214 
AMERICAl^ AGEIOULTURIST, 
[May, 
Holders for Whisk-Brooms. 
Whisk-broom holders like figures 1 and 2, when 
neatly made, are quite ornamental and very useful. 
They are appropriate for a bedroom or hall. The 
back of figure 1 is wood, cut out with a fret saw, 
and has a simple pattern around the edge. Wal¬ 
nut, imitation ebony, or other dark wood, is pref¬ 
erable to holly or other light color, as it shows 
dust and soiling less plainly. Midway between the 
top and bottom, and at an equal distance from 
each edge, cut two slits just large enough to let 
the embroidered band slip through. For the band 
work with bright-colored silk a strip of velvet an 
inch and a half w'ide. The ends are passed through 
the slits and fastened on the back with very small 
tacks, making a loop on the front just large enough 
for the broom to be slipped in half its length, and 
pulled down through it when taking it out for use. 
Figure 2 is entirely of home manufacture. Two 
pieces of heavy pasteboard are cut to a true circle 
of the right size by marking around a dinner plate 
Fig. 1. Fig. 2. 
and using a sharp knife or scissors. Each piece is 
covered with gray linen, and the front one is bound 
around the edge with narrow blue ribbon. The 
band is a strip of gray canvas, worked with blue, 
rose color and yellow, and is sewed to the front 
piece. Sew two bows of blue ribbon near the up¬ 
per edge. The front and back pieces are then 
stitched together over and over with silk the shade 
of the ribbon. It is suspended on a loop of ribbon 
with a bow at the top sewed on the back. T. K. Y. 
Mantel Lambrequins—Catch-Alls— 
Splashers. 
The various tasteful articles, now so common, 
which make home attractive, are not always within 
our reach, however great may be our love for the 
graceful and beautiful. Your friend’s handsome 
cushion, or screen, or banner, seems a small affair 
of plush, or velvet, or gay ribbon, etc., but when 
one counts up the bills of pretty materials, the em¬ 
broidery silks, the fringes, the this, that, and the 
other, needed in the construction, the sura is fre¬ 
quently more than the small purses of economical 
folk can afford. Yet we all want some pretty 
things about the rooms, some things that small 
means, and fragments of time car. compass, and we 
can have them. The present style of short lam¬ 
brequin, or drapery for the middle of the mantel, 
on which a clock or other heavy article may stand, 
can be easily made of almost any heavy cloth, of 
desirable color. It may be a piece of black broad¬ 
cloth, with cretonne flowers or figures cut out, and 
outlined with embroidery silk for a border. Or 
you may with the Diamond Dyes, now so much 
used, color the cloth to suit the fancy or the furni¬ 
ture. Lay on a piece of black velvet ribbon an 
inch wide, or wider if you prefer, about two inches 
from the edge of the lambrequin, and with bright 
embroidery silk, of good contrasting color, herring¬ 
bone across the velvet, or catch the edges.—A neat 
pocket, or “ Catch-all,” may be made with an old 
straw hat, especially one of mixed braid, by lining 
it with turkey-red calico, and bending the front 
lower than the back, fasten it to the wall. A 
bunch of dried grasses, held with a bow of bright 
ribbon, gives a pretty finish to the front.—A neat 
Wash-stand Splasher may be made of a piece of 
ecru or buff linen, such as is used for window- 
shades. Indeed, a piece of an old window-shade 
will answer, if stiffly starched. Cut the length 
and width desired, bind with scarlet skirt-braid, or 
carefully cut a scalloped edge. From some gray 
cretonne, cut a graceful spray or bouquet of flowers, 
and fix them with mucilage firmly in the corners of 
the splasher. Put on also a small center piece of the 
same and you have quite an addition to your room. 
Lucr Kandolph Fleming. 
Home Hints.—Clothing, Etc 
The prevailing style of hair dressing for ladies 
for sometime past has been a twist or braid knotted 
low in the neck. This has not been becoming to 
many, and there is a prospect of a return to the 
other extreme—wearing the hair very high on the 
top of the head. Of course very young ladies will 
retain the recent style as most youthful. Misses 
wear one or two long braids tied with ribbons. 
Some braid them half way and leave the ends 
curled. It is said that curls, which have been 
laid aside so many years, are coming back to be the 
“rage.” This will be welcome to those who, for 
fashion’s sake, have tried so hard to thwart nature 
by brushing and combing to straighten their natu¬ 
ral curls. Children still wear their hair banged, a fa 
Esquimaux, to the ears, and long behind. Some 
physicians condemn bangs as very injurious to 
the nervous system, and in several known cases of 
spasmodic nervous affections parents have been ad¬ 
vised to put the hair back from the forehead. The 
round comb is used for this. “Frizzes” of some 
kind are becoming alike to old and young, and the 
cases must be rare where one has not enough hair 
of her own to use for this purpose. The frizzes 
should be light and simple. The fashion of cover¬ 
ing the forehead nearly to the eyes with “front- 
pieces” or “ wigs” is simply hideous, and every 
real lady will prefer to make the most she can of 
what nature has given her and be satisfied. A very 
little hair will look a great deal more if dressed in 
puffs which are always ladylike and becoming. 
Fancy combs and hair pins are much used as orna¬ 
ments, and are in every style from the pretty imita¬ 
tion of shell to those of silver filigrees in exquisite 
flowers or gold set with pearls and diamonds. But 
every one should study her own style, and so adapt 
the manner of dressing her hair to it, that no spe¬ 
cial attention shall be drawn to her by any attempt 
to follow a fixed fashion merely which may be be¬ 
coming to one and very unbecoming to another. 
“ How shall I make over last season’s dresses for 
my children who have outgrown them ?” is the 
perplexed mother’s query just now. The pretty 
and favorite guimpe will help out here. This is a 
white waist, with or without sleeves, made plain or 
tucked and trimmed with insertions. It is cut 
three or four inches longer than the waist line, and 
a facing is put on through which a string is run to 
draw up at the waist. The overdress is a plain 
princess style, or a giithered waist with a belt, 
either of them cut low in the neck, with shoulder 
straps or puffs. The sleeves may be retained if 
preferred, and a white cuff added to match the 
white waist. The straps or puffs will lengthen the 
dress as required. Another way is to insert a yoke 
of Hamburg embroidery. This comes now in very 
handsome patterns for yokes, sleeves, and apron 
fronts to white dresses. White dresses are much 
worn in the warm season and are becoming, both 
to young and old. There is a large variety of fab¬ 
rics. Satteens, which are so pretty in colors, are 
equally so in white; they are plain, striped, dotted, 
checked, in blocks, and also corded. In ready¬ 
made white dresses poor Victoria lawn has been 
used. There is now a new fabric called “ India 
linen,” which is much better, though it is really 
cotton. White dresses can be bought very cheap¬ 
ly, ready-made, hut of course they are much more 
desirable if home-made. They should be simply 
made, but of good material. Colored satteens are 
very handsome on pale tinted grounds, with de¬ 
signs of flowers, leaves, fruits, acorns, berries, etc. 
Some have Japanese designs of birds or human 
figures, and others of miniature landscapes. They 
cost thirty to fifty cents a yard. Some make them 
up with plain goods to match, but they are usually 
made of one piece. The style is a plain, unlined 
basque, a short round skirt with ruffles, and a plain 
hemmed overskirt much puffed, but arranged to 
draw up with strings. Laces trim these dresses show¬ 
ily and come in gray and cream color as well as 
white.—Little girls and boys wear in all seasons 
every day costumes of wool, in dark blue or black 
trimmed with braid, blouse shape, with a plaited 
skirt for girls, and Knickerbockers for boys, with 
long stockings to match. 
For spring outside coats for children and young 
ladies the redingote is most suitable. All dark 
colors are fashionable, and if plain have collars 
and cuffs of velvet. For travelling and very com¬ 
mon wear they are made of checks and plaids, j 
trimmed with the same goods. Little girls have I 
often a small cape added, with a plaiting around it [ 
three or four inches wide, or trimmed with velvet. 
For little boys the ulster shape, double-breasted, J 
bound with braids and with nice buttons, is always j 
appropriate.—Pretty, soft caps, and a variety of 
Derby hats, go with them from which to choose. i 
Ethel Stone. ^ 
A Curtain Screen for Doors, ! 
It frequently occurs that a bedroom has no com- [ 
munication with the hall, except by passing [ 
through a parlor or sitting room, in sight of per- !i 
sons chancing to be there. If the bedroom and J 
hall doors are near the corner, a convenient plan is 
to run a rod across,as in the engraving,and upon this 
hang a curtain of woollen stuff or chintz, by rings, 
so that it can be shoved to either side when not ; 
A DOOR SCREEN. 
needed to form a screened passage. Furnishing 
stores supply such rods with hooks to hold their 
ends,or one of wood may be readily turned, or work¬ 
ed out in a carpenter shop, to be stained and oiled. 
A Home-Made Eefrigerator. 
A very useful ice box can be made out of an or- j 
dinary dry goods packing box. Mine is three feet 
each way. Inside of this is another rough pine I 
box two feet each way. The side spaces and six j 
inches at the bottom are filled with sawdust. The | 
inner box is covered with tin internally and paint- | 
ed white. The cover is two feet ten inches each i 
way, and double, with six inches of sawdust be¬ 
tween the boards. It is fastened to the back of the 
ice box with strong iron hinges, and being very 
heavy it has pulleys with weights to raise and 
lower it. The pnllies may be in the top of uprights 
nailed to blocks on the back, to be out of the way 
of the cover, or they may be suspended at any con¬ 
venient point where the weights can descend. 
When shut down the cover fits in tightly, and is 
