the wall, is composed of cardboard, covered 
with gray linen, embroidered with brown 
wool, and fastened in a cane stand. < 'lit out 
first a piece of cardboard for the back and 
the bottom, and 5 pieces for the front. Bind 
them with a crossway strip of gray linen, 
cover them with gray linen, and work on 
the outside with brown wool the design in 
point russe, taking the stitches through the 
cardboard- Then line the pieces with linen 
and sew them together. Next prepare 5 
pieces of thin cane I 1 / inches long for the 
edges of the back, and 4 l . t inches long, I 
inches long, and 0 5 inches long for the front 
of the basket. At ' ; inch from the ends 
cut a little hollow in the canes, and then tit 
them to each other and tie them together, 
first, with strong thread, then with brown 
ribbon, according to illustration, and secure 
t he basket into the stand. For the cover, 
out a piece of cardboard according to the 
sha pe of the upper part of the back doubled, 
(hit it half through along the center, cover 
the side on which you made the incision 
with linen, and work on one half of the de¬ 
sign seen in illustration. Then stitch the 
center along the incision to the back of the 
basket, double the cover, sow the edges of 
the linen together, and sew cm a cord, 
leaving a loop in the middle. Two brass 
rings sewn at the back serve to hangup the 
basket. __ 
^omtfstic (jfconomjr 
BIRDS AND CATS 
HOW TO HAVE GOOD YANKEE PICKLES. 
“S. H. J.” certainly has struck a “key 
note” in the plea for “birds.” It should 
attract t he attention of all who look to their 
own interest and benefit (and all should). 
It certainly behooves them to be up and 
doing, and to take measures to protect all 
insectivorous birds that are beneficial t o any 
extent. It would be impossible for one or 
two persons to protect all the birds through¬ 
out the country. What is wanted is the 
combined force of all to move, with the in¬ 
tent of exterminating all t he enemies of our 
feat bored friends. 
Yet, in our war of extermination, we 
should not be too hasty in our conclusions 
as to which are the greatest enemies. “ 8. 
II. .T.” thinks that, for such a protection all 
the oats in the country should be disposed of. 
(1.) I differ in tills to some extent, thinking 
it not necessary t o dispense with one friend, 
entirely, to protect another. I do not wish 
it to be understood that Pin a firm friend 
of the cat; far from it. When there is a 
dozen or more of the feline race at a house, 
carrying <>n their murderous work, I do 
think that somo could be disposed of to 
some benefit. 
Why should we make war on some of the 
enemies of the birds and let others go on 
and continue their depredations unmolest¬ 
ed'/ There is the common crow Indispu¬ 
tably does more injury to insect-eating birds 
than almost all other enemies. Upon sev¬ 
eral occasions during the past season I have 
seen the crow destroy the nests of several 
birds, and kill the young to satisfy their 
Take medium sized ami quite small cu¬ 
cumbers (as the small ones keep better than 
large ones, and are more brittle). Tf you 
have to buy them, and can’t afford to use 
small ones, use larger ones. l*et. the stem 
be on each one, as they keep much better. 
Have a cask or crock with vinegar from 
your last year’s pickles, if on hand; if not, 
use fresh vinegar, and add to it . from t ime 
to time, a small handful of common salt. 
If you raise your cucumbers, as fast as you 
pick t hem wash them gently in cold water, 
and be careful and not rub off the prickles 
from them. Drain them as nearly dry as 
you can, and put them into the vinegar and 
salt prepared for that purpose. Spread a 
cloth over them than will tit into the vessel, 
to absorb the scum that, will be apt to rise. 
This can be wrung out and rinsed in clean 
water every few days, and then replaced. 
When you have the quantity you wish to 
pickle, the last batch yon put in can remain 
a week or more, but be sure and not let 
thorn remain till they get soft. If you pur¬ 
chase your pickles all at a time, deposit 
them in the weak vinegar and salt, as di¬ 
rected above, and let them remain some 
two weeks; but see that they remain hard. 
Now procure pure cider vinegar (manu¬ 
factured will only spoil them). Take a por¬ 
celain kettle, or a very clean bran* ki tlli 
which will give them a greener color. (Wo 
have used brass for forty years and have 
not been poisoned yet). Place the pickles 
in the kettle on your stove, with sufficient 
pure, fresh vinegar to cover them. Also 
put in a bag of such spices as you fancy— 
two or more kinds, if you please, and after 
the bag lias been scalded with the pickles, 
deposit it, with the pickles with small pieces 
of horse radish root, and some like a pep¬ 
per or two. Be sure and put into each 
batch as it goes on to the stove, a piece of 
alum as large as a common walnut. This 
will harden them. As soon as the vinegar 
begins to warm up a little pul your baud 
into the vinegar and keep stirring them 
round from the bottom of the kettle, and 
keep them in as long as you can bear your 
band in it, then they will be done. Con¬ 
tinue the process until all are done. 
It may be necessary to scald the vinegar 
from time to time if a scum keeps rising to 
t he top. If you get cheated in your vinegar 
the pickles will grow soft and Uiatclcss and 
he worthless, unless removed to pure vin¬ 
egar. If they do not taste strong enough 
of the spices, you can boil the bag with a 
little vinegar and pour it into the cask. 
Pickles prepared as above will keep the 
year round, and are much nicer and plumper 
than those put down in salt, will not shrink 
nor taste as salt as “ Lwt’s wife ” when used. 
Usptttc (Information 
DYSPEPSIA CURE 
About Frying- Potatoes. — In reading 
the. Itr ual, New-Yorker of August 10th 1 
noticed on page tie two communications in 
regard to “ How to Fry Potatoes.” In the 
first communication the lady does not give 
her name. I don’t like the chopping pro¬ 
cess, for if they are sliced thin they are 
much better, as they do not take up so 
much fat. Mrs. H. J. John, Elizabeth City, 
oowois witii his hands. Then ho laid down 
to rest. He dined temperately at 2 o’clock, 
and spent the afternoon in saunteringabout. 
At 7 o’clock in t.no evening ho repeated the 
percussion, and went to bed at 0 o’clock. A 
majority of the cases that sought, relief at 
this establishment had used all the other 
means except the slapping; that is to say, 
had lived on plain food and much in the 
open air. It. was the slapping, the pound¬ 
ing with the lists, kneading with the list, 
sometimes with the lists of an attendant, 
that, cured these people, for cured they cer¬ 
tainly were. Marvelous cures were effect¬ 
ed at this establishment. After the death 
of the doctor some of the patients felt 
themselves absolved from the obligation 
and one of them described the treatment to 
me. In every case of indigestion, no mat¬ 
ter what may be its character, slapping the 
stomach or bowlos with the tistsof the hands 
on rising in the morning, four hours after 
breakfast, and in the evening on going to 
bed, is excellent treatment. I cannot con¬ 
ceive of a case of chronic indigestion which 
such manipulation would not relieve. If 
the patient bo so weak that he cannot per¬ 
form these shippings or kHeadings upon his 
own person, the hand of a discreet, assistant 
should be employed. It- is marvelous how 
the body, the stomach for example, which, 
v. hen these manipulations are tirst practic¬ 
ed, may be so very tender that t he slightest 
touch can hardly be borne—it is marvelous 
how in two or three weeks a blow as hard 
a ; the hand cuu give is home without suffer- 
uig. If vou have a pain in Hie side or across 
the Chest, percussion will relieve it most im¬ 
mediately, But constipation, dvsnensia. 
LETTUCE SALAD, COLD SLAW, Etc 
ORNAMENTAL SCRAP-BAG- OH ItAWKK’l’. 
voracious appetite. Mr. Samuels says of 
the crow (Ag. Rept. of 1867, pp. 208)“ Now, 
let us see what the injury amounts to when 
the crow destroys the four eggs or young of 
the Sparrows, Warblers, and Thrush. As 
remarked on a preceding page, the young 
of all our small birds are fed, while in the 
nest, upon soft caterpillars and insects.” 
(2.) Bradley says that a pair of sparrows 
will destroy 8,300 caterpillars for a week's 
family supplies. For four weeks, at, the 
lowest estimate, the young of our sparrow 
are fed on this diet,, and the family that the 
crow destroys would, in that time, eat at 
least 18,410 insects; (3) and as they feed more 
or less upon the same diet during their stay 
in the North, killing, certainly, as many as 
fifty each, daily, the family would devour 
200 per diem, or, before they would migrate 
in September, as many as 20,000. This is 
only one instance we choose to show the in¬ 
jury they will do. 
Again he says. We now find, in a general 
summing up of the crow’s merits and de¬ 
merits, that during the whole year it, is 
beneficial to the amount of 229 units, and 
Take one egg thoroughly beaten; three 
tablespoonfuls of sugar; half a pint good 
sour cream; three or four tablespoonfuls of 
vinegar; stir well together and pour over 
the lettuce. It is better if served immedi¬ 
ately, or soon after prepared. 
Cold Slaw.—Cut the cabbage rather fine 
into a basin or large bowl; sprinkle a little 
salt over; then with a potato masher thor¬ 
oughly bruise tin- cabbage; then take three 
tablespoonfuls sugar; hall' pint best sweet, 
cream; four tablespoon fids vinegar; stir 
well together and mix through the cabbage. 
The cabbage should not be too green. Many 
persons do not know the value of cream in 
cooking; it is far preferable to butter in a 
great many things. 
All Excellent Cake can be made as fol¬ 
lows:—Three eggs; one cup sugar; one cup 
sour cream ; beat all together till light; add 
one teaspoonful soda; one teaspoonful ex¬ 
tract; about two and a half cups Hour. 
Drop Dumplings.—Three eggs; six ta- 
blespoottfula sour cream; a little salt; flour 
enough to make a very stiff batter—make 
excellent drop dumplings. 
Boiled Pudding.— Four eggs; one quart 
sweet milk; half a pint flour cream; one 
teaspoonful soda; little salt; flour enough 
to make a stiff batter—makes an excellent 
boiled or steamed pudding. 
The same recipe, with a less quantity of 
Hour, makes very good waffles, or wheat 
griddle cakes. Mrs. Lida Cleaver. 
Milton, Pa. 
N. (’., has a very good idea in her article, 
with two exceptions, viz:—1 use nice fresh 
butter instead of lard, and slice very thin. 
I would like to know, however, what she 
means by “when soft, remove to a clean 
napkin.” 1 always have clean napkins on 
the table, but 1 remove the fried potatoes 
to a clean dish. J cannot see the phenom¬ 
ena of removing to a “clean napkin,” and 
1 would be pleased if Mrs. John would ex¬ 
plain. It may bo that she intends to re¬ 
move to the table, where there always 
should be a clean napkin. 1 am not so sure 
that Mr. Brown will “ doff his hat ” to Mrs. 
John, until she explains. — Mrs. C. 8. S. 
Todd, Plymouth, fnd. 
To Preserve Citron.—Take three pounds 
of sugar to fourteen pounds of citron; out 
in as large pieces as convenient. Put the 
sugar in a preserving kettle with a little 
water; boil and skim; add cloves, cinna¬ 
mon, maoe, and coriander seed, Put in as 
much of the citron as the sirup will cover, 
and cook till you can run a straw through; 
then place upon plates to dry. A little cit¬ 
ron thus prepared is very nice for mince 
pies or cake.— Subscriber. 
Using Strong Butter.—I find that by 
melting, and skimming well, then turning 
off so that the salt is left, it is excellent to 
fry doughnuts in. I sometimes use half 
lard, but it is good alone, and is really the 
best use I have ever found for it. Try it. 
Will some one be so kind as to tell me how 
to remove Btains made by iodine; also by 
nitrate of silver,— Housekeeper, Grlnnell , 
Iowa. 
ODDS AND ENDS, 
Oinameutal Scrap-Bag or Basket— 
(See page —). This basket, to hang against 
