well 
scalded), and part white flour. Old bread soaked 
in sweet milk, or in sour milk with the soda added, 
or cold hominy, or oatmeal, or Indian mush, all 
work into good pancakes. Make the batter just 
thin enough to spread easily upon the grid¬ 
dle, when dropped from the spoon. Grease the 
griddle lightly, and avoid a “smudge.” F. E. R. 
Conveniences in Houses. 
Mrs. Anna Woodruff, of Blue Earth Co., Minn., 
sends us a number of suggestions on the above 
subject, which we summarize in part: There are 
many little conveniences that may be added to 
almost any house plan, at very trifling expeuse, 
which are not thought of by architects or builders, 
who, of course, cannot appreciate these things as 
well as the practical house-keeper. But if they are 
not provided when a house is built, they seldom 
get into it afterwards. Take, for example, the 
excellent prize-house plan in the American Agri¬ 
culturist for March (the reader will do well to have 
the plans in hand, when reading what follows.): 
At very small cost the omitted corner portion, 
marked “ Porch,” could be roofed, enclosed, and 
floored. There would be no additional walls 
needed, as those already there would more tliau 
cover the room, if set on the outside of the Porch. 
This would give an additional room, 6 by 10, of far 
more value than an outside Porch, as it is now. 
This gives space enough for another bed-room, or 
a store-room, or a children’s play-room, heated 
from the kitchen ; or if not wanted for these, it 
w-ould be valuable as a wood or fuel room. If this 
“Porch” space be thus enclosed as a room, the 
entrance door could be put on the other, the main 
side of which should front the street. With only 
the expense of twi» posts, a few boards for floor, 
and a few shingles for a roof, this door can have 
an open Porch ; or its sides can be enclosed .with 
open work, by using strips the width of common 
lath, and these may be covered with some orna¬ 
mental vines—the wild woodbine transplanted ; or 
plant seeds of the wild cucumber, or morning 
glory, orclimbing nasturtium (Tropceolum), or bulbs 
of the Madeira vine, not forgetting a few sweet 
peas. All the above involves very little additional 
expense. The door and casings were estimated 
for in the plan as given. 
On the approach of winter, the lattice can be 
covered inside with tight boards, and a storm-door 
close the front, while inside of it there may be 
hooks for hats, overcoats, and umbrellas, with a 
box seat and hinged covers for rubbers, overshoes, 
etc., and a brcrom be hung there for brushing snow 
from the feet., and a coarse mat for muddy weather ; 
also a scraper of wood, or any bit of iron, on the 
steps. These will save much litter from the living 
room, or “parlor.” A similar but larger Porch at 
the back door, with box seats or shelves on each 
side, will cost little, and be a wonderful con¬ 
venience. It will serve as a wash-room in hot 
weather, using the benches or box covers for set¬ 
ting on tubs, pails, baskets, men’s wash-basins, 
etc. When the vines are large enough to shade it, 
this rear piazza will be a cool place for resting, for 
lunches, etc., and if enclosed by boards in winter, 
as described for the front Porch, it will keep out 
cold, and serve many useful purposes. 
In digging the cellar, throw the earth where the 
sides need banking up, and put sods around the 
edges of the levelled earth These will make the 
banking up firm and permanent, and flowers may 
be planted on little beds in it, to be watered with 
the fertilizing waste water from the house. 
As the chimney is at the end or corner of the 
kitchen furthest from the door, the stove pipe should 
be long enough to allow the stove to be set near the 
pantry, and thus daily save hundreds of steps. 
Or better still, run the pipe p through the ceiling 
of the room, with a tin or earthenware collar or 
thimble, and carry it along the upper pfflt of the 
chamber to the chimney. This will warm the 
chamber also. 
Let the cellar extend under the pantry, id omit 
the floor boards under the “ dressers,” substituting 
open wire netting, or strips of wood, with simple 
doors in front. This will form a cool closet for 
food, and save many weary steps up and down the 
cellar stairs-There is some space in the stair¬ 
way, between the chamber and the rear roof, where 
stationary drawers or boxes may be put in. If the 
main Porch be filled out as a room, as first sug¬ 
gested above, there will be space over it for stor¬ 
ing, to be reached by a small door from the front 
bed-room, as suggested for the rear portion, in 
describing the house. 
In each chamber a corner closet, with clothes 
hooks, and shelves above them, can be cheaply 
made by the addition of a simple door, and a board 
on each side; or nail strips across, and hang cur¬ 
tains in front, as a protection to garments. 
But whatever else is omitted, do not omit a sink 
with a waste-pipe, near, or even in the pantry, and 
have a cistern, with a pump by the sink. The first 
cost is very small; the saving of work, of steps, of 
strength, of health, will repay the cost many times 
every year. 
All the above improvements might not cost $25, 
while they would add very greatly to the roomi¬ 
ness, convenience, and comfort of the house. 
Children’s Aprons. 
Aprons for a child from two to five years old, 
cut as shown in figure 1, are easily made. The 
fabric is folded so as 
to bring the bias down 
the front of the apron, 
and the straight edges at 
the back. A small gore is 
cut out on the shoulders 
and long sleeves are set 
in the arm size. There 
„ are no seams but the one 
1.—PLAN FOR CUTTING. 
on the shoulder. The 
apron is faced with a straight piece of fabric, and is 
closed in the back with buttons and button-holes, 
fig. 2. Strings sewed under the arms and tied at 
the back, make it more “dressy,” fig. 3. If cut as 
for an apron, except that it is buttoned in front, the 
pattern makes the comfortable little wrapper illus¬ 
trated in figure 4. For summer it is cool and no 
Fig. 2.—FRONT OF APRON. Fig. 3. —SIDE OF APRON. 
trouble to iron. For winter it should be made 
double; old calico makes a good lining. The same 
pattern can be used for dresses by adding to the 
skirt the extra material indicated by the dotted line. 
The piece shown by the dotted line abo.ve the 
wai6t line, should be 
trimmed out, or the 
lower part of the waist 
will be too full. The 
waist of the dress 
should be cut very long; 
pleat the top of the 
skirt to fit and sew to¬ 
gether in a seam : close 
the waist with buttons. 
The extra fullness can 
be gathered, and a nar¬ 
row flounce put around 
it if necessary. Striped 
goods -do not look well cut by this pattern, but for 
plain fabrics,or thosewitheven checksorsmallspots, 
it is all that could dc desired. Mrs. Busyhand. 
