260 
AMEEICAT^ AGEIOULTUEIST. 
[June, 
ternoon teas, are six by four inches. They are 
unique in smoke color, with a gold kettle in one 
corner and clouds of steam pouring from the 
spout. On the smoke is printed in zig-zag letters : 
“ Come to tea 
At three 
And see me.” 
Another pretty design for these “ kettle-drum” in¬ 
vitations is a gaily illuminated cup and saucer, with 
‘‘five o’clock tea,” inscribed underneath. The 
date and residence are written in the right-hand 
corner, and the hostess’ name in the left.—Visiting 
cards for ladies are very large now, and those for 
gentlemen very small. The name is engraved in 
the plainest script, and the address and reception- 
day plaeed in the lower right-hand corner. 
Pretty sachets come for perfuming writing-paper, 
made of rose or violet powder, sprinkled in a fold 
of cotton batting, and covered with two contrastr 
ing shades of ribbon, with a bow in one comer. 
These are questionable luxuries; as a general 
thing, scented note-paper is now considered vulgar. 
Cockroaches and Croton Bugs. 
The great pests of the house-keeper, especially in 
cities and seaport towns, are the cockroach and the 
Croton bug. Many suppose that the latter, from 
its smaller size is the young of the other, and we 
have often been asked if the two are not ditferent 
forms of the same insect. There are several cock¬ 
roaches, some of which lead an out-door life. The 
common cockroach is supposed to have come from 
some part of the East; its native country is not 
certainly known, though naturalists have named it 
the Oriental cockroach {Blatta orientalis). It infests 
ships and is thus carried all over the world. In 
England it is generally called the Black Beetle, 
though it is not closely related to the beetles. Cock¬ 
roaches feed upon almost every animal and vege¬ 
table substance, and are very destructive. Articles 
of food that they do not devour they render ill¬ 
smelling and worthless. They give off by the 
mouth a dark-colored liquid which has a most dis¬ 
gusting odor, and this is imparted to articles kept 
in places when the insects are numerous. Though 
universally detested, the cockroach has some things 
said in its favor. It is very fond of another domes¬ 
tic pest, the bed-bugs, catching and devouring 
them with avidity; on this account they are some¬ 
times tolerated on board ships as the lesser of two 
evUs. The female insect (fig. 2), is distinguished 
from the male (fig.l), by the imperfect development 
of her wings; the engravings show the dilference 
in this respect. The manner the cockroach de¬ 
posits its eggs is quite 
different from that of 
other insects, and is 
an interesting point in 
its history. For in¬ 
sects to cement their 
eggs together into a 
mass, after they are 
laid, is not unusual, 
but the female cock¬ 
roach deposits hers 
already inclosed in an 
Fig. 1. —MALE COCKROACH, envelope or egg-case. 
This, which is shown 
at a and h in figure 2, is about three-eighths of an 
inch long and half as wide. Its shape has been 
likened to that of an apple turn-over ; it contains 
sixteen eggs. The female carries this case about 
with her for several days after it is laid, and at 
last, finding a suitable place, she glues it fast and 
leaves it. A few days after, the young insects are 
hatched and they make their escape at the straight 
edge of the case. In their early life the cockroaches 
are white, and do not assume their regular brown 
color until several days old. The insect called Cro- 
vton bug in this country, it having become numer¬ 
ous in New York City soon after the introduction 
of Croton water, is in England known as the field- 
cockroach, as it lives out of doors aS well as in 
houses. In Russia, Croton bugs are known as 
“Prussians.” Its native country is uncertain, 
though its scientific name Blatta {Ectohia of some) 
Oermanica supposes it to be Germany. It is much 
smaller than the cockroach, and deposits its eggs 
in a similar manner, the egg-cases being only one- 
fourth of an inch long; they contain thirty eggs. 
Both these insects like dark, warm and damp places 
in which to hide, and the introduction of water 
into houses, especially where hot-water pipes run 
to every story, has 
greatly increased the 
number of such re¬ 
treats and aided in 
the multiplication of 
these insects. Coun¬ 
try houses may be 
freed of both insects 
with little difficulty, 
but city house-keep¬ 
ers, if they kill off 
all that are in the 
house at the time, 
will soon have it 
restocked by the 
Fig. 2. —FEMALE COCKROACH 
AND EGG-CASES. 
neighbors. Various poisons for destroying the in¬ 
sects and different traps are in use, but nothing is 
so effective as Pyrethrum or Persian Insect Pow¬ 
der. This should be plentifully blown into every 
hole, crack and cranny. It will drive the insects, 
young and old, from their hiding places, and in a 
few minutes they will drop to the floor, some will 
die and others only will be stuplfied, and if given 
time will recover, hence all should be swept up 
and burned within a few hours. Another applica¬ 
tion of the powder should be made in about a weqjt 
for the benefit of those that escaped, or may have 
hatched since the first. There is no difficulty in 
clearing an isolated house of these pests, if the use 
of the powder is followed up as long as any of the 
enemy are seen. All boxes, trunks and parcels 
brought into the house, especially those from a 
city, should be examined for these insects to 
prevent the founding of a new colony. 
The Back-Yard. 
BEEN E. KEXFOBD. 
Many back-yards are abominations to the eye and 
nose. One finds in them all sorts of litter and refuse 
from oyster cans to old boots. Here the slops of 
the kitchen are poured to increase the odors which 
ought to warn every thoughtful person of the ma¬ 
larial influence breeding there, to break out even¬ 
tually in fevers, or diphtheria. If any member of 
the family dies from one of these diseases, his 
death is probably lamented as a “ mysterious dis¬ 
pensation of Providence,” but the minister would 
say if he were to visit the back-yard, that death was 
caused solely by a violation of hygienic laws. 
A very strong argument against a dirty back-yard, 
is the spirit of deception which it is apt to foster in 
the young members of the family, for it is a con¬ 
stant deceit to present a clean and attractive front- 
yard to the gaze of the passers, while the back-yard 
is not fit to be seen. Children should be taught to 
be clean for the sake of cleanliness, and not be¬ 
cause outsiders are likely to criticise them. The 
best plan is to have a hogshead or large box fitted 
up in one corner of the yard, and make it a rule to 
throw into this old cans, boots, broken dishes, and 
all such rubbish, and when there is a great accumu¬ 
lation, to bury or bum it. Do not allow anything 
to be thrown about. Have drains made to convey 
all slops entirely away from the house. Make good 
walks, and let the ground have a fine covering of 
grass, not weeds. Put up strong supports for the 
clothes line. Keep the fence in repair, and plant 
currant bushes near it. Set vines about the refuse 
barrel, and train them over it until itis hidden. If 
you have a receptacle for ashes, let it be something 
which can be shut up, not a row of old barrels to 
offend the eye, and give out a cloud of ashes every 
time the wind blows. Make it a rule to have the 
baek-yard at all times as clean as the front one. 
A Vert Fine Omelet.— Stir a tablespoonful of 
flour into one-quarter tumbler of milk to a paste, 
and mix this with three-quarters of a turnblerful 
of boiling milk, adding a teaspoonful of salt and 
a tablespoonful of butter, then set it aside to cool. 
Mince a little ham, and to each two teaspoonfuls 
add a teaspoonful of finely chopped parsley, 
and add it to the milk. Beat the yolks of six 
eggs very light, stir into the thickened milk, adding 
finally the whites of the eggs beaten to a froth. 
Cook in a gi-eased skillet or pan on the stove. 
Wall Cabinet. 
Mr. “W. J. E.,” Barclay, Kans., sends us diagrams 
of a cabinet of his own construction, and writes : 
It is very easily made by any one having a scroll 
saw. It has a more finished appearance than the 
one given in January (p. 24), and may suit some 
better. The shelf above, four inches wide, is con¬ 
venient for bric-a-brac, or any small articles. The 
cabinet may be of walnut or any three-eighth-inch 
wood. Length of back and sides thirty inches, 
width of sides seven inches. Length of shelves 
Fig. 2.— ORNAMENT ABOVE DOOR. 
twelve inches, with shoulders one inch long and 
one inch wide, having slots cut for pins, figs. 2 and 3. 
Ornament over the door two and a quarter inches 
wide.—The door is in one piece, sawed in panels 
with strips screwed to back to strengthen it and 
hold glass. One light of glass, ten by twelve, 
placed on back of the door is much more conven¬ 
ient than several small lights, and equally as good. 
All is fastened together by the wooden pins, ex¬ 
cept the back to door.—To lay out the ornamen¬ 
tal pattern, cut a card or small piece of pasteboard 
in shape of an acorn or leaf and mark around it; 
you will then get the designs all alike.—The size 
may be changed to suit tastq or convenience. 
