“I WONDER IF I COULD MANAGE BEES.” 
JJE importance of honey as an article of diet has 
never been fully appreciated in the United 
States, nor is it generally known how easily a constant 
supply of this healthiest of sweets can he had: not as 
a luxury, but on the table every day in the year, a* 
well as for culinary purposes. Cookies made with 
honey do not dry soon like those made with sugar ; 
these are just the things for children to take to school. 
Honey makes the best of taffy also, and as a medicine 
is almost indespensable in any household, especially 
in case of sore throat, colds, etc. 
Many imagine that there i6 a great difficulty in the 
production of honey and believe that connected with 
the handling of bees there is a mysterious secret 
known only to a few. Things that seemed very diffi¬ 
cult, or almost impossible to us, however, often be¬ 
come very simple and easy when we investigate them 
with a determination to succeed and such is pre¬ 
eminently the case with the apiculture of to-day. 
To keep a few bees for pleasure or profit one should 
first get a standard work on apiculture; and a bee 
paper would be of great advantage. They are cheap 
and very interesting. One should also get a black 
bobinet bee vail and a bee smoker, and then a good 
colony of pure Italian bees in a movable beehive. One 
colony is enough to begin with, and there will be no 
more trouble handling them than an old sitting hen; 
nor as much when one is once used to the little pets 
I start the smoker with some cotton rags, send a few 
puffs of smoke into the entrance of the hive, gently 
pry up the top and puff a little smoke on the bees to 
drive them down. Then I gently lift out a frame, 
looking for eggs, which are little white specks fas¬ 
tened to the bottom of the cell. If there are eggs, I 
carefully look over both 6ides of each frame till I find 
the queen. She is larger than the other bees and much 
longer Then I find out how many frames have eggs 
and brood, and whether there is plenty of uncapped 
honey. A good colony ought to have six or seven 
frames of eggs and brood when the bees begin to 
gather honey ; and, if it is a good season, they ought 
to yield 50 to 80 pounds of surplus honey and another 
swarm Or, if there is no swarm, there ought to be 
from 100 to 150 pounds of surplus honey. One of my 
colonies has stored 220 pounds of nice surplus comb 
fco-ey in one season. 
Any lady can attend as easily to a dozen colonies of 
bees as to the poultry on the farm, and she will derive 
more pleasure if not profit from them than from poul¬ 
try, when she has learned to handle them. There are 
in different States to-day a number of ladies who are 
making a success of apiculture as a business; but 
one who lives on the farm can add to her pin-money 
by keeping a few stands of bees, besides having nice 
honey of her own raising in store for use. Spring is 
the time to purchase bees. K * °' 
| Of course, this is the sunny side.—E d.] 
THE HELPING HAND VISITORS’ CLUB. 
T is not always that philanthropy is expected to pay 
in “ value received,” yet this, it seems, is what is 
hoped from a new plan for helping several overworked 
classes of women. The mutual idea is what gives it 
this impetus and its inception has been thus described: 
“ Oh ! how I wish I could get out of the hot city for 
a little rest and change this summer ! I can’t afford 
to pay cash for my board ; but, indeed ! I’d be very 
glad to sew or do any kind of work about the house 
for it,” exclaimed a bright young woman to a sympa¬ 
thetic customer with philanthropic inclinations, whom 
she was serving. “ No ; I’ve no one I could visit,” 
she continued, in reply to the natural suggestion that 
she might visit a friend. 
A few days later the customer was calling at a 
charming little home in a pleasant suburb, when her 
hostess, apropos of some pressing duties, said : 
“ If I knew of some nice young woman who would 
like to spend a week or two in the country, and who 
would come and stay here and help me a little with 
my work each day, 1 would board her without charge, 
and be glad of the chance ! It would really be a 
mutual benefit: she would have an inexpensive outing 
—a genuine outing, too, for I could easily arrange 
matters so that she might have a good portion of each 
day for recreation and to enjoy this bracing air and 
picturesque scenery—and I could get caught up 
in some of my sewing, and have some rest, too : and 
each would be giving a full equivalent for value 
received. You’re always studying up some plan to 
help people who try to help themselves, can’t you 
suggest something for my case ?” 
She of the philanthophic inclinations immediately 
bethought herself of the bright young woman in the 
stifliDg city shop They talked the matter over, and 
in less than a week the city girl was enjoying the 
longed for country surroundings, while her hostess 
was equally happy m the prospect of getting “caught 
up” in her work and having some rest. The experi¬ 
ment proved a perfect success; and thus was sown the 
germ which has grown into the Helping Hand Visi¬ 
tors’ Club, a unique organization, formed on the plan 
carried out in the first experiment, through which 
those who have homes in the country and who would 
like to receive a Helping Hand Visitor for a sojourn 
of any specified length can be put into communication 
with respectable self-supporting women in cities— 
clerks, seamstresses, milliners, etc.,—who, though 
arxious to spend a short vacation in the country, can¬ 
not afford the necessary expenditure for board. 
Undoubtedly, there are many who would be glad to 
receive these young women into their homes on the 
condition that in return for board and lodging they 
would render some service in sewing or housework, 
leaving themselves, of course, sufficient time during 
the day to enjoy the pleasures of walks, drives, or 
other recreations. 
A Central Bureau has been established in New York 
for furthering the purposes of the club, and extending 
its development in all directions. 
Philanthropic women interested in forming local 
branches for carrying out this great work, house¬ 
keepers wishing to receive Helping Hand Visitors, or 
young women desiriDg to spend their vacations under 
such conditions, are invited to address the Secretary 
of the Helping Hand Visitors’ Club, 15 East Fourteenth 
Street, N. Y., inclosing a stamped envelop for reply. 
POTATOES GALORE. 
VEN that household necessity, the potato, is sus¬ 
ceptible of so many changes in cooking that it 
may be made to seem almost like some other vege¬ 
table, by deft handling and little, if any, extra trouble. 
It is said that some Western firm has published a book 
which gives 400 ways for serving this homely, every¬ 
day food, but I will content myself by mentioning a 
few. Whether the potato shall or shall not be deprived 
of its “jacket ” before it is cooked must be decided by 
individual taste. I will say, however, that if potatoes 
are scarce, and economy necessary, there is much less 
waste when they are boiled with their skins on. 
Another point which has been much discussed is 
whether the water must boil before the potato is put 
in. If taken from the water as soon as cooked I can 
see no difference in whatever way it is employed. 
Care must be taken to permit the steam to pass off 
when the potatoes are drained; and if it is necessary to 
keep them hot for some time a folded towel will prove 
a very satisfactory cover. 
As soup is the first course at dinner possibly it may 
be well to give recipes for two appetizing potato soups 
at the head of my list, 
Potato Sour No 1.—Boil five potatoes until soft; 
fry one onion in drippings, then add to the potatoes ; 
toast a large slice of bread until brown and put this 
with the potato and onion and boil. Strain through a 
colander, put on the fire again with the addition of 
one pint of rich milk. Season to taste and serve as 
soon as the milk has heated. 
Potato Sour No. 2 .—Eight potatoes, three onions, 
salt, pepper and a little grated nutmeg. Boil the 
sliced onions with the pepper and nutmeg in a little 
water until done. Cook the potatoes and mash 
them fine and mix with the onion and the water in 
which the onion was cooked. Add two tablespoonfuls 
of butter, one quart of boiling milk and salt to taste. 
Strain before serving. 
ScALLorED Potatoes. —Butter the bottom and sides 
of a dish. Put in a layer of cold boiled potatoes, sliced, 
season with pepper, salt and small pieces of butter, 
and dust with flour. Put in another layer of potatoes 
in the same way and when the dish is filled cover the 
top with a layer of cracker crumbs half an inch thick. 
Pour a cup of cream over the whole and bake in a 
moderate oven for half an hour. This may be varied 
by the use of a seasoning of finely chopped celery or 
parsley. 
Potato Souffle. —Boil a sufficient amount of nice, 
mealy potatoes. Put them through the ricer or mash 
fine, add a cupful of rich cream and three well-beaten 
eggs. Season with salt and pepper, beat up light and 
bake until brown in a quick oven. 
When potatoes are baked, a slice should be cut 
from the stem end before putting them into the oven. 
When cooked, they should be taken from the oven 
singly with a napkin and broken partly open to allow 
the steam to escape. 
Stuffed Potatoes. —Bake nice, shapely potatoes 
until partly done : cut off one end, scrape out the 
flesh with a spoon, mash it fine, season with butter 
and salt and some finely chopped parsley. Fill the 
shells with the mixture and return them to the oven 
for a few minutes. These may be varied by adding 
finely hashed meat, grated cheese, bread crumbs or 
anything else which the taste may dictate. A vege¬ 
table scoop is handy, and though the flavor of pota¬ 
toes is not improved by its use, their appearance is 
much better. Cut out balls with the scoop from raw 
potatoes and fry in deep fat until brown. Pile high 
in a dish, sprinkle salt over them and garnish with 
parsley. Balls cut from cold boiled potatoes are nice 
warmed in the same way, or they may be dropped 
into hot white sauce and served when heated through. 
Duchf.sse Potatoes —Boil, mash and season nice 
mealy potatoes, add a well-beaten egg and mix thor¬ 
oughly. Roll out flat on the moulding board, cut in 
strips an inch wide and three inches long, lay in a 
buttered tin and brown in the oven. 
Stewed Potatoes. —Slice cold boiled potatoes : salt 
to taste ; dredge a little flour on them and half cover 
them with rich milk. Let them cook three or four 
minutes briskly, and, just before sending to the table, 
stir in a generous piece of butter 
Casserole of Potatoes.— Form an oval pile of 
mashed potato on a dish, make a hole in the center of 
the size desired ; brush the surface with beaten egg, 
and set in the oven until nicely browned. Fill the hole 
with stewed tomatoes, macaroni or with any kind of 
stew. 
Potato Croquettes. —Mix nicely mashed potato with 
beaten egg yolk, season with salt and pepper with 
just a hint of nutmeg, grated lemon peel or chopped 
parsley, form into balls, dip in beaten egg and fry in 
hot fat. Drain on paper for a minute and serve hot. 
S. A. LITTLE. 
CHEAP AND SERVICEABLE RAG CARPETS. 
I HAVE been requested to tell how we can make a 
25- yard rag carpet for $5.12. This was the exact 
cost of our last carpet, which is a very pretty hit-and- 
miss one, woven just one yard wide. 
For weaving at elirlit cents per yard.*2.00 
pounds chain at 25 cents per pound. 
Total expense. 
We never make a striped carpet, as it is too much 
trouble to get the exact amount of rags for each sep¬ 
arate color, and we think striped carpets too gaudy 
and not in as good taste as the more quiet hit-and-miss. 
The rags used are all natural colors, cut in even widths, 
never more than two yards long, but usually of much 
shorter lengths and neatly sewed. It is a needless 
expense to buy coloring and spend time coloring rags, 
which are likely to fade, especially the package dyes 
on cotton. The natural-colored rags stay bright as 
long as the carpet lasts. If our rags are very light in 
color, we buy dark chain, or vice versa. 
There are always enough ‘ ‘ thrums ” of chain to 
sew the carpet together, and very little coarse thread 
and heavy cheviot is needed to bind the ends of the 
strips. 
The carpet above mentioned was made in Scioto 
County, O. We now live in Champaign County, and 
are sewing the rags for another carpet. This one, 
however, will cost somewhat more, as the cost of weav¬ 
ing comes higher and more chain is used. Upon inquiry, 
I find the cost here would be as follows: 
25 yards, one yard wide, at 10 centB. *2.50 
8 pounds, chain, white, at 20 cents. J oo 
8 pounds chain, colored, at 22 cents. 
Total expense. ® 
One neighbor made a carpet which was “ double 
sley ” and took 20 pounds of chain for 25 yards, at 20 
and 22 cents; but her carpe* is very heavy, almost too 
heavy to handle comfortably in cleaning. 
When cutting out dresses, etc., from calico, ging¬ 
hams, cashmeres, and such goods, I always cut the 
“scraps” which would prove worthless into carpet 
rags and place in the bag ready for sewing. 
Two colors of chain placed “ thread about,” give a 
carpet a very pretty pepper and salt appearance. 
farmer’s girl. 
When Baby was sick, we gave her Castorla, 
When she was a Child, she orted for Castorla, 
When she became Miss, she clung to Castorla, 
When she had Children, she gave them Castorla. 
