ladies’ department. 
381 
CaMcs’ JBepartnunt. 
HINTS—GATHERIN' G-S. 
If your flat irons are rough, or smoky, lay a 
little fine salt on a flat surface, and rub them 
well; it will prevent them from sticking to any¬ 
thing starched, and make them smooth. 
Rub your griddle with fine salt before you 
grease it, and your cake will not stick. When 
walnuts have been kept until the meat is too 
much dried to be good, let them stand in milk 
and water eight hours, and dry them, and they 
will be fresh as when new. 
It is a good plan to keep your different kinds 
of pieces, tape, thread, &c., in separate bags, 
and there is no time lost then in looking for them. 
The water in flower pots should be changed 
every day in summer, or it will become offen¬ 
sive and unhealthy, even if there is salt in them. 
Hops should be picked when they are full 
grown and begin to be fragrant; by no means 
let them remain longer, as a strong wind or rain 
will injure them greatly. Spread them a while 
to' dry. 
Oat straw is best for the filling of beds, and 
it is well to change it as often as once a year. 
Cedar chests are best to keep flannels, for 
cloth moths are never found in them. Red ce¬ 
dar chips are good to keep in drawers, ward¬ 
robes, closets, trunks, &c.. to keep out moths. 
When cloths have acquired an unpleasant 
odor by being from the air, charcoal, laid in 
the folds, will soon remove it. 
If black dresses have been stained, boil a 
handful of fig leaves in a quart of water, and 
reduce it to a pint. A sponge dipped in this 
liquid and rubbed upon them, will entirely re¬ 
move stains from crapes, bombazines, &c. 
In laying up furs for summer, lay a tallow 
candle in or near them, and danger from worms 
will be obviated. 
•-•-©-*-- 
WALNUT KETCHUP. 
Take half a bushel of green walnuts, before 
the shell is formed, and grind them in a crab 
mill, or beat them in a marble mortar; then 
squeeze out the juice through a coarse cloth, 
and wring the cloth well to get all the juice out, 
and to every gallon of juice, put a quart of red 
wine, a quarter of a pound of anchovies, the 
same of bay salt, one ounce of allspice, two of 
long or black pepper, half an ounce of cloves 
and mace, a little ginger and horse radish, cut 
in slices; boil all together till reduced to half 
the quantity; pour into a pan; when it is cold, 
bottle and cork it tight, and it will be fit to use 
in three months. If you have any pickle left in 
the jar after your walnuts are used, to every 
gallop of pickle put in two heads of garlic, a 
quart of red wine, an ounce each of cloves and 
mace, long, black, and Jamaica pepper, and boil 
them all together, till it is reduced to half the 
quantity; pour it into a pan, and the next day 
bottle it for use, and cork it tight. 
Economy in Fuel. —Let the coal ashes which 
are usually thrown into the dust bin, be pre¬ 
served in a corner of the coal hole, and make 
your servants add to them from your coal heap, 
an equal part of the small coal or slack, which 
is too small to be retained in the grate, and 
pour a small quantity of water upon the mix¬ 
ture. When you make up your fire, place a few 
round coals in front and throw some of this 
mixture behind; it saves the trouble of sifting 
your ashes, gives a warm and pleasant fire, and 
a very small part only will remain unburnt. 
How to Make Nice Candles. —Candlewick, 
if steeped in lime and saltpetre, and dried in 
the sun, will give a clearer light, and be less 
apt to run. 
Good candles may be made thus:—Melt to¬ 
gether ten ounces of mutton tallow, a quarter 
of an ounce of camphor, four ounces of beeswax, 
and two ounces of alum; then run it into 
moulds, or dip the candles." These candles fur¬ 
nish a beautiful light. 
-- 
To Sweeten Meat and Fish. —When meat, 
fish, &c., from intense heat or long keeping, are 
likely to pass into a state of corruption, a sim¬ 
ple and sure mode of keeping them sound and 
healthy is, by putting a few pieces of charcoal, 
each the size of an egg, into the pot or sauce 
pan, wherein the fish or flesh are to be boiled. 
Among others, an experiment of this kind was 
tried upon a turbot, which appeared too far 
gone to be eatable. The cook, as advised, put 
three or four pieces of charcoal, each the size 
of an egg, under the strainer, in the fish kettle ; 
after boiling the proper time, the turbot came 
to the table perfectly sweet and firm. 
To Preserve Biscuit.— No other art is neces¬ 
sary than stowing it well-baked in casks exactly 
corked, and carefully lined with tin, so as to 
exclude the air; at the same time the biscuit 
must be so placed as to leave as little vacant 
room as possible in the cask; and when it is 
opened, through necessity, it must be speedily 
closed again with great care. 
