ladies’ department. 
377 
Cabiea ^Department. 
TREATMENT OF ROSE BUSHES. 
Rose bushes require a very rich earth, and the 
gardeners of Europe direct them to be removed, or 
the soil about their roots changed once in every 
three or four years. Experience in this country 
proves that we may have ever-blooming roses in 
perfection, without this trouble, as it is only neces¬ 
sary to renew the exhausted fertility of the soil, 
which can readily be done by using the following 
liquid manure:— 
Into a common-sized barrel, put about half a 
bushel of cow manure (not fresh), and fill it to the 
top with water; stir well, and let it stand twenty- 
four hours ; then take equal parts of this liquid and 
clear water, and pour it around, and over, but not 
on the roots of the rose bushes. When the barrel 
is empty, fill it again with water, which may be 
used without diluting. Do this regularly once in 
three or four weeks, taking care, when possible, to 
apply it just before, or during a rain, in order that 
it may sink still more diluted, directly to the roots, 
or it will form a crust on the surface and injure 
them. 
Soap suds is also a mild and excellent fertilizer 
to apply to delicate plants, but is apt to be un¬ 
sightly by the white crust it makes on the surface, 
unless the earth is stirred with a trowel, to let it 
sink into the soil. 
Both of the above are valuable in the vegetable 
garden ; also, for cabbage and egg plants, arti¬ 
chokes, &c. E. S. 
Eutawah . 
AN ATTEMPT AT HOUSEKEEPING. 
Old Lady’s Diary. —1 have just returned from 
my long-promised visit to my old friend M***, whose 
plain good sense, shown in every department of 
life, has often surprised and delighted me. I was, 
therefore, unprepared to find her daughters, who 
had no pains spared in their education, so deficient 
in that important branch, housekeeping. Her 
eldest, a lovely girl, who, while living under her 
mother’s roof, delighted every one with her 
sprightly temper and amiable deportment, as well 
as by the cultivation of her mind, has married, and 
settled on a farm. Her first letter arrived to-day, 
containing so much instruction for my young peo¬ 
ple, that l have obtained leave to copy it, which 
reads as follows :— 
I have no words to express to you, my dear 
mother, how I miss you all day long. You are the 
earliest thought at my waking, my last at night. 
I miss your cheerful call at the morning’s dawn, 
and so often oversleep the hour, and then the house 
arrangements go wrong all the rest of the day. 
The first week after our arrival, was spent in 
unpacking the furniture and arranging the house. 
So > r ou suppose that no one was very particular 
about the luxuries of the table. We ate what we 
could get with the least trouble, and solaced our¬ 
selves with laughing over all our difficulties and 
discomforts, which, by the by, were greatly in¬ 
creased for want of a little of your forethought; 
for instance, I now remember that you would not 
have unpacked the furniture and china, before the 
rooms and closets were ready to receive them in 
their proper places, and so have saved much unne¬ 
cessary lifting and disorder. But, notwithstanding 
all this, I do flatter myself that all your good in¬ 
structions and examples have not been thrown 
away. Although my house is arranged in a manner 
that would please even your critical eye, there is 
one thing however in which I am doubtful, I have 
my storeroom up stairs ; but as my women are not 
so thoughtful as they might be, I fear I shall find 
it inconvenient to mount so high for everything 
that is called for. Indeed, I already long for the 
dear old storeroom at home, so near the kitchen 
that it is no trouble to get to it. I now begin to 
realize what you have so often told me, that I must 
give personal attention to all the different depart¬ 
ments throughout the house, be they agreeable or 
not. You know that I never liked cooking and that 
your indulgent love always spared me from the dis¬ 
agreeable task; but sorely do I now grieve that 
you did not enforce your advice, and oblige me to 
perform the disagreeable, though necessary duty. 
Poor Charles never even looks a reproach, but ap¬ 
pears to be amused at all my difficulties, turning 
them into ridicule, and saying, with a comic shake 
of the head, “What would your mother say to our 
cooking ? No matter, we will do better in time.” 
Dear Charles, I wonder what he has to do with my 
mistakes, or our uncomfortable dinners ; for sure I 
am that the provisions are all that could be desired. 
Would that I could say as much for the cooking. 
A few days ago, some of my neighbors hearing 
that I was now settled in my new home, came to 
welcome me in the neighborhood, as they call it; 
though they live so far off, it was impossible for 
them to return before dinner. I was delighted to 
see them, and Charles came out of the field to do 
all in his power to assist me to entertain them. 
The best ham was selected, and we were fortunate 
in being able to procure fresh beef from the next 
farm. Our garden has succeeded admirably under 
Charles’ good care. So we had plenty of vegeta¬ 
bles. I was aware that Jane knew but little of 
cooking, but she professed to be quite equal to the 
dinner I had provided, and I made myself easy as 
to the result. My new friends are agreeable, plea¬ 
sant people, and I soon forgot, in their delightful 
society, that I was a housekeeper, and that all the 
responsibility of the dinner really rested on me. 
Dinner hour arrived, but not so dinner. I wonder¬ 
ed, and Charles looked, but we said nothing, hoping 
that all was right, and that it would soon appear. 
An hour passed, and I began to be uneasy, and then 
visited the kitchen. A thousand excuses were 
made, with many assurances that all was doing 
well, and we would not have long to wait; I re¬ 
turned to the parlor. Charles was uneasy, as he 
had business in the field, but it could not be helped. 
Another hour passed, and another. What could 
be the matter'? Again I visited the kitchen; all 
was in confusion ; the beef was not half done, the 
potatoes had all boiled to peices, and the beans 
were sailing in a large pot of water in the chimney 
corner, some distance from the fire. I saw then,, 
what 1 should have known before, that my per¬ 
sonal attention was necessary where there was so 
