Women Make the 
a..,, woman And The Home. 
Homes^Make the 
Nation. 
T HREE home publications answer to the name of 
“ Household.” The Household was one of the 
pioneers among those journals which are largely made up 
of letters from their readers. It has made much capital 
for Itself through many years by furnishing a year’s sub¬ 
scription free to every bride who would send proofs of her 
marriage within the year. A second “ Household ” is a 
bright little supplement to the Michigan Farmer, which 
takes the place of a home department in the regular col¬ 
umn of the paper; a third Is a similar, but somewhat larger 
supplement to the Detroit Free Press. Thus there is 
The Household, the Michigan Farmer Household and the 
Detroit Free Press Household. 
“ She paints on a very small canvas, though It must be 
said that she paints admirably” is a late criticism of 
Mary E. Wilkins’s word-painting; of which criticism one 
is hardly able to distinguish the character, whether of 
praise or dispraise. Yet the first adverse note is there, 
especially when the critic goes on to explain that Miss 
Wilkins’s stories are all very narrow, that she does not 
seem to be able to go beyond the cramped circle of her quiet 
country life. 
It appears to us that there may be a very good reason 
for Miss Wilkins’s “ small canvases.” She has been so 
fortunate as to meet exactly the editorial demand in the 
line of short stories. What profit is it, then, for one whose 
small canvases command the market, and receive universal 
praise, to vex herself with work that might make greater 
demands upon her, while bringing her no better re¬ 
turns either of money or of admiration? 
Will some subscriber who raises prunes kindly send us, 
at an early date, some choice recipes for handling them 
after they are delivered over to the housewife ? 
THE CARE OF OIL STOVES. 
HE following directions for the care of oil stoves, pub¬ 
lished In the Household, are given to our readers 
because they are by far more practical and compre¬ 
hensive than anything we have ever seen on this subject. 
We will add but one point, viz., that ammonia with coal 
ashes, or w 1th coal ashes and sand, forms the best possible 
material for brightening the brass tubes, being better than 
any of the patent scouring preparations. It must, how¬ 
ever, be removed as soon as the work Is done, or the tubes 
will again become dark. Proper daily care will make peo¬ 
ple friends with their oil stoves : 
“ Whenever I detect any odor In my stove, I always find 
a cause for it, in the oil which has flowed over the edge 
of the burner and is heated, but not burning freely like 
the oil in the wick ; or in the half burned, oily crust on 
the edge of the burner ; or in a tiny speck of soot from a 
previous smoking. As soon as the cause is removed the 
odor disappears. 
‘‘To clean the burners, turn the wick quite low, then 
wet a bit of soft cloth in hot, soapy water, wring quite dry, 
and rub it well with kitchen mineral soap. With a dull- 
pointed knife or a wooden skewer rub the cloth into the 
Inside of the burner down about one fourth of an inch, and 
scour off all the browned deposit. As in all other forms 
of scouring, a generous use of elbow grease is essential 
here. 
‘‘All that will not scour off can be scraped off with a 
knife. Scour the outside of the burner, and wip8 off any 
oil, soot or charred wick that may be on the netting of the 
frame underneath. Then wipe with a dry cloth. 
“ Turn up the wick and rub off any bits of charred wick 
or sand that may adhere to it. Wipe out the soot from 
the chimney. Brushing is not sufficient; it needs hard 
rubbing with a cloth. Use a stick or skewer to enable 
you to reach every spot. The wicks should be fitted so 
they will turn easily in the burner. Cut them even with 
the edge of the burner, and clip the corners a trifle lower. 
“ Turn the wick up and down several times until you 
are sure it is even, then light it, and see that the flame is 
at a uniform height when turned as high as possible. 
Should there be any points that smoke, turn it out and 
trim again until it is even. When once it is even, if the 
oil is never allowed to burn entirely out, it will seldom 
need cutting. Merely rubbing off tne charred part and 
clipping any loose threads is sufficient. 
‘‘Wnen ready to use the stove turn the wick up grad¬ 
ually and begin with a low flame; watch it carefully and 
increase the height after a little, but do not turn it to its 
full height at first, for as soon as the water boils in the 
kettle tne flame seems to be drawn up, and it will surely 
smoke then if it did not before. After 10 minutes it may 
be left with safety, but be careful that no strong draught 
reaches it, and never turn the wick so low that the com¬ 
bustion is imperfect. When not in use turn the wicks 
down till the flame goes out, and wipe the oil from the 
burners. 
‘‘If this oil be allowed to accumulate it hardens and 
burns on to the burner ; it is difficult to remove and the 
more the stove is used the worse it smells ; but after this 
crust is once thoroughly removed it is comparatively easy 
to keep the burner clean by simply rubbing it with a damp 
cloth and sand soap every time before lighting it. 
•• By taking special pains that the stove shall not smoke, 
a great amount of trouble may be avoided; for just as 
surely as it smokes long enough to deposit any soot on the 
stove, just so surely will you have the odor of smoke until 
that soot has been removed. Merely lowering the wick 
does not remove the odor, and it is mucn easier to prevent 
its formation than to extinguish the flame and delay your 
other work while you clean off the soot.” 
Our Economy Column. 
M EALS atall hours mean slavery for the cook and an 
awful waste of time, temper and good victuals. To 
foster regularity, wear a watch and cook by it; rest by it; 
wait by it; it will repay you by settling many a mooted 
que-tion, especially the oft repeated one, “ Where has all 
my time gone to this morning ?” Granted that unexpected 
interruptions will prevent the accomplishment of certain 
work always on time, nevertheless, the mere fact of having 
a time syttem is the very back-bone of good housekeeping. 
Begin at the top of the morning to save time. Throw open 
the windows and let the purifying air blow through the 
house; it is one of the cheapest economies in the world. 
Hundreds, aye thousands of housekeepers neglect to air 
their houses properly. They often remark, “ It is so pleas¬ 
ant to work in the garden and get a little fresh air.” Why, 
in the name of common sense, don’t they let the fresh air 
into their houses f Economists 1 fresh air is your greatest 
ally 1 
The most practical time and labor saving invention is 
the gasoline stove. An 800-word article might be written 
on it alone, describing its usefulness to housekeepers. “Oh 
what needless pain ye bear,” ye housewives who struggle 
along with a wood or coal cook stove 1 It is such a sacri¬ 
fice of time and temper to hunt up kindling to make a coal 
or wood fire burn and, on the other band, so very conven¬ 
ient to regulate a fire by simply turning a crank a little 
more or a little less. Then coal is so heavy to carry and 
makes so much dirt, and as for wood—well, life isn’t long 
enough to waste half of it in poking wood into a kitchen 
stove. The figures are these: We use three barrels of 
gasoline per year at a cost of six dollars per barrel. Our 
neighbor buys six cords of wood at six dollars per cord 
and saws and splits it himself. Is there any question 
about which is the more economical f 
For cleaning windows and wood work large sponges 
with a chamois skin to polish the glass off, save much 
time and labor. For cleaning lamp chimneys a chamois 
skin is incomparable, saving at least one hour a week. 
Next, it is truer economy to use the fresh milk and 
cream and butler and eggs at home, than to save them up 
to trade to the grocer for his goods, and then boast 
that your egg and butter money buys all of the groceries. 
Nine times out of ten if the eggs and butter were used 
at home there would be no need of buying the grocer’s 
stale goods. 
Distribute the money evenly ; have nice towels in the bed¬ 
rooms and the kitchen. They afford ever so much more 
comfort to the family than a piano lamp or a plush album 
in the parlor. 
A becoming gown saves lots of friction, if by friction we 
mean temper. Plain cloth gowns are stylish and eco¬ 
nomical, while a best satin gown loaded with jet looks ex¬ 
travagant and wholly out of place for a general visiting 
costume. docia dykens. 
# * * 
When we use only the whites of eggs for baking, the 
yolks are rubbed into as much coffee as they will mol-ten; 
it soon dries if set near the stove and may then be put into 
an air-tight vessel. This answers the purpose just as well 
as though part or the whole of a fresh egg were used every 
time one makes coffee. The dregs from the coffee pot are 
put in the hen’s feed. The poor beans are cooked soft and 
mixed with Biddy’s breakfast. All the refuse bones are put 
in the dripping pan and baked until brown, when they 
may be easily broken; these with the broken glass and 
crockery find their way to the hen-house where a stone and 
hammer are kept in readiness. 
We have found that a coarse grade of flour which some 
millers call white middlings, and which we bought at $1 25 
per 100 pounds for bread for the turkey poults makes very 
nice brown bread for the table Set the sponge the same as 
for other bread, with the addition of some sugar. In the 
morning, stir as stiff as possible with a spom, let it rise 
and bake. This is quite a saving when Graham is three 
cents per pound. 
Beef for canning is cooked till tender, some liquor is put 
in the bottom of the can, the meat is cut in convenient 
pieces and the can filled as quickly as possible and sealed; 
all cans are kept in a dark place. The liquor from sweet 
pickles is put in mince meat: if not needed when the 
pickles are used it may be scalded and canned for future 
use. 
When we do not have enough cream to churn, we have 
some kind of mush, cracked or rolled wheat, oat meal or 
Graham, with cream for supper, thus saving butter, sub. 
* * * 
The use of two sticks of wood when one would do, 
grieves the husbandman. 
Pork and beef drippings fry crullers beautifully. 
The house cat has become a famous mouser since The 
Rural taught us so charmingly to re-serve remnants of 
meat and potatoes. 
“ Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well,” 
applies in all departments; the room well swept and 
dusted is more satisfactory than many half dones ; the half- 
darned rent needs resewing soon; bread is spoiled in bak¬ 
ing if not in making; haphazard and unintelligent 
methods exhaust the material and afford little sat sfac- 
tion. 
The cellar with its store of preserves, canned vegetables 
and fruit makes one exultant as the loaded sleigh draws 
near at 11:45 A. M. A. W. W. 
In these days of so many newspapers and magazines, 
nearly every one of which devotes some space to woman’s 
work or wants, giving practical hints and recipes, it seems 
as if any inexperienced person who reads them would know 
how to live economically. L. 
* * 
I cook the water all out of my pumpkins, and one cup 
of granulated sugar sweetens six pies. 
I keep my damper shut most of the time and burn half 
as much coal as my neighbor, or even less, although I buy 
nothing to speak of from the baker, while she buys a 
great deal; the families are about the same. G. J. E. 
“JUST HOW” TO CAN VEGETABLES. 
OME say that vegetables cannot be successfully 
canned; I know that they can. I have canned peas, 
beans and corn for eight years, losing only a few cans Last 
year I had complete success; I put up 36 cans of pea u , 24 of 
corn, 12 of string beans, 24 of pumpkins, and did not have 
one that failed to open in perfect order. 
No one need make the attempt unless determined to suc¬ 
ceed, for there is no denying that it is hard work ; and 
“ lots of it too.” Peas are the most difficult; they must 
not be fully grown, neither very small. Can as soon as 
possible after they are picked, so as to have them fresh. 
Fill the cans as full as possible, shake down hard; use the 
frame in the boiler to keep the cans off the bottom ; put 
the glass covers on the cans in order to keep all steam from 
dropping in them ; put them in the boiler, fill wlch cold 
water as in the other directions, about two-thirds the 
height of the cans; place on the stove putting the cover on 
the boiler, and boil two hours, filling up with hot water as 
that in the vessel boils out. After boiling two hours, take 
out, fill the cans with hot water, stirring the contents until 
you think they have settled all they will; then put on the 
rubbers and seal. Now put the cansbick into the hot 
water and boil an hour and a half looger, then take out, 
tighten the covers ; tighten them also several times while 
cooling ; if any cans have se tied so that they are not full, 
they must be opened and filled up ; if they have become 
cold they must be placed on the fire again until they are 
certainly hot; then, if putina cold place, they will not 
only keep well, but will be a source of pleasure to the eye, 
as well as to the palate. 
String beans and corn are cinned in the same way ; but 
corn, if the cans are well filled, will not settle, and the cans 
will not need to be filled up with water. 
To can pumpkins, cook and sift them as for pies. It is 
quite a neat task to fill the cans and have them full, but 
with no air bubbles. Seal, and place in water the same as 
in the case of peas, and put over the fire until you are sure 
they are well heated through ; then take them out and 
tighten the covers several times while cooling. It is neces¬ 
sary to have all cans perfect and the rubbers good. 
I hope I have made my directions so plain that any one 
can put up vegetables for family use; no housekeeper 
will have time or patience for any more; it is too much 
work. Good housekeeping is work in many ways; still it 
pays to be a good housekeeper as well as a good member of 
other callings in which we women may work in the world 
of busy workers. M. c. A. 
Cortland Co., N. Y._ 
GUESTS AS THEY COME TO US. 
III. 
The Meddling and Officious Guest. 
We had a church festival at the Corners to pay up the 
minister’s salary, and I worked until two o’clock in the 
night, slicing cold meat, cutting cake and washing dishes, 
and I was so fagged out that morning that after I had got 
the men’s breakfast and they had gone. I just left every¬ 
thing and went back to bed for a nap, before the children 
were awake, for I knew I could do up the work, though I 
could neither rest or sleep, after they were astir. Later, as 
the children were eating their bre ikfast, soma one drove 
up to the gate, and presently old Mr. and Mrs. Clarkson, 
who lived 10 miles away and had come for a visit, were 
coming through the front yard. 
I knew Mrs. Clarkson’s sole ambition in life was to be a 
good housekeeper ; that everything must be spick and 
span about her, even though it was at the sacrifice of her¬ 
self and all the rest of her family. She had often visited 
my mother at my girlhood home, and, since my marriage, 
had often promised to come and stay a whole week with 
me. There at length was the long-looked-for visit; and I 
thought of the breakfast table still standing in the din¬ 
ing room, of my disorderly kitchen and pantry, and in¬ 
wardly cried : “Oh, what shall I do to be saved from Mrs. 
Clarkson ? ” What I did was to hastily open the outs' de 
door and the window shutters of the little parlor kept in 
order for such emergencies, and with almost as many 
bland inducements as the spider offered to the fly, telling 
them how pleasant and cool it was, what pretty views there 
were from the windows, etc., I invited them in. 
After chatting with them a few moments, I gave the old 
gentleman the latest Rural New Yorker, and the old 
lady the photograph album, and asked them to iLnse ex¬ 
cuse me and entertain themselves, as it was time for me to 
be making preparations for dinner. It surely was, for all 
baked foods, excepting bread, had been taken to that 
festival and, I must have something for dessert. But 
that was not, by any means, the first work I had ia my 
head and on my hands. I put clean aprons and eunbonnets 
on the children and sent them out in the yard to play, 
then whisked the things off the breakfast table and 
piled them on a broad shelf in the pantry, thinking I would 
