Women Make the 
Homes. 
Woman And The Home. 
Homes Make the 
Nation. 
novel decorations. 
T WO unique and handsome trimmings lately seen on 
imported wool gowns could easily be duplicated at 
home by a neat seamstress. One was an applied trim¬ 
ming. The gown itself was of cashmere serge in on§ of 
the new wood-brown shades. Across the foot of the front 
breadths was laid first a golden brown silk net with fine 
fancy mesh. Over this was applied a conventional pattern 
of the same material as the dress, but some shades 
darker in color. Around the outer edges only of this, the 
net was cut away and all edges were then finished in heavy 
twist, not with the often used buttonholing, but with a 
solid over and over stitch. The golden net showing 
through the interstices of the other pattern, and revealing 
still a third shade beneath its own meshes made the effect 
especially attractive, 
The second trimming was simplicity itself. It consisted 
merely of solid disks gradua ted from the size of a silver 
half dollar to that of a nickel, the largest being nearest 
the bottom of the skirt. These disks were in coarse silver 
gray twist on a darker gray ground, in continuous circles 
of heavy chain stitching. The only difficulty about making 
this trimming would be in keeping the goods from becom¬ 
ing drawn. Both these trimmings were perhaps 12 or 15 
inches in depth, and both had patterns to match for waist 
and sleeve trimmings. The cost of an all wool dress in the 
shops, with these decorations, is treble what the same 
material costs without them. 
How She Earned It.—O ur ar¬ 
tist has tried to exemplify the 
ideas of several economy corre¬ 
spondents. Each point in the cut 
presented herewith represents one 
of these ideas. Having taken Time 
by the forelock, and even sub¬ 
jected him to petticoats (not the 
divided skirts evidently) this 
energetic woman is marshalling 
all the household forces to work 
her own sweet will. And the 
baby ? Every mother of babies 
will know that a baby that had 
to be placed in a box to make him 
“ stay put,” and keep him out of 
mischief, would at least be look¬ 
ing over the edge. We fear the 
confinement has made this little 
fellow sick. 
or with bread and butter, and makes a most appetizing rel¬ 
ish before the lettuce or other spring vegetables are ready 
for use. CORDELIA R. DAVIS. 
FAULTS IN THE “ CASTLE.” 
P LEASE allow me to protest against one or two points 
recommended by your builder of the Spanish Castle. 
From the fact that several of her ideas were gathered from 
the arrangements In a friend’s house, I feel freer to do this 
than if those features had been original with her. 
The first objection is to the arrangement of the sink on 
the north side of the kitchen. A sink, pump, and every 
water appliance should always be on the south side. 
North 1 How the very word chills one, and more espe¬ 
cially a country north 1 There is as much difference 
between north and south as there is between a smile and 
a frown—the frown freezes, the smile warms and-comforts. 
By these northern blasts I have been often reminded of a 
blustering father coming in the door, when all the little 
tots rush for a hiding place from his scowl. The water- 
pipes belong of right to the south side of the kitchen. 
Another thought in connection with it. Biddy’s feet must 
necessarily take a cold bath while washing dishes, and 
father’s corn will set up an aching as he pumps water on 
the north side, or finds it frozen. 
Again, I wish to insist, and that strenuously, that no 
frame for dish towels should hang over a sink, wherever 
CELERY SALT, AND OTHER 
RELISHES. 
M AKE your own celery salt If 
you would have it fresh 
and good in flavor, without “tast¬ 
ing too strong of money.” I ate 
at my daughter’s table yesterday, 
though it was in the same house, 
as I have not been able to go out 
of the house since I wrote The 
R. N.-Y. some months ago. 
As I went into the room a savory 
smell of ceiery greeted me, but 
I saw nothing except some celery 
salt. I asked my daughter where 
she got it, hoping I might find 
some as good. She replied “I made 
it.” “What?” “I made it.” 
She explained that she bought a pound of celery seed for 
35 cents, ground it In a coffee mill and added twice as much 
salt (or more) and sifted them together. The quantity is 
sufficient to last a long time. After filling the individual 
salts or one large one, the rest may be placed in a large 
bottle tightly corked for future use. 
I asked: “ Why do yon not send the reeipe to one of the 
agricultural papers you exchange with ? ” She made the 
common excuse, lack of time, so I thought I would fore¬ 
stall her, and send it to the good old Rural, with some 
other salads or relishes, that we have concocted to assist a 
spring appetite. 
I have found that not all the wisdom is found with the 
aged. Our younger people are progressive and find out 
many new things. 
We had such a drought here last year that everything in 
the vegetable line was very scarce and of small growth. We 
were so lucky as tohave our cabbages set out in a low marshy 
place, where they did not die; after the October rains, they 
were not very long in heading, though they were not solid 
but very crisp and sweet. Some are now growing new 
heads inside of the old ones; and little heads along the 
stalk. We look it over and chop the best of it fine, take a 
large teacupful of equal parts of vinegar and water (if 
the vinegar is strong,) a large spoonful of sugar, or more, 
an even teaspoonful of salt, a pinch of pepper, and a good 
sized piece of butter for the dressing. This is heated 
until the butter is melted, when it is poured over the 
cabbage. 
To vary the above you may use half an onion, or even a 
whole one if you prefer. If you have a small quantity left 
set it away until another meal, then prepare a little more 
of the. liquid, crush three or four flaky crackers and stir 
them into it. This is equally good with the other if eaten 
while fresh, and either is good with meat and vegetables, 
DRIED APPLE PIES. 
I WANT to say a word in behalf of our grandmothers 
and great-grandmothers who made their husbands 
and children eat pies made of “ dirty dried apples.” Poor 
things 1 how they must have suffered 1 If only their 
great-grandchildren could have been on earth to protect 
them. But according to the natural order of things that 
was impossible. 
I cannot understand why dried apples need be more 
filthy than other dried fruit. Think of the dried currants 
you buy to make nice fruit cake, and the raisins and pre¬ 
served citron. Are they clean ? And how are they dried ? 
You find sticks and dust, etc., mixed with fruit; but you 
buy it and make nice cake to treat your friends when you 
make parties and weddings, and when you have eaten 
your fill, you sit down and write a sketch for the paper on 
the filthiness of our ancestors in drying apples for pies. 
Perhaps, you say, that you always wash currants, raisins 
and citron before using. Your grandmothers washed 
dried apples, too, and I’ll warrant they were just as clean 
as the fruit you use to-day for cake. Because you don’t 
happen to like dried-apple pie, why should you say it is 
not fit to eat ? I don’t like fruit cake : yet I think it is 
good to eat if one does like it. I would much rather have 
a piece of dried-apple pie. I suppose I show a depraved 
taste, but I like snch pie better than that made of green 
apples, or evaporated apples, which always seem tasteless 
to me. Perhaps the dirt makes 
dried apples richer, but there is 
no need of having any dirt. If 
as the children say, “ we must eat 
a peck of dirt before we die,” it 
might as well be in pie as any¬ 
where. 
For the benefit of those who 
cannot eat apples dried in the old 
fashioned way, and for those who 
wish to save all the apples in such 
a season as the present, when there 
is a scarcity of fruit of all kinds, 
I will tell a nice way to dry ap¬ 
ples: Pare a few at any time 
through the winter, slice thin, 
spread them in shallow tins, and 
set the tins in a warm oven (not 
warm enough to bake, of course) 
or directly under the knee of a 
stove-pipe behind the stove. They 
will dry nicely in a short time 
and be clean and white enough 
for the most fastidious persons 
to eat, especially if you wash 
them. One of my acquaintances 
says that he cannot eat rye-bread 
now ; he had too much of it when 
he was a boy. And I think some 
people must have had a surfeit 
of dried-apple pie when they were 
young, or they would not be so 
disgusted with our grandmothers 
for having made them. 
ALICE E. PINNEY. 
T 
that sink may be; It Is too handy for any and everybody 
to dry their hands on it, mind I do not say they will do it; 
but I would not tempt them to commit such a sin against 
neatness; it has been done and may be again. There Is 
something about a dish-towel that decides the home. It 
should have a hiding-place far beyond the hand rolling- 
towel, so that in a hurry the latter shall be put to its 
proper uses. 
Just here I am reminded of my childhood home in dear 
New England. The dish towel was an institution by 
itself. Mv mother always had one dozen, and her rule 
was a fresh one every morning for the cups; the clean one 
of the day before was for plates, cutlery, etc. Two dish- 
towels only arouud. They all went into the weekly wash, 
and the children’s first experience in ironing was with the 
brown towels. Their first trial at hemming was with 
the dish-towels also. 
It is disgusting to see the chef of the kitchen with a 
dish-towel slung over his shoulder, as though he acknowl¬ 
edged no differences between that and his “galluses.” 
I mean as far as cleanliness is concerned. If the cook 
requires other than side-fire place holders around her 
range for lifting out a pie or cake from the oven, she can 
make use of a discarded towel, but be sure that it remains 
discarded. The daintiest towel in use now is made from the 
glass toweling. 
I have read somewhere that towels, sheets and even pil¬ 
low cases do not need Ironing. A trick of this kind 
denotes shiftlessness. The temper of an iron can always 
be tried on a brown towel. A rough, unlaundried pillow 
is a sure medium for inducing sleeplessness. Iron your 
sheets folded four double, and your pillow-cases always 
on the right side. These last should be ironed very 
smooth. Every towel in the wash should be ironed, double 
it may be, but still ironed. SYLVIA GREY. 
SHARPENING SCISSORS. 
HE ladies of the W. and H. 
department of the Rural 
seem pleased that they have 
learned how to sharpen their 
own scissors, but I am afraid they have not learned 
the best way of doing the job. Nothing is said about 
using an oil-stone, only the grindstone is used, and, 
judging by S. E. H.’s description, a very coarse one, too. 
The result of such treatment is to leave the cutting 
edges of the scissors with a “wire edge” finish, exactly 
the same, only in a lesser degree, as the sickle teeth of 
a reaper, and the test of cutting power that the editor 
gives, viz.: that the scissors will cut hair, shows that 
it is the small teeth on the edges that keep the hair from 
slipping, and of course it is “mashed ” in half. The right 
way to sharpen scissors is first to put them on the grind¬ 
stone, keeping the bevel true and holding the blade so 
that the revolution of the stone is against the edge, 
this turns the wire edge back and leaves a smoother 
(Continued on next page.) 
!Ui;eifeUMW0U£ 
In writing to advertisers, please mention The R. N.-Y. 
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of skin and scalp diseases, and as an antiseptic and 
deodorant for offensive perspirations and discharges, 
PACKER’S TAR SOAP 
is unrivalled. 25 cents per cake. All Druggis s. Mention 
The Rural New Yorker, and send 10c. s amps for 
sample and pamphlet. 
THE PACKER MFG. CO., 100 Fulton St., N. Y. 
