fV- : ■" 
9 
_- 
AU@. 
K£R 
Jotntst^ dimming. 
EAG CAKPETS AGAIN. 
I have been much interested in the rag 
carpet question in the columns of the Rural 
New-Yorker, and determined to add my 
mite of experience. I confess my sympa¬ 
thies were with J axe Brandon and her blis¬ 
tered hands. The hist speaker recommended 
sharp scissors aa a preventive, but with 
constant use the shears will wear the fingers 
to v blister if they are not cushioned—the 
shears I mean, and the tingere too. Wind 
the hows of the shears with several thick¬ 
nesses of clot#, and those of your fingers 
which come in contact with them, with as 
many more. Now this is not all theory ; it 
has been tested by practice. Our people have 
made several carpets within my recollection, 
and I have done my shure of cutting and 
sewing. 
Rag carpets and their manufacture form 
an essential branch of domestic economy 
among farmers ; for being made principally 
from cast-off clothing, the expense, aside 
from tile labor, need not be very great, and 
the old garments are t hus made to do double 
duty. Furthermore, the carpels are. not too 
fine for use ; yet, when well made, and the 
colors nicely blended, are really handsome, 
and give an ah* of cheerfulness and substan¬ 
tial comfort to the dining and living room of 
the farm house, not easily attained by a shab¬ 
by, threadbare ingrain or three-ply. I know- 
many farmers whose chambers and sitting 
l-Oom, and, in fact, every part of the house, 
except, it may be, the parlor, are carpeted 
with thiR home-made tapestry; the sensible 
“ woman-folks’’ preferingplain furniture, to 
the privations attending so many line things, 
and the difficulty of keeping up a Rtyle to 
correspond, upon the not always immense 
income of the working farmer. If any of 
the family can engage in any employment, 
like .Tank's friends, which will enable them 
to get carpets for the parlor or chambers 
more easily than to make them at home, it 
would, of course, be better, and BnisseUs or 
ingrain would give better satisfaction ; yet 
for more common use, for the sleeping rooms 
of the family and the dining room, which, in 
winter at least, is often used us kitchen, too, 
give us rag carpets. 
Some people take great pains in preparing 
their rags, I do not wish to reflect upon 
those ladies who make them in so short a 
time, for 1 know nothing of their method. 
But I know there is a vast difference in the 
quality of rag carpets. Home cut the rags 
very tine, and instead of cutting around the 
corners of an angular piece of cloth cut ev¬ 
ery strip off and sew on the next one, in or¬ 
der to avoid the uneven places and ragged 
corners sticking up in the carpet. This ne¬ 
cessitates an.amount of sewing which would 
look rather formidable for two months’ 
work. Again, instead of turning any of the 
cotton rags they cut them all to avoid the 
fringed and ravelled edges. Hence, the al¬ 
ternative of cushioned shears or blistered 
fingers. No doubt all this seems to many 
like useless labor, “just for a rag carpet.” 
But there is a preceptiblo difference in curpet 
made in this way, and the shabby affairs we 
sometimes see which were made years ago. 
Besides, those of us who depend upon rag 
carpets for our best rooms naturally wish to 
carry their manufacture to the highest, passi¬ 
ble degree of perfection. 
As to '-hip-slop” or “hit-and-miss” car¬ 
pets they are very pretty while now and the 
colors are bright, but with constant use and 
frequent sweeping even the fast colors will 
grow dim long before the web begins to fail. 
Then they are no longer chenc, but all of a 
of a color, and their want of design or form 
makes them seem very homely, while a stripe 
holds its own far better. Of course it need 
not be a glaring contrast of red and yellow, 
or green and orange, but shaded greens, a 
little red and Jess yellow—almost none at all 
of the latter—rich brown, rnaroon, etc. Two 
or three shades of a color are almost as ne¬ 
cessary to produce a pleasing effect as in em¬ 
broidery hi worsteds. A light aniline red 
shading into inaroon, or if you are partial to 
brighter colors, a cochineal scarlet, madder 
led, which usually has a yellowish tinge, and 
orange. Blue was always a perplexity to me. 
I could not find a place for it anywhere in a 
stripe; it would not. harmonize with anything. 
I should have left it out entirely if I had had 
iny own choice in the matter. But finally, 
after looking at some green and blue plaid 
cress goods, a bright idea crossed my mind, 
t-put a thread of black and a thread of blue 
alternately until I had five of black and four 
of blue, and on either side two shades of 
green, the darkest next the black and blue. 
This proved to be the handsomest stripe of 
all, and the blue did not look out of place or 
jar upon one’s nerves of vision. Black and 
white, “ thread and thread,” makes a very 
pretty center for a rod stripe. Many of these 
colors, the blue, yellow, orange, and two or 
three shades of green, may be colored upon 
cotton, and are as durable as anything in a rag 
carpet. Old calico dresses and aprons dyed 
with cutch make a good brown ; and an old 
worsted dress, either gray or brown, if not 
too dark, dipped in an aniline dye, will 
make a garnet or maroon. 
By way of consolation for Jane Brandon, 
who seems to regret her four years’ labor, 1 
must tell her of a good lady I knew, who was 
tea years making a carpet! Of course she 
had other work w id other sewing to do, but 
she’ cut rags more or less every winter for 
ten years. See cut thorn all straight, and in 
sewing doubled in the edges and sewed them 
over and over! A trifle old mnidish wo all 
thought, but her carpet is very nice and is 
expected to last indefinitely. 
. A Farmer’s Daughter. 
- » » » 
DOMESTIC BREVITIES. 
Stand for Visiting Cards. —Figure 1 (see 
page 125) is a stand for visiting cards. The 
frame is made of black varnished rattan, but 
may be made of wood in the form of rustic 
work. There are two flat plates which, may 
he ornamented to suit by painting. The 
edges of these are hung by bead ornaments 
as shown in figures 3 And 3. Figure 2 illus¬ 
trates one kind of bead work. Take a small 
strip of oil cloth which fits around the edges 
of the. respective plates, measure equal dis¬ 
tances, sew black jet buttons on and string 
bronze beads, thus constructing the first row. 
Then take gold or amber-colored beads and 
make the second row; the third row of white 
beads. Stick.these around the jet buttons to 
the oil-cloth. The four double-twisted rows 
may he made of different colored beads. 
The ends of these can be sewed on to the oil¬ 
cloth, and, after they are securely fastened, 
cut the oil-cloth which shows from under the 
ornament, and then fasten it to the edges of 
the plates. Figure 3 shows a ' different pat¬ 
tern of ornamentation, which any ingenious 
lady can work. 
Suit for Girl. 7 to 0 Years Old. —(See page 
125). This suit is made of striped Mozam¬ 
bique; the edging, fluted, of light brown, 
striped linen. The hat: is of light straw, or¬ 
namented with light and dark gros grain rib¬ 
bons and a bunch of artificial flowers. 
|lunit ^rchitcilitrt 
PLAN OF A COTTAGE. 
In compliance with your suggestion, I send 
you sketch of cottage specially adapted to 
the many families of culture and refinement, 
who are unable to build, or maintain a more 
pretentious—but often less comfortable—es¬ 
tablishment. I have considered cost of 
building, cost of warming, ventilation, con¬ 
venience and comfort, and believe there is 
much more comfort to be had in a house of 
this character than in one costing a great 
deal more to build and maintain. 
Many of your fair readers will remember 
how often company has called when the 
parlor—being across the hall—was as cold as 
all out-doors, and the family room all in con¬ 
fusion, and how she skipped around gathering 
towels and clothes, and d—(triangular fixins), 
while the friend froze at the door. Prompted 
by pity, pure and unadulterated, for these 
good folks, I provide for the economical 
warming of the whole house, so the visitor 
can at once be admitted to a warm and tidy 
room. 
A is the family room, 15 by U), also used 
as a dining-room. H is a large, stove, the 
door of which is in family room, and the 
chimney for it is built directly over it, but 
the pipe enters with an elbow, and has a 
damper in it; the Stove is separated from the 
parlor by a Russia iron plate, made iti the 
form of a half dome ; this should have the 
polish on the Inner side deadened, to permit 
the freer absorption uf the heat from the 
stove, which is radiated by the bright side 
in the parlor. A moderate fire will keep the 
parlor and family room comfortable at all 
times; but you must have a good large 
stove, it will burn loss coal than a small one. 
If you burn wood, you can have an open 
fire-place in the family room if you choose, 
and have a cast-iron chimney back, which 
will transmit the heat, usually wasted, to 
the parlor. You will thus save your friend’s 
patience, and perhaps some of her religion, 
your own hurry and flurry, and the trouble, 
dirt, and expense of another fire, and find it 
vastly more comfortable, and easier to tend 
than a furnace in the cellar. 
The kitchen, 10 by 12, is back of family 
room, and the two bedrooms 10 by 12, com¬ 
municate with the family room and parlor 
by sliding doors 4% feet inside ; there is 
ample room in them for a large bedstead, 
bureau and washstaud, and two or three 
chairs. With the large doors open they will 
be cool enough in summer and warm enough 
in winter. The windows and doors are placed 
so as to allow furniture to be well arranged, 
and permit a fine draught of air, and health- 
giving sunshine, dear through the house. 
All the rooms, except the kitchen, open on 
porches which shelter the doors, and in some 
degree take the place of halls. Closets may 
be made betwepn family room and kitchen, 
and corner closets in bedrooms, and a trap 
door in the kitchen gives you admittance to 
the lofts. 
The pump anti sink ought to he in the 
kitchen ; the wood shed is just outside the 
kitchen door, and a porch extends from shed 
to the end of house. 
This house is nearly square—the cheapest 
form in which a house can be built- and con¬ 
tains ample room for a family consisting of 
parents and four or five children. For com - 
pany, you can havo one of the folding sofas, 
now so generally used in the parlor, Tf it is 
desired to make the house two story, some 
change will be necessary, and if you or your 
readers desire it, i will send you sketch. 
Hillsboro, 0. Cjias. M. O’Hara. 
F. 8.—The following is the description of 
the rooms in detail :—A, family and dining¬ 
room, 15 by 19 ; B, parlor, 15 by 15; 0, 
kitchen, 10 by 12 ; D, D, bedrooms, 10 by 12 ; 
E, wood shed, 10 by 12; F, porch, 6 by 15; 
G, porch, 4 by 15; El, stove ; I, kitchen 
stove ; J, sink ; K, K, washstands ; L, L, 
bureaus ; M, M, beds ; N, N, sliding doors, 
4 Yi feet wide ; O, O, glass doors or windows 
opening on the back porch; P, P, closets; 
R, R, R, R, corner closets. 
-- 
NOTES FOE BUILDERS. 
Plan of Ice House Wanted. —Will you be 
kind enough to insert in your next week’s 
paper this inquiry :—What is the best kind 
of an ico house ? Should it be built all above 
ground, how lined, and if it can as well be 
filled by a small stream of running water and 
freezing, as by putting in cakes of ice.—H. E. 
Damon. 
Ik our correspondent will look at page 212, 
Rural March 30, 1873 ; also Rural January 
1, 1870, page 15 ; also Rural Nov. 27, 1869, 
page 763 ; also Rural Oct. 29, 1870 ; also of 
Dec. 3, 1870, page 361 ; also Rural Jan. 14, 
1871, page 27 ; also Rural Sep. 9, 1871, page 
155, he will find just the informatian he wants 
we think. If he has not these papers they 
can probably be fumisned from this oiliae— 
most of them. 
Architect for Inside Finish. —What archi¬ 
tect is best for inside finish, scroll and orna¬ 
mental work, especially for country build¬ 
ings.—J. A., Bluff ton, Ind. 
We regret to say that we do not really 
know what our correspondent means to ask. 
If he really wishes us to name the architect 
most skilled in designing such work, we must 
confess our ignorance and inability to reply. 
If he means to ask for a work on architecture 
especially suited to his wants, we are equally 
incompetent to state which is best. We ad¬ 
vise him to address the Manufacturer and 
Builder, New York City, for information. 
Jiifonnation. 
AEE GREEN WINDOW SHADES DAN¬ 
GEROUS 1 
Thk following letter contains questions 
which have no doubt suggested themselves 
to many of our readers : 
Editor Rural ; —Will you please give me 
a little space iu vour columns for a chat on 
green window shades. We frequently see 
articles in the newspapers saying that the 
green used in wall paper contains arsenic ; 
that minute particles of this arsenic pervade 
the air of rooms in which this green papering 
is used, thus poisoning the atmosphere, and 
often causing feeble health, and even severe 
Ulriuss. Now, Mr. Editor, will you, or some 
of your correspondents, tell us whether this 
arsenic poison is also contained in the thick, 
green paper used for window shades ? Is it 
in the popular green linen shades ? Ts it also 
found in green muslin and worsted goods ? 
If so, how c»u we detect its presence ? 
If, as is often stated, arsenic is found in 
green tissue dresses, why are veils of green 
barege always preferred us better for the 
eyes ? The green color is so beautiful, and It 
matches so well where the larger windows 
only have blinds, mid the smaller ones in the 
Same room are furnished with papers, that 
wo should bo very sorry to condemn it un¬ 
justly. Please give us some information on 
the subject. We see in your paper so many 
instructive items on just such household top¬ 
ics, that we come to you for light on the 
shade. —J. L. v . 
All greens do not contain arsenic—some 
very fine shades of this color being entirely 
free from it. We cannot give any simple and 
easily executed process by which arsenic 
may lie detected in papers and dry goods ; 
oven the simplest of the known tests are effi¬ 
cient and trustworthy only when employed 
bv an experienced chemist who can be relied 
upon to exclude all sources of fallacy as he 
proceeds. If any sped men of j japer or other 
fabric is suspected to contain arsenic, the 
best plan is to have the sample examined by 
an _ experienced chemist. Bine© the receipt 
of our correspondent’s letter we have had 
several samples of the common paper exam¬ 
ined, and in every case they were free from 
arsenic. 
In this connection it must be remembered 
that arsenic is not volatile at ordinary tem¬ 
perature, and a veil may be saturated with 
arsenic and yet produce no bad effects pro¬ 
vided it is not subjected to abrasion so aa to 
rub off fine particles which may thus find 
their way into Urn system. Papers covered 
with loose, llocculent green matter should 
always lie regarded with suspicion, and it is 
from these papers that most of the poisoning 
mentioned in the public journals arises. 
Glazed papers, and papers that give off no 
dust When severely beaten or rubbed are not 
dangerous, even though containing large 
quantities of arsenic. The same is true of 
oil paint. Arsenical oil paint is, os a general 
rule, perfectly harmless. Of course great 
care must be taken that such paint or color¬ 
ing matter docs not get into food nor drink. 
There is on record a case of severe poisoning 
arising from the use of green paint in a ba¬ 
ker’s shop, 'fhe shelves having been newly 
painted, the paint adhered to the hot loaves, 
and was thus conveyed into the systems of 
the consumers. But so far as the diffusion 
of dust or vapor is concerned, oil paint is per¬ 
fectly harmless. 
Veils, even though dyed with arsenical col¬ 
oring matter, are harmless if well glazed. 
We believe that the materials of most veils 
are coated with a species of gum which takes 
the place of the starch used in common 
goods. Where this is the ease the veils are 
harmless. 
The subject is an important one, and we 
intend to institute a more extensive exami¬ 
nation into the character of the coloring 
matter used in wall-papers and dry goods. 
These results we will give to our readers in 
due time. 
-♦ 
HYGIENIC NOTES. 
Something for the Blood.- 1 wish some one 
through your paper would inform me of 
something that is good for the blood ; havo 
been troubled for some time with impure 
blood but have not as yet found relief.— h. 
Change your diet. Stop eating meal un¬ 
less it be rare beefsteak or rare roast beef. 
Eat that but once a day and not much of it. 
Drink only cold water. Eat a good deal of 
fruit, wholesome bread, but little, if any 
butter. Take plenty of exercise in Lhe open 
aii*. Use no tobacco, and your blood will 
quickly become pure and healthful, provided 
you keep clean, bathing at least once a day, 
all over. 
To Promote the Growth of Hair, a scien¬ 
tific journal says, a decoction of burdock root 
is the safest wash for the scalp, strengthens 
the skin so as to prevent the hair falling out. 
