24 
AMEEICAl^ AGEIOULTUEIST. 
[January, 
A Neat Book Covering^, 
For one’s own use, or as a present for a grown¬ 
up brother, cousin, or friend, a neat book covering 
is made of good linen canvas. It is cut out as 
shown in flg. I. Fourteen inches by ten will fit a 
good-sized book, and is not too large to be used on 
a small one. The edges of the cover are bound 
with narrow ribbon. A small pattern is worked in 
each corner, and an initial on the front, as in lig. 
Fig. 1. THE PATTEBN. Fig. 2. THE BOOK COVEBED. 
2. The cover is held in place by sewing the cor¬ 
ners after folding to fit the book. After comple¬ 
tion it can be put on, or changed to another book, 
by bending the covers back to slip it on and oT. 
A Hanging Medicine Cabinet. 
BT D. Z. EVANS, JR. 
In every country home where there is no drug 
store “just around the corner,” more or less medi¬ 
cines are necessarily kept, and it is important to 
have them out of the reach of children. The writer 
has a cabinet like the illustration, hung on stout 
iron pegs, so high up that a child cannot get at it, 
and a lock and key is a still further security. It 
may be made of oak, walnut, or ash, one-half to 
A PLACE FOB MBDIOFNES. 
three-quarter-inch thick, with doors of three-quar¬ 
ter-inch. Ours is of ash, rubbed down, a good 
“filler” applied, and then varnished. It is quite 
oniamental as well as useful. The back is three 
feet long and eighteen inches wide, the square 
case occupying its middle being eighteen by eighteen 
by eighteen inches. A narrow shelf above, against 
the back, being little exposed, can be of pine if 
necessarjL The shelves inside the cabinet may 
be arranged with spaces of eight, six and four 
inches for bottles and packages of different bights. 
For the side pieces make a pattern of pasteboard 
or thick paper, and cut in the form shown in 
the engraving, or any other pattern desired. We 
always keep a good supply of simple remedies, all 
carefully labelled, and the dose plainly marked on 
the label pasted on each package and bottle : and 
to make “ assurance doubly sure,” a marked tag is 
tied to each package. This cabinet and its contents 
has saved us many a dollar for doctor’s bills, and 
many a nocturnal excursion to call a physician.— 
[A less deep case and one of larger dimensions if 
needed, would project less into the room ; and the 
bottles, etc., if arranged on narrower shelves in¬ 
side, would be more conveniently accessible.— Ed.] 
How to Starch and Iron. 
Every housekeeper knows the difficulty of 
starching and ironing shirt bosoms, collars and 
cuffs satisfactorily. When done at a laundry they 
have a glossy finish which both improves their ap¬ 
pearance, and prevents their getting soiled readily. 
To give a fine gloss to linen, a good quality of 
starch must be used. It is best to get it by the box 
of six pounds or more, as it comes cheaper and is 
always at hand. The empty box is useful for other 
purposes. I have read of many additions to 
starch to give a gloss, such as white wax, sperma¬ 
ceti, and gum arabie, and have tried them all, but 
find them of no advantage if good starch is used. 
Gum arabie with cold starch sometimes makes the 
linen stiff. Mix the quanity of starch required 
with cold water to about the consistency of thin 
cream, then pour on boiling water and stir briskly. 
Make quite thick and keep over a good fire stirring 
all the time. Boil until clear, and some minutes 
longer to be sure that it is well cooked; (some 
think a little lard or butter added prevents the iron 
from sticking.) As soon as it has cooled enough 
not to burn the hands, take the linen, previously 
well washed and rinsed, and with the fingers rub 
the starch well into it and slap together. Con¬ 
tinue this until the linen has taken all the starch it 
will hold. Then smooth with the fingers carefully, 
taking out all the wrinkles, with a clean damp 
cloth remove all the specks of starch from the 
smooth surface, and hang up to dry where no par¬ 
ticles of dirt are floating. If hung out of doors 
when the wind blows it will take out a part of the 
starch. W’hen dry, immerse the linen quickly in hot 
water, and roll up in a clean dry cloth. Usually 
it will be ready to iron in ten to fifteen minutes. 
Some dip the linen when dry in cold water con¬ 
taining a little starch dissolved, and then roll up. 
This requires time for the articles to become dry 
enough to iron well. When a collar, for instance, 
is ready to iron, lay a clean cloth on the cover of 
the ironing board, and place on it the collar with 
the outside down and apply an iron not too hot, 
lifting the collar up every time the iron jjasses over 
it to allow the steam to escape and to prevent its 
sticking to the cloth. While yet damp turn the 
collar outside up and iron once or twice, or until 
nearly dry (bearing in mind not to have the iron too 
hot); when removed to a bosom board made of 
hard-wood without covering, place on a bare table 
with polishing iron well heated, but not too hot, 
and go over the collar putting on all the pressure 
that you can, but not too slowly or it may scorch. 
Should the linen get too dry to receive a good pol¬ 
ish, dampen evenly with a wet cloth. Much of the 
success in securing a good polish on linen, depends 
upon the pressure put upon it while damp, and hav¬ 
ing underneath it a hard board. A good polishing 
iron is essential. The one that gives me the most 
satisfaction costs 62i cents. Doubtless there 
are others equally as good. M. M. S. 
Ciood Apple I*iiddiiisf-~-^ correspon¬ 
dent, with other recipes, sends us the following di¬ 
rections for a pudding which “eats well”: Mix 
with each pint of sweet milk three beaten eggs, a 
tablespoonful of butter rubbed into a part of the 
flour, also a teaspoonful of baking powder and a 
saltspoonful of salt; then stir in enougli more 
flour to make a stiff batter. Have the apples pared 
and sliced, as for pies, and placed in a deep dish ; 
pour the batter ov6r the apples as thiekly as it 
is desired, and bake as one would apple pies. 
Sauce for the above: One cup of butter, two 
cups of sugar mixed with the whites of two eggs 
beaten to a stiff froth. Cut the pudding in 
square pieces, serving with the crust downward 
on the dish and the sauce poured over the top. 
A Match Strike. 
One or more pieees of sand-paper should always 
be provided in a conveniently accessible place in 
every room, and thus save the temptation to mark 
walls or furniture. A unique and tasteful match- 
strike is shown in the engraving. It may be made 
on a base of thick card, or on one of the round 
pasteboard plaques about three inches in diameter, 
obtainable at any book store for a few cents. A 
picture of a dog’s head or a group of Kate Green¬ 
away children, or of a variety of other things, is 
painted on the plaque. A piece of sand-paper is cut 
the exact size of the plaque, and the two are glued 
together, a loop of narrow ribbon having first been 
placed between. Such match strikes, when hung 
on the gas fixture, the edge of the mantel, or be¬ 
side the table, are useful and ornamental. M. E. R. 
Home-made Boot Scrapers. 
“T. F. D.,” Galesburg, Ill., sends us a sketch of 
a simple and ingenious scraper for cleaning boots 
or shoes at the door. Neat housekeepers will ap¬ 
preciate every help of this kind. The materials 
are an old hoe-blade, eight screws, and two blocks 
of wood. The scraper is fastened firmly to the 
edge of the board walk, near a side door, and 
leaves no excuse for any one entering the house 
with muddy boots. The engraving shows the 
shape and position of each part.—Another form of 
scraper is made of a broken iron rake. Holes to 
correspond with the teeth are started in the end of 
the door-step with a gimblet, and the teeth driven 
into these about an inch, leaving the smooth 
top of the head-piece of the rake for a scraper. 
Cliiclceiis Fried witli Rice.—Cut up 
two or three fine young chickens, and half fry 
them. Boil half a pint of rice in a quart of water, 
leaving the grains distinct, but not too dry, and 
stir into it a large tablespoonful of butter while 
still hot. Beat five eggs well into the rice with a 
little salt, pepper, and nutmeg if liked. Put the 
chickens into a deep dish and cover with the riee. 
Brown in an oven not too hot, and you will 
have a most excellent dish ready for the table, 
