116 
AMEEIOAIN' AGEICULTUEIST. 
[March, 
A Plant Stand. 
Most of the plant-stands have a series of ascend¬ 
ing shelves. If these face the room, the lower 
plants are shaded by the upper ones, and suffer 
from lack of light; if facing the window, the 
lower plants are hidden from view, unless one goes 
out-doors to see them through the glass. I have 
a stand, or table, which suits me. It is so low 
that the tops of the largest pots are just on a level 
with the window sill. The legs, which are well 
braced by cross-pieces, like a library table, are of 
oak, oiled. The top is of pine, and is like an ordi¬ 
nary table, with a strip of pine two inches hi^h 
all around the edge. This strip answers to keep 
the pots from slipping or tipping off in moving the 
stand, and allows an inch of sand all over the table, 
which absorbs any water escaping from the bottom 
of the pots, and it gives off a steady supply of 
moisture by evaporation. The table top should be 
thoroughly painted, leaving no cracks for the water 
to run through. It is mounted on strong, easy turn¬ 
ing casters, and can be readily wheeled out into the 
room on cold nights. Opposite sides are turned to 
the window, which saves shifting or turning the 
separate pots to give both sides of the plants equal 
light. At the corners, stout iron rods are fastened 
and bent over the centre as shown in the illustra¬ 
tion. On these I have trained vines, which add 
greatly to the ornamental appearance of the stand. 
Where the rods cross, a bird-cage or a hanging 
plant can be suspended. Such a table can be made 
cheaply at home by any one at all skillful with 
tools. Its proportion should of course be suited 
to the size of the window where it is to stand. 
Such a table can be used in a bay-window with 
much better effect than the ordinary stand or rows 
of shelves. Being placed low down, the plants are 
seen to good advantage, and are easily cared for. 
The larger plants should be arranged in the center, 
and the smaller ones along the edges. E. E. 
Economical “Making Over” Things. 
Many families have a knack of making a little 
go a great ways, in rendering their homes comfort¬ 
able, even genteel. Calling upon such a family re¬ 
cently, I at first supposed they had bought some 
new chairs, but on closer examination found they 
had been cane-seated walnut ones, too valuable to 
throw away after the bottoms had given out. The 
girls had tacked on firmly some strong canvas in 
in place of the cane, then added several thicknesses 
of the same size cut from an old quilt, and tacked 
over these stout cotton to hold them in place. A 
strip of cretonne having stripes of pretty flowers, 
was stitched across a piece of reps, and formed the 
covering. When this was tacked on, the edge was 
hidden with upholsterer’s braid fastened with 
brass-headed nails. The effect was very satisfac¬ 
tory. After the boys oiled the frames, tho.se chairs 
were really prettier than many expensive ones 1 
know of.—An om lounge, previously covered with 
hair-cloth, was treated in the same way, with the 
addition of a sofa cushion nicely embroidered. It 
is as good as new, and more attractive than it 
was previously.—The daughters showed me their 
“new carpet,” made of two others. Eorthecenter 
an old sitting-room ingrain carpet was washed, 
colored brown, and the best portions sewed to¬ 
gether. The border was formed from the best 
parts of a crimson and black bed-room carpet. 
The effect is more pleasing, to me at least, than a 
two-dollar-a-yard, bright-flowered carpet which 
another neighbor had just laid down. R. 
Home Hints for Spring. 
The holidays over, the short winter days linger¬ 
ing longer in the twilight remind the good house¬ 
keeper that now is the time to take account of 
stock, and to have all the plain sewing planned, 
and as far as possible finished, before warm weather. 
Fashion changes little in bedding. Sheets and 
pillow cases can be cheaply bought ready made 
by machine, but they look much nicer when 
hemmed by hand, and wear better. Trimmings of 
cheap cotton laces on sheets or pillow cases are in 
bad taste. Shams are desirable to dress beds which 
are in use all the time, but they should not be too 
elaborate. Little trimming, and that very nice, 
is much preferable. It is fashionable to remove 
pillows by day, and leave only the bolster on 
the bed, with handsome spreads of silk or lace. 
Very many are making silk quilts of patchwork, 
and several manufactories supply bundles of pieces 
which are sold for this purpose. They are not the 
set figures of our grandmothers’ times, but a lining 
is cut and the pieces are basted on, large and small, 
without any design except to harmonize colors, 
and these are feather-stitched together with em¬ 
broidery silk. Some work patterns in outline on the 
plain colors. These quilts are very handsome, and 
with care should last through several generations. 
Very pretty imitations of eider down comfortables 
are made of soft wadding covered with some pretty 
shade of satteen or sUesia, pale pink, blue, gray, 
or cardinal. They have five or six rows of quilt¬ 
ing all around, about an inch apart, and stripes of 
quilting two or three inches apart through the cen¬ 
ter. Patchwork quilts of cotton, if made at all 
now, are usually of two colors only, dark and 
light. The old-fashioned comfortables, piles of 
which we used to see in our grandmother’s closets, 
have given place to blankets, which are much 
more desirable, as they can be washed. 
Bureau and washstand covers are among the 
most common pieces of fancy work, and are of 
countless designs. Among the prettiest, this win¬ 
ter, are those of crash or momie cloth, made in 
scarf pattern, with the ends in embroidery and 
drawn work, from a quarter to half a yard broad. 
They may be done with colored silk, but are much 
prettier when worked with the threads which have 
been taken from the material. The fringe, which 
is formed by drawing out threads, when the work 
is all done, has abroad heading made by alternately 
taking out and leaving seven or eight threads ; 
and, over those left, working a cross-stitch or 
feather-stitch. Above this are broad, open pat¬ 
terns of drawn-work, and ribbon may be drawm 
through, or a bright color placed under. There 
should be a pin cushion cover to match. Mantel 
and window lambrequins are made in the same 
way, or they may be crocheted with fisherman’s 
twine to imitate the Macrame work, which' is so 
much more difficult. Any pretty pattern of knit¬ 
ted or crocheted edging can be used, and a fringe 
added, or colored tassels of chenille on each point. 
Table linen, in a full, good supply of which a 
good housekeeper takes pride, is varied and beau¬ 
tiful enough to satisfy any taste. There are tablJ 
cloths and napkins suited to every occasion, and 
every course from soup to coffee and fruit, with 
appropriate designs in colored or white embroid¬ 
ery ; but an initial or monogram, worked in white, 
with or without fringed sides, which can he washed 
without fear of losing color, seems most desirable. 
Damask cloths of red or grayish brown are pretty 
and economical for breakfast and tea. The latest 
imported styles for napkins are long and narrow, 
like towels. These napkins protect the dress very 
perfectly, arid are to be welcomed for this reason. 
The large stores in the cities bring out their 
ginghams, prints and muslins in early spring, and 
it is well to make up plain summer dresses now. 
Styles which are simplest and can be done up easi¬ 
ly are chosen for such goods. Plain blouse waists, 
plaited or gathered into a belt, a plain overskirt 
looped high on the hips, with an underskirt lucked 
or trimmed with gathered flounces, always laundry 
well.—For children a blouse waist, and skirt of 
two or three scant ruffles, with a broad sash of the i 
material tied behind, is very pretty. 1 
It is best to make up under-clothing early, if done 
at home. If one wishes a combination of corset- 
cover, skirt and chemise, which is popular and de- j 
sirable, a close-fitting polonaise pattern, with the ll 
back seams cut off to an ordinary basque length, 
and two plain breadths gathered on and sewed into 
the long front side seams, will make a garment 
quite as satisfactory as those which cost two dol¬ 
lars and a half. Ethel Stone. 
Fashions in “Twine-Work,” Lamp Shades 
and Flowers. j 
It is wonderful what a variety of articles may be [ 
manufactured out of twine. There was never a i 
greater demand for the Macrame cord, although 
t^-'e real tied Macrame seems to have had its day. , 
Thv, crocheted work is so much easier and quicker I 
that most ladies prefer it, especially as it is almost 
as handsome as the knotted. One of the prettiest 
designs is a dainty little work-basket, either round | 
or oval, starched, and formed over a tin pan. 1 
When quite dry and stiff it is covered with liquid 
gilding : a slip of card-board the exact size of the | 
bottom, is covered with blue satin and fitted in, 
with a puffing of the same satin around the top. ! 
This makes a charming little article for a gift, or | 
to sell at a fair. We have seen whisk-broom holders, 
work-bags, boxes, catch-alls, and bracket lambre- [ 
quins, all crocheted of this cord, and heard it sug- ) 
gested that it would make excellent table-mats. 
A simple and pretty design for a lamp-shade may 
be made of natural ferns, if they are gathered while ■ 
young and pressed bej;ween blotting-paper. Six ■ 
rounded sections, the proper length, square at the 
top, and graduating toward the lower part are cut , 
out of glossy white paper, lined with pale pink [ 
silk, and pinked out in scallops around the edge. ; 
On these the ferns are arranged fastened with '1 
fine green sewing silk, and the lining caught to jl 
each section by a little fancy stitch. The top of ] 
the shade consists of two hexagons, made of card- J 
boards covered with the pink sUk, and edged with i 
laee, between which the sections are fixed in. A ’ 
round opening is cut in the top, to fit over the 
chimney, and care should be taken to have this j 
large enough to prevent scorching. This shade j 
can also be made very effective in spatter-work, I 
on white Swiss muslin. Wild flowers are preferred j 
now for decoration, or for corsage bouquets. | 
Young ladies frequently discard the conventional [j 
roses and violets, for the simple yellow and white ji 
marguerite, buttercups, and above all the red i 
clover blossoms, which fickle fashion has decreed |' 
shall be the popular flower of the season. 
Holder for Newspapers. 
A very simple, easily made holder for newspapers, 
is here illustrated. It may be placed on the wall 
allow one sitting or standing to glance over or 
read the pape Cut a strip of canvas a yard long, 
and two inches wide. Work in a cross-stitch pat¬ 
tern, line with calico, and bind each edge with rib¬ 
bon. Sew a ring upon each end to slip over 
nailSj and cover the rings with neat yibbon bows, 
