174 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
pipe, glass-glazed on the inside, which is of¬ 
fered at a moderate price, add is well recom¬ 
mended. We have not seen it, and cannot 
speak definitely as to its merits.— [Ed. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
TO MI SISTERS UPON THE FARM—No. 2. 
BY ELIZA. 
While the increasing prosperity of our 
people enables them to indulge in many of 
those necessaries of life, which undeveloped 
resources and a partially formed state of 
society have hitherto forbid, we should be 
careful that luxury and sloth do not usurp 
the place of that frugality and industry 
which has distinguished us as a nation and 
laid the foundation for that “ future destiny ” 
of the Anglo Saxon race, which looms up be¬ 
fore our mental vision, while listening to 
fourth of July orations, or reading the maiden 
speech of some aspirant for fame on the floor 
of Congress. Nowhere is this change in the 
community more observable than among our 
farmers. 
The last few years of unprecedented pros¬ 
perity have enabled them, in a majority of 
cases, not only to pay off their incumbrances, 
but to minister to the tastes and gratify many 
of the wants of their families in a way which 
cramped means and heavy debts had hereto¬ 
fore prevented. That some of these wants 
are artificial and not a few of the tastes 
meretricious, any philosopher or utilitarian 
would prove in fewer words than are com¬ 
prised in this introduction, but being neither 
the one or the other, I shall be satisfied if 
able to persuade farmer's wives and daugh¬ 
ters that ostentation is no proof of refine¬ 
ment, nor fine clothes an evidence of gen¬ 
tility. 
History tells us that barbaric nations 
emerge slowly into the light of civilization, 
and when I see the outre attempts of some 
of my country women to ape style and hab¬ 
its adapted only to monarchical institutions 
and a hereditary aristocracy, I am forcibly 
reminded of the story of the African King, 
who by way of honoring civilization, re¬ 
ceived his English visitors surrounded by the 
trappings of state, calmly seated under an 
umbrella his sole protection, when pity and 
contempt both vanish before a potent sense 
of the ludicrous. But assailing the follies of 
fashionable life may well be left to abler 
pens, and if the touch of ridicule to which we 
are so notoriously susceptible, has the power 
to amend our national faults here is fair op¬ 
portunity to try the effect of the same im¬ 
proving weapon upon classes and individuals. 
It is to those who, occupied with the toils in¬ 
cident to a busy country life, find but little 
time or money to spend upon the ceaseless 
frivolities of fashion that I now address my¬ 
self. 
The temptations of extravagance to which 
they are exposed is of a somewhat different 
nature from those which beset their friends 
of the city. Theiamily of a wealthy farmer 
will content themselves with but occasional 
additions to the plain substantial furniture 
which has served the proceeding generation, 
satisfied with the unfading home-made carpet 
and straight backed Windsor chairs, if only 
accompanied by those indispensable acces¬ 
sions to a pleasant home, perfect order and 
neatness. They will rest contented with the 
tallow-candle and the blazing hearth fire, 
mingling, perhaps, with their sense ofperson- 
al comfort, a feeling of pity for the citizen, 
condemned to the annoyance of glaring gas¬ 
light and cheerless furnace-heated rooms. 
It is not here that those habits of sentiment¬ 
al luxury which proved the ruin of a might¬ 
ier republic are fostered. The yellow covered 
literature has not yet superceded the cook¬ 
book, nor conventional politeness usurped 
the place of that warm hearted hospitality 
which welcomes the weary wanderer, and ex¬ 
tends to the honored guest at a farmer’s fire¬ 
side the sacred privileges of home. 
I am aware that it is treading upon deli¬ 
cate ground to venture the assertion that the 
dress of my country friends is not always 
suitable to their situation. Extravagance is 
relative, taste is arbitrary. That which is 
proper for the wife of a millionarie is very 
much the reverse for the wife of the man 
who counts his yearly income by hundreds. 
But the taste which adds lustre to the dia¬ 
mond and refinement to gold, is equally in¬ 
dispensable in the elegant dressing room of 
the one as at the more simple toilet of the 
other. Suitability of material and harmony 
of color are first to be considered. If our 
means are ample and the judgment comes the 
best (which must not be misunderstood to 
mean the finest or costliest) will probably be 
chosen. Remembering whether it be silk or 
calico the circumstances under which it will 
be worn must be an important consideration. 
The wealth of Rothchild or Astor would 
excuse want of taste in arraying oneself in a 
white blonde hat and crape shawl of the same 
color, for a ride of five or ten miles to church 
through dust six inches deep, or what is as 
bad, a dazzling, misty atmosphere which dis¬ 
colors the material and effaces the skill of the 
milliner. 
There is also a want of personal neatness 
in the appearance of limp ribbons and drag¬ 
gled dresses which the richness of the ma¬ 
terial only serves to aggravate. And no 
amount of after labor is sufficient to restore 
such articles to their pristine beauty. How 
much more servicable are straw bonnets and 
mantillas of black silk or any other color that 
“ won’t show dirt,” than the elaborate finery 
whose only effect has been disfigurement, 
which is bringing in a very small percentage 
on the investment. In this condemnation of 
white material for country wear I would not 
be understood as including cambrics, mus¬ 
lins or any of those articles of attire which 
when washed are capable of being restored 
to their original purity. There is a fresh¬ 
ness and simplicity in dresses of this de¬ 
scription which fits them peculiarly for 
summer wear in the country, adapted as they 
are to all ages, equally suitable whether seen 
in the flowing robe of the infant, the full 
dress of the maiden, or the simple morning 
gown of the matron. 
If on a walk to visit a neighbor one should 
feel satisfied with a large sun-bonnet having 
ample cape, carrying a good sized parasol 
and not one of the tanning inventions called 
“ sunshades,” fit only for a city promenade 
where shade trees and rows of brick houses 
act as a shield from the rays of sun. 
No country girl need be told that thick 
veils are at all seasons indispensable to their 
comfort, yet one of the coldest days this past 
winter, 1 saw a sleigh full of ladies riding in 
the teeth of a furious north-west-wind with¬ 
out any covering for their faces and scarcely 
any on the head—the modern clam shell 
pattern for ladies’ hats not being exactly a 
covering. 
To sum up this long “ lecture ” with a 
moral, what I wish to inculcate is this, what¬ 
ever may be the prevailing fashions of the 
day we should suffer our own good sense to 
select that which is most suitable for our 
situation and eschew all inventions intended 
solely for the accommodation of city friends. 
SOAP-MAKING EXPLAINED. 
J. P. C. says “ he helps the women get 
the lye ready for spring soap-making,” (this 
he should do, and also,) “ follow their direc¬ 
tions in setting up the leach.” But he in¬ 
quires “ what the lime is put in for !” Per¬ 
haps he and others would like a little of the 
chemistry of the operation.” It is difficult 
to fully explain the subject to those who have 
not read, at least, as much of chemistry as 
was given in the series of articles published 
in our thirteenth and fourteenth volumes. 
The alkalies—(P. S. A. L. M.)—Potash, 
Soda, Ammonia, Lime, and Magnesia, &c., 
readily dissolve oily, greasy, and resinous or 
pitchy matters, and they are, therefore, use¬ 
ful to wash off or dissolve such substances 
from the skin or clothing. But the pure or 
uncombined alkalies are too caustic (burning 
or eating) to be used alone, so we combine 
them with some other substance. Thus: 
Potash united with oil, or grease of any kind, 
produces soft soap. If Soda is used instead 
of Potash, hard soap is formed. Ammonia, 
united with oil, forms a kind of soap or lina- 
ment, commonly called “ Opodeldoc.” 
Lime dissolves grease also, but will not 
form a good or convenient soap, since lime 
does not dissolve fully nor readily. 
Ley is simply a solution of the Potash 
washed out of the ashes in leaching. 
Greasy substances are added to this, and 
boiled down until the excess of water is eva- 
'porated, and the soap left of the desired con¬ 
sistency. A little lime placed under or min¬ 
gled with the ashes in the leach, adds to the 
alkaline strength of the ley, and we think 
theory is in accordance with the popular 
practice of using the lime. There is little 
danger of using it too freely, since 778 lbs. 
of cold water, or 1,270 lbs. of hot water will 
only dissolve 1 lb. of lime. Most of the 
washing fluids sold about the country, ready 
prepared or by recipe, contain a large pro¬ 
portion of lime. 
Resin or pitch will take the place of 
grease, and is much used in manufacturing 
the cheaper kinds of brown soap. The 
finest qualities of toilet soap dontain olive oil 
(sweet oil) in place of tallow or lard. It is 
probable, that'for all coarser work—washing 
garments, scouring floors, &c., the low 
