1869.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
301 
TME lH[©IIBE]K[®m 
(I 'S' For other Household Items , see “ Bhsket” pages.) 
The Table—Order and Ornament. 
An article, and a long one, in a Western journal, 
has afforded 11s much amusement. The editor advo¬ 
cates eating with the knife instead of the fork, and 
gives as a reason, that his father ate with his knife. 
Now, we do not pretend to discuss the importance 
of the usages of good society. Suffice it to say 
that there are certain things which are conceded. 
Among those whom all will admit to be persons 
whose opinions arc to be respected—for their 
intelligence, their virtues, and their refinement, 
but not their wealth—it is the custom to remove 
the hat when entering the house, it is the custom 
not to spit upon the carpet, it is the custom not to 
clean the nails in compaujq and it is the custom 
not to do and to do many things which distinguish 
a person unused to the ways of good breeding from 
one who has been properly brought up. The 
use of the knife to convey food to the mouth is 
considered an impropriety at a well-ordered table. 
Now, we do not intend to argue the point, any 
more than we shall argue the necessity of one’s 
combing the hair or cleaning the nails ! That 
mysterious thing called “Society” has ordered 
that the hair should be smoothed, and that the nails 
should be put out of mourning, and that food 
should be taken with the fork.—In these days of 
fruits what grand opportunities there arc for mak¬ 
ing table ornaments 1 Fruit serves for other pur¬ 
poses than to gratify the palate. Indeed many 
fruits seem to us more beautiful to look upon than 
they are pleasant to eat. Fruit pictures please 
most people, and yet every one can make a fruit 
picture daily.. The variety of forms and colors, 
and the ways in which it is possible to arrange 
them, make fruits, after flowers, the most desirable 
of table ornaments. Then, the two can be com¬ 
bined, and make something more pleasing than the 
most cunning artist ever painted. An elevated 
dish, that is, a dish upon a foot or stand, is most 
effective in setting off a table, whether it be used 
for fresh or preserved fruits, cakes, or other things. 
Such dishes, in glass or crockery, may be had at a 
small price. In tho absence of such a dish wc re¬ 
cently saw one extemporized by using a soup plate, 
a celery glass, and a smaller plate! The celery glass 
was inverted in the soup plate, aud the smaller 
plate placed on top of the glass, as in the figure. 
In arranging fruit, grape leaves will be found to be 
a great aid, and some of the tender shoots with ten¬ 
drils can be introduced with tine effect. Make a 
good bed of leaves to receive the fruit, allow¬ 
ing these to hang over and conceal the edges 
of the plates; then put in the fruit as tastefully 
as possible—bright side out—placing the large 
below, and finishing off with the smaller. If 
flowers are used with the fruit, do not let them be 
of gaudy colors, as they will detract from the gen¬ 
eral effect. Use a plenty of green leaves, for 
these are the natural foil to the colors of the fruit. 
■ --- » «—-- - - ■ 
Framing a Picture. 
BY COUSIN EUTU. 
I give you my way for making cheap picture- 
frames for my common rooms. It is most suitable 
for small pictures, like magazine plates or even card 
photographs. First, procure a piece of stiff' paste¬ 
board (for the back), and a glass,—both cut the size 
of the picture you wish to frame. An old box will 
furnish the pasteboard, and, at a trifling cost, you 
can have a broken pane of glass cut to the required 
size.' On the back of your pasteboard, sew two 
rings or small pieces of tape, one on each side near 
the edge, and about one-third the hight from the 
top of the picture. Then put the glass over the 
picture, the pasteboard behind it, and, holding the 
edges firmly together, paste over them a piece of 
white paper or cloth, to hold them securely. When 
this is dry, cover it (binding the edge) with a strip 
of brown or other colored paper, such as is used to 
cover boxes, etc., or gilt paper. These can be pro¬ 
cured at any fancy store for a small sum, and a 
sheet will serve for a number of pictures. Be sure 
that the edge of the paper, where it meets the glass, 
is perfectly straight, also that the corners are joined 
neatly. A great addition to many pictures is a 
narrow strip of gilt paper inside the dark, to imi¬ 
tate a gilt moulding. This, of course, is narrower 
than the dark paper, aud the width of both should 
depend upon the size of the picture. Now, fasten 
your cord to the rings on the back; the color 
of the cord should match the prevailing tint of 
the room. A frame made of straws is very neat, 
although less durable. Those covered with cones, 
shells, leather-work, etc., are pretty, but they will 
catch the dust. Mine are durable, plain, aud neat. 
A Talk with the Girls about Housekeeping’. 
BY AUNT PRUDENCE. 
My dear Girls, you that read the Agriculturist, and 
want to profit by all its good articles on house¬ 
keeping, will you listen to a little more advice on 
the same subject, even if it is given by an old 
woman? May be you don’t have as many odd 
thoughts about such things as I had when a 
child. It seemed to me there was a great mystery 
about it, that a knowledge of it was gradually im¬ 
parted to us as we grew older, without any effort 
on the part of the receiver; aud, as my childish 
memory was so poor, I often wondered how it was 
that our dear mother should always keep a supply 
of bread just as we wanted it (and such good 
bread tool); how she could think to fill the cake 
jar that we emptied so often, besides making a 
great variety of preserves, and other good things 
that suited our appetites so well. It seemed to 
argue so much forethought and knowledge on her 
part that we often wondered how it would seem to 
be grown, keep house, and have so much to do, 
plan out, and think about. I have had to learn 
life’s lessons step by step, and to wade through its 
cares and troubles. I advise you to learn as much 
as possible while you are still under a mother’s eye, 
so that when you assume the care of a house, it 
may be with a perfect knowledge of all its require¬ 
ments. In these days of personal indepehdence, it 
is so very difficult to get servants who are really 
help, that it is very important for the mistress of 
the house to know how all its work should be done. 
In nine cases out of ten, she must do it herself if 
she wants it properly done. These responsibili¬ 
ties fall with a crushing weight on an inexperi¬ 
enced head, while one who has been accustomed 
always to attend to such things regards them only 
in the light of pleasant duties. You will probably 
all be housekeepers if you live, and you must begin 
now, and see how the plain every-day work is done. 
It all seems very simple, while your mother, or 
may be Bridget, is doing it, but take hold and see 
how you can do it yourself. All the fine theories 
in the world will not perfect you without practice. 
You will find that there arc many things that you 
think you know all about, but when you try to do 
them, you will have to ask “dear mother.” I 
think there is a twofold blessing that attends our 
early efforts to learn, and help others. In the first 
place we lighten the burdens of a parent, perhaps 
overtasked, and, secondly, we acquire knowl¬ 
edge that will be a benefit in all after-life. 
One of the brightest memories of my early home 
is, that my beloved father (long since called to a 
Heavenly rest), whenever he wanted a garment 
mended, used always to ask me to do it for him, al¬ 
though I was not an only daughter. And many 
times since, when I have had a great deal to do, I 
have thanked a dear mother for early teaching me. 
So remember all the small things,as well as t he large; 
mending is just as important as making; and good 
bread, good butter, and well cooked meats and 
vegetables, are more important than an extra fine 
dinner or a splendid supper on great occasions. 
I certainly wish you to have a good education, as 
regards book learning, yet I am desirous that you 
may also know all about housekeeping, so that you 
may understand how to do, in the best and easiest 
way, everything you may be called to do as a wife. 
If you profit by the few hints I have given, you 
will thank me at some future day, when your house¬ 
hold knowledge will enable you to direct with ease 
a family who will rise up and call you blessed. 
Household Talks. 
BY AUNT HATTIE. 
Edward’s mother has been paying us her usual 
two weeks’ visit. She is an energetic, earnest- 
minded, active, practical, intelligent woman, a 
thorough housekeeper, an excellent manager, and, 
withal, a kind instructor and friend. I have long 
been indebted to her for many of the ideas which 
have, perhaps imperceptibly, shaped and moulded 
the foundation aud structure of my domestic rela¬ 
tions and duties. I have often thought that, if 
young people would bo more willing to be guided 
by the advice of older and more experienced per¬ 
sons, the world might advance even more rapidly 
than it does at present, in all matters relating to 
health, comfort, and happiness. 
Mutton Ciiop. —It was she who taught me how 
to cook mutton chops, so as to have them tender, 
juicy, and delicious. I had been in the habit of 
placing them in a cold spider, covering with a lid, 
and leaving them to fry on the fire at their leisure, 
and, occasionally, for convenience, putting them 
to bake in the oven, with a little water in the pan, 
thus making good gravy, but poor meat. Her way, 
and the one which I now invariably follow, is this; 
Put a perfectly clean spider on the fire, let it get 
hot, then put in a tablespoonful of clear dripping, 
lard, or butter, free the chops from skin and loose 
flit, (if from the ribs, I cut off the upper thin por¬ 
tion,) aud place these in the spider or pan first; 
pepper and salt the remaining portion, and put one 
or two only, at one time, into the boiling fat. Be 
sure to turn them before the juice has time to start 
through the upper pores. After they are turned, 
if the fire is very hot (and it should be so), the lid 
of the stove may be placed under the spider, and 
the chops may be allowed to cook gently for a few 
minutes. The object of putting the chops into 
very hot fat is, that the surface of the meat shall 
immediately sear and shrivel, so as to prevent the 
escape of the juices; and the object of turning 
them soon is to prevent the juice or red gravy from 
oozing through the upper surface. When the two 
surfaces are sealed, the slower the process of cook¬ 
ing the inside portion, the better, provided the heat 
is sufficient to congeal or cook the albuminous part 
of the juice. [If people will fry mutton chops, 
Aunt Hattie gives the best way to do it, but we 
should never treat a good mutton chop to any¬ 
thing but a gridiron and a lively fire.— Eds,] 
Pudding Sauce. —In the June number of the 
