july m 
lOOBE’S BUBAL WEW-VOR 
gomestiit (Bcoiiomir. 
THE CARPET QUESTION. 
Tms carpcb question, of late having suck 
an airing through the columns of the Rural, 
New-Yorker, I feel a good (leal of interest 
in. I had not intended to speak, but see no 
reason why I may not also east my "mite” 
of experience into the public treasury box 
of information. In my day I have manufac¬ 
tured rag carpets to quite an extent, but will 
here speak of only the last three. Within 
the past tlvo years I have, alone, cut and 
sewed rags for 82 1 yards carpeting, in three 
pieces, doing, the while, house-work for 
throe. The first of Jan., 1873, commenced 
cutting for 35 yards. Scissors sharp; qo blis¬ 
ters ; by the middle of Feb. the last rag was 
finished and sent to the weaver. The first of 
March the rag carpet was brought, home, 
" as handsome a patter of * hip o' skip,’ ” she 
said, “as over was,” I will here say that 
about one-half of my rags are collected from 
the cast-off clothing of some of our work¬ 
men ; the rest, with an occasional handful 
thrown in by a neighbor, the accumulations, 
in the time mentioned, of my family of three 
persons. For this last I colored only the 
blue rags used, as our people wear flannels of 
different colors, dilating the common liquid 
blueing of the druggist to desired shades for 
the purpose, and setting with both alum and 
copperas. These colors are fast, and, used 
pretty liberally, impart a cheerful look to 
the rag carpet. Now for expenses for the 
twenty yards: warp, coloring matter, ex¬ 
pense of coloring same and weaving, $7.93— 
the hill 1 have mislaid ; this is the amount. 
1 intended to keep this carpet for my own 
use, but was offered 75 ets. a yard for it, and 
so Changed my mind. I will say nothing of 
my own labor, it will be variously estimated 
by different ones, i here leave moralizing, 
accept the Rural’s advice to new writers, 
and lay down my pen when I’ve no more to 
say. M. w. 
J - ; -- 
DOMESTIC BREVITIES. 
replace it in the pan, and let it remain until 
very light; then put it out on the board, 
work in the fruit; butter your pan ; put it 
in and let it rise again; when light, hake in a 
moderate oven. This is very nice without 
the fruit.—C elia Hobby. 
PLANTS IN SLEEPING: ROOMS. 
Sachets or Scent Bug*.—A correspondent 
of the Country Gentleman writes Various *' 
powders, &c., placed in silk bugs or ornu- J 
merited envelopes, are agreeable to smell T>f, 
and also economical for imparting a pleasing 
odor to linen and clothes as they are packed c 
away in drawers, for they prevent moths. 
For heliotrope powder, take half a pound 
of orris-root, one quarter pound of ground I 
rose leaves, two ounces powdered tonquin | 
bean, one ounce vanilla bean, one-half dram > 
graiu musk, two drops otto of almonds ; mix ; 
it all by sifting through a coarse sieve. This ] 
is one of the best sachets ever made, and per- j 
fumes table-cloths, sheets, pillow-cases and 1 
towels, deliciously. i 
For lavender powder, take one pound of i 
powdered lavender, one-quarter pound of 
gum benzoin, and one-quarter of an ounce of 
otto of iavouder. 
For patchouli, use one-half a pound of 
patchouli ground fine, and a very little of 
otto patchouli. This herb is often sold in its 
natural state as imported, and is tied up in 
half-pound bundles. 
Sandal wood sachet powder is good, and 
consists of the wood ground fine. Cedar 
wood, when ground, forms a body for other 
sachet powders, and will keep moths at a 
distance. Dried fennel, when ground, is also 
used for scent-bags, and ground nutmeg is 
liked for this purpose.— D. k. 
Pickled Flannels— Under the very appro¬ 
priate title of “ Pickled Flannels,” a corres¬ 
pondent of an English scientific paper com¬ 
plains of a lot of flannels which he ordered, 
and which were so full of salt that after a few 
days they actually became wel and could 
only be dried with difficulty. He states that 
several manufaeturd’s, more ingenious than 
honest, have adopted a method of substi¬ 
tuting salt 'for wool, by weighting a light 
fabric so that it will feel heavy and substan¬ 
tial in the hands of those who arc not ready 
judges. But it would seem that these arts 
of tirade are not confined to English producers. 
The editor of the Manufacturers’ Review, 
remarking upon the case just cited, states 
that about a year ago some samples of Amer¬ 
ican repellants were placed in his hands for 
examination, and were actually found to 
have been weighted by impregnation with 
glycerine and grape sugar. 
A Good Loaf Cake .—Two pounds of flour; 
half a pound of butter; half a pound of 
sugar; one pint cf sponge; one pound of 
currants, (washed, dried and picked). Rub 
the flour, butter and sugar together, then 
add the sponge, with as much milk as will 
make it into a soft dough. Knead it well, 
To Cleanse Carpet.— I teaspoonful liquid a i e t 
ammonia in one gallon warm water, will cu lt 
often restore the color of carpets, even if pro- f u k 
duced by acid or alkali. If a ceiling has Re, 
been whitewashed with carpet down, and a plm 
few drops are visible, this will remove it. fact 
Or, after the carpet is well beaten and brush- to 1 
ed’ scour with ox gall, which will not only con 
extract grease but freshen the cohirs —1 pint spe 
of gall in 3 gallons of wa rm water, will do a flu< 
large carpet. Table floor-cloths may be t hus in t 
washed. The suds left from awash, where of 
ammonia is used, even if almost cold, cleans- fov 
es these iloor-eloths well. gre 
Bath Ing Costa mes.— Fig. 1 is a dress to r a 
child 7 to 9 years old, made of white flan- ^ 
nel, ornamented with red worsted braid. | 
Fig. 3 is made of gray flannel, ornament- ^ 
ed with white woolen braid. In Fig. 3, ^ 
the pantaloons and blouse are made of dark 
blue flannel, ornamented with white worsted ^ 
cord. The collar is made of white flannel. fo| 
The cloak is made of striped flannel, edged ^ 
with blue braid. The cap is .of transparent ^ 
linen, edged with blue worsted cord ami 
fastened with a rubber band. See illustro- 
tions, on page 45. tie 
Domestic Inquiries .— C. W, D. asks 10, 
“ Wliat is the proportion of rye flour, in 1 
weight, to the water Uflecl in making paste tli 
for paper hanging?”-Mrs. \\yi. M. Cul- “j 
vkr asks how to color brown with Japoniea, be 
what is used to set the Color, and bow to pro- ti< 
pare the dye ?-Mrs. B. C. F.—“Would be m 
glad if the Rural readers would give their tli 
modes of preparing fruit for use on the table, d« 
and for preserving it.” She thinks it might w 
he profitable, too, to discuss the best mode of 
preserving vegetables—beans, peas, corn, <Stc. fi 
—for winter.” b; 
To Keep limns— After the meat has been ( ‘ 
well cured by pickle and smoke, take some 
clean ashes from bits of coal; moisten them 1 ’ 
with a little water so that they will form a ” 
paste, or else just wet the liaius a little, and ‘ 
' rub on the dry ashes. Rubbed in thoroughly u 
they serve as a capital insect protector, ami 
‘ the hams can be hung up in the smoke-house u 
j or wood chamber without any danger of J 
molestation. 
1 The Prickly Pear to Harden Tallow—The c 
l Mobile Register says Take the common £ 
i I prickly-pear and boil or fry it in the tallow, s 
i without water, for half an hour, then strain 
? and mold. 1 use about six average sized j 
s leaves to the pint of tallow, (by weight one , 
•- pound of leaves to four of tallow) splitting , 
1 them up fine. They make the tallow as hard 
as stearine, and do not injure its burning , 
if qualities in the least. 
,f Iced Frails.— Take fine bunches of ripe 
,f currants on the stalks, dip them in gum- 
. arabii water, or the whites of eggs well 
a beaten ; lay them on a sieve, sift white sugar 
)f over, let them dry. They are very nice for 
ts dessert or the tea table. Bunches of grapes, 
■ n c’horrics or plums may bo done in the same 
, way.—C. H. 
id . . .. 
ir Drying Figs.— A Georgia paper having said 
Dr that “ figs dried in the sun, by simply mash- 
a ing and placing them on tins, are superior to 
SO those imported and will keep as long,” the 
is Mobile Register asks;— 1 “But they get 
wormy. Dry them on a kiln or even in a 
•o- I large cook stove.” 
;s- Sugar Cookies—One. and a-half cups sugar; 
in half cup milk ; a small half cup butter ; one 
*d, e gg• one teaspoon cream tartar ; half do. 
iw soda; half a teacup caraway seed. Mix 
lid I pretty well, out Into small cakes and bake. 
iat —Mrs. H. S. Brown. 
an Crullers.—Four eggs ; four tablespoons of 
*ti- brown sugar, and one of flour, beaten well 
fht together; add four tablespoons melted bub- 
in ‘ ter ; mix hard ; roll thin ; cut in two-inch 
d Y squares ; slit in bars ; fry in very hot lanl.— 
r, ' s Anna R. 
| rs ’ Baked Eggs.—A matron says Beat up 
:W ’ s i x e ggs, one tablespoonful of flour, six of 
tC3 sweet milk; melt your butter in the frying 
f r ' pan ; when hot, turn tho whole in, well 
beaten, and bake in a hot oven. 
■ith Excellent Drop Cakes—Two cups sugar; 
one cup sour milk; three teaspoons soda; two 
nr- eggs ; one teaspoon cloves ; one teaspoon ein- 
0 f namon. Stir very thick and drop on but- 
0 f tered tins.—M rs. II. Brown. 
tub Blackberry Wine, and Brandy.—J. A. W. 
hen asks if any of our readers can tell how to 
tvill make good wine and brandy of blackberries; 
-ell. ' also, wine out of fox and Concord grapes. 
Gov. Holt, of Michigan, recently addressed of 
a letter to Prof, Kedzik of the Michigan Agri- ta] 
cultural College with reference to the health- yy 
fulness of plants in sleeping rooms. Prol'. ho 
Kedzik does not indorse tho theory that 
plants are iinhca ltliful and gives the following it 
facts to sustain his opinion. He says:—“Not mi 
to leave this matter in the condition of mere 
conjecture, I have gathered and analyzed 
specimens of air from a room where the in¬ 
fluence of growing plants would be exhibited 
in a greatly exaggerated form. Thus, instead oc 
of taking the air from a mom containing a h< 
few plants, I gathered it from the College ai 
greenhouse, where more than (>,000 plants are m 
growing. I gathered the air before sunrise d. 
on the mornings of April 16th and 17th ; the N 
room had been closed for more than twelve h 
hours, and if the plants exhaled carbonic acid “ 
to an injurious extent, the analysis of air r< 
from such a room would certainly disclose q 
this fact. The three specimens of air gath- " 
ered on the morning of April 16th, from dif 
Cerent parts of the room, gave4.ll, 4.00 parts t 
of carbonic acid in 10,000 Of air, or an average c 
of 4.03 in 10,000. The tWO specimens of air c 
gathered April 17th gave 3.80 and 3.80 parts t 
of carbonic acid in 10,000, or an average on c 
the whole of 3.94 parts of carbonic acid in t 
10,000 of air ; while the out-door air contains c 
4 parts in 10,000. Tt will thus be seen that l 
the air in the greenhouse was better than ' 
“ pure country air.” This deficiency of car- * 
bouio acid was doubtless due to the absorp¬ 
tion of carbonic acid and consequent accu- * 
mulatton of oxygen during daylight, since 
tho windows of the greenhouse were closed ' 
day and night on account of the cool 
weather. 
To ascertain whether the air of the green¬ 
house had more carbonic acid by niglit than 
by day, 1 gathered two specimens of air in 
diffet cut parts of the house, at two o’clock 
P. M., April 17th. These gave 1.40 and 1.38 
parts of carbonic addin 10 , 000 , or an average 
of 1.39 parts, showing that the night air con- 
1 tained more carbonic acid than did the air ot 
r day. 
I Now, if a room in which were more than 
ROOD plants, while containing more carbonic 
£ acid by night than by day, contains less car¬ 
bonic acid than any sleeping-room on this 
continent, we may safely conclude that one 
e or two dozen plants in a room will not exhale 
u enough carbonic acid by night to injure the 
’ sleepers. 
n jt is so easy to be deceived by a name ! 1 
cl lately saw an article showing the beneficial 
c and curative influence of flower in the sick 
S room. Instances w ere related where persons 
d were cured by the sight and smell of flowers, 
K and without question their influence is good. 
Yet flowers exhale this same carbonic acid 
,c both by day and by night! The flowers, by 
(heir agreeable odor and delicate pei fume, 
ill impart an air of cheerfulness to the sick 
u . chamber which will assist in tho recovery 
w . f rom lingering disease, notwithstanding the 
is small amount of carbonic acid which they 
le constantly exhale. 
The presence or absence of carbonic acid is 
not the only question in regard to the licalth- 
id fulness of plants in a room. The state of 
d- moisture in the air of tho room may become 
t0 an important question, especially in tho case 
ho of persons afflicted with rheumatic or pul- 
.et tnonory complaints. But I will not take up 
a that subject.” 
Mix the above in equal parts ; dose, ten to 
thirty drops. In plain terms, take equal 
parts tincture of opium, red pepper, rhubarb, 
peppermint, and camphor, and mix them for 
use. In ease of diarrhoea, take a dose of ten 
or twenty drops in three or four teaspoonfuls 
of water. No one who has this by him and 
takes it in time will ever have tho cholera. 
We commend it to our Western friends, and 
hope that the receipt will be widely pub¬ 
lished. Even when no cholera is anticipated, 
it is an excellent remedy for ordinary sum¬ 
mer complaint.” 
THE SUN CHOLERA MIXTURE. 
BRUISES AND CUTS. 
At the present time, when accidents are so 
cornmoi, it Is the duty of every one to learn 
how to take care of the sick or injured. If 
any serious or sudden Injury happens to a 
member of a family and one knows what to 
do, it may he the means of saving a life. 
Young people on the farm arc liable to get 
hurt or injured in some way or other. Either 
“cut” or bruised.' Tho bruised limb Should 
rest, be kept moderately warm, bathed fre¬ 
quently with tepid water and chafed gently 
with the naked hand. 
In ease of incised wounds (cuts), at first 
there is free bleeding from the many divided 
capillaries. If no large vein or artery is sev¬ 
ered the flow of blood will soon cease ; press 
the lips of the wound together and trickle on 
cold water until the blood and all foreign 
matter is removed ; then apply narrow strips 
of adhesive pilaster. Tho union of the divided 
parts is effected by the action of the blood 
vessels and not by healing salves. The one 
thing is to keep the parts together and pro¬ 
tect the wound from the air, nature will do 
tl ie rest. 
In any deep wouad ; where a vein is sev¬ 
ered, tie a handkerchief or any band, below 
the wound. If an artery, tie it above the 
wound ; sometimes in case of an artery, it is 
difficult to stop the flow of blood. If there is 
any trouble, place over the artery and under 
t he bandage a cork, or else twist the hand¬ 
kerchief by placing a stick under it and keep¬ 
ing the knot over the artery, as the artery 
can be felt by its pulsation. In binding up 
the wound, keep the limb so to have as little 
strain as possible upon the wound. 1 he care 
should be the same as uuy cut. c. K. 
--- 
CURING DISCHARGE OF THE EARS. 
The Manufacturer has the following on 
* this subject:—As the cause of suefi trouble 
is always constitutional, local applications 
’ arc of no benefit, and besides may be danger¬ 
ous for the delicate organs of hearing. Many 
( a patient has become deaf by a treatment 
I which was recommended with tho best in¬ 
tentions. The causes may be manifold, a 
k hereditary taint, want of exercise in the 
open, fresh air, sleeping in an ill-ventilated 
[’ bedroom, improper food, injudicious diet, 
j use of stimulants, indulgence in exhausting 
passions, vicious habits, etc. It must not be 
; lost sight of that conditions differ, and that 
what will not harm one man except, in later 
U life, will at once affect others. The cure is 
•. evident; take out-of-door exercise, sleep with 
your windows op©n, onJy take cure not to 
• V catch Cold in a draft, watch your digestion 
. and cat only what agrees with you, but 
** indulge in variety of food, use. no tobacco nor 
*' Uquor of any kind, but if necessary some 
. mild cathartic, and add to this tho daily use 
of some blood purifying decoction of sarsa- 
, parillu, sassafras, or its equivalent, and— 
\ marry, if you have no wife. Remember that 
married men are in general healthier and 
Live longer tlmu bachelors. Life insur&ncc 
companies underfit and this. 
“More than forty years ago,” says the 
New York Journal of Commerce, “when it 
was found that prevention for the Asiatic 
cholera was easier than cure, the learned 
doctors of both hemispheres drew up a pro 
scription, which was published (for working 
people) in the New York Sun, and took I he 
name of “ The Sun Cholera Mixture.” Our 
contemporary never lent its name to a better 
article. We have seen it in constant use for 
nearly tvfo score years, and found it. to be 
the best remedy for looseness of the bowels 
ever yet devised. It is to be commanded foi 
several reasons. It is not to be mixed with 
Uquor, and therefore will not be used -as an 
alcoholic, beverage. Its ingredients are well 
known among all the common people, and it 
will have no prejudice to combat; each of 
the materials is in equal proportion to the 
others, and it may therefore be compounded 
Without professional skill; and as the dose is 
so very small, it may be carried in a tiny 
phial in tho waistcoat pocket, and be always 
at hand. It is t Tinct. opii, capsici, rhei co., 
menth. pip., campho. 
BATHING IN COLD WATER. 
We do not know who is the author of the 
following, but it seems to have been written 
by some one who professes to know what he 
is talking about and it accords, to a large ex¬ 
tent, with our own experience : Nothing is 
more common than a custom of many per¬ 
sons to have a cold water bath immediately 
on leaving their beds as a daily habit. Deli- 
cutely-organized ladles not uji frequently have 
established the same course, considering it 
conducive to the health. There is an Im¬ 
pression that it invigorates the individual, 
hardens the muscles and -strengthens the con¬ 
stitution. The sudden abstraction of caloric 
or vital warmth in that way has not only in¬ 
jured but destroyed more than ever were 
benefited thereby. A reaction, as it is called, 
a glow of warmth that subsequently follows, 
a direct draft upon the system to meet a sud¬ 
den loss of vitality, Is by no means beneficial 
as theoretically imagined. A tepid bath 
makes no such injurious demands, and there¬ 
fore, is not injurious nor perilous to (hose of a 
frail structure. 
