In eating or drinking we may be governed 
by taste or appetite, yet reason and judg¬ 
ment will be the best and safest guide. Bo 
in building. Blinds may please the “ op¬ 
tics," as Mr. Snook affirms they do bis; yet, 
when we place the health of the family of 
seven persons occupying that cottage so well 
planned, as it certainly is, on the other end 
of the beam, we opine that the “ optic" con¬ 
sideration will go up. We claim that when 
blinds are left. off nothing is sacrificed in ap¬ 
pearance; for, strange indeed, if that “ tidy 
housewife" cannot invent some kind of cur¬ 
tains that will equal in appearance a wood 
frame, painted of one color with oil and lead. 
True, as lie says, many architects ignore 
blinds, which is the best evidence that they 
are real masters of their calling. Very few 
of the best buildings recently erected have 
blinds on the outside, though some now use 
them inside the glass. We would suggest 
that authors advise and recommend that 
aturalist 
the sweet 
than the daughter, standing in 
simplicity of her youug womanhood by the 
side of her careworn mother, to relieve and 
aid her? Now she presides at the table, now 
diverts half a score of little folks in the li¬ 
brary, or entertains cousins or grandparents. 
She can assist her younger brothers in their 
sports, or the elder ones in their studies; read 
the Rural to her weary father, or smooth 
the aching brow of her fevered mother. Al¬ 
ways ready with a helping hand and a cheer¬ 
ful smile tor every emergency, she is an an¬ 
gel of love and a blessing to the home circle. 
Should she be called out of it to originate a 
home of her own, would she be any less 
lovely or self-sacrificing? Would not her 
cheerful smile and words of encouragement* 
in the hour of trial and affliction, inspire us 
to renewed action.” 
We think it would. But seriously, there 
is a great deal of fudge about the “ self-sac¬ 
rifice" and “sweet simplicity," and “angel 
of love,” and eternal, infinite readiness of 
“helping hands," that you work in with 
your ideal girl. Give her some other attri¬ 
butes. 
Umtl 
onustk (gcanamt) 
CO-OPERATIVE BUG FIGHTING, 
HORSE BARN AND CARRIAGE 
HOUSE. 
I send a sketch of a drive-house aud 
stable that I have erected for myself. The 
building is frame, sided around with half- 
inch boards seven inches wide; doom of 
three-fourths inch ; boards tongued and 
grooved ; the carriage room (A) is thirty-two 
by thirty feet, and composes the eastern por¬ 
tion of the building; the stable (B) the west¬ 
ern. There are two seta of driving doors, 
one in front and one in rear, giving nn op¬ 
portunity to drive through, as may be found 
very convenient, without moving or chang¬ 
ing any vehicle that may be left standing in 
CONDUCTED BY MARY A. E. WAGER, 
Our readers know that Lh« Viuclandera 
commenced fighting bugs the past season in 
an organized, systematic and co-operative 
manner, at the instance of Dr J. P. Trim¬ 
ble. Mr. Charles K. Landis, iu a letter to 
the Evening Post says: 
“ Under this active system, the borers were 
dug out of the trees, and when the curculio 
came tluj jarring process began, and so thor¬ 
oughly was it done that in a short time 
scarcely a curculio was to be seen. This was 
kept up the entire season. The people found 
that by concerted action it only required a 
few minutes a day in their orchard to get 
rid of the ouemy; that, in short, where all 
fought them the trouble was little or nothing. 
That year (1809) wc hud an immense fruit 
crop generally. The season was naturally 
good for peaches, but we obtained plums, 
Our applc3 were 
TALK WITH CORRESPONDENTS. 
A Man'i Letter, With a Woman’s Interpo¬ 
lations. 
Mr. L. D. Snook sends us an article entitled 
“A Peep into the Kitchen,” which shows 
the domestic spirit of the man and the genu¬ 
ine sympathy he ha3 with womankind in 
poiut of kitchen work. We regret that our 
columns will not admit of publishing the 
article entire. But in cutting down letteis 
DON’T FRET1 
green gages and apricots, 
perfect specimens." The testimony is that 
the cost of saving the fruit in the manner 
described was less than five per cent, of the 
value of the fruit saved. 
Fretting is the most expensive habit that 
king or peasant can indulge in. 
It, is the most vexing habit that surround¬ 
ing beings can be subjected to. 
It is one of the most unchristian-like 
habits. 
If indulged in until it becomes chronic, it 
is then a disease, like insanity, and should 
be treated as such. 
It wears deep as grief and as ugly as sin. 
Fretting never did any good, never re¬ 
paired any losses, never alfected the weather, 
never mended a rent, never kept a dinner or 
a heart warm. 
If you must fret, go off somewhere by 
yourself and do it. You may not enjoy it 
quite so well, but others will, vastly more. 
If you have any beauty, health, happiness, 
or friends to lose, you cannot afford to Jret, 
else you lose them, all that makes life worth 
having. If any affair can be bettered by ac¬ 
tion, act, with all your might. If rolling and 
tossiug away a sleepless night will workout 
a redemption, then roll and toss. 
You say you can’t help worrying and fret¬ 
ting and borrowing trouble? Your seli- 
government is of a poor quality then. You 
need to be put into subjection unto yourself. 
Drive down a stake to-day and burn these 
words in it:—“I will not fret, though tlio 
heavens seem to bo falling. I will not fret, 
DESTROYING MOTHS AND BUGS 
I saved the maple sugar shimmings, such 
as are usually thrown away, and when mil¬ 
lers, bugs, &c., began to lly, I placed the 
skimming* in the garden in several old 
dishes near the trees and shrubs, and the 
sweet acid smell, attracted the attention of 
hundreds of millers, bugs, &e. When the 
surface was covered with them, I skimmed 
them out on to the hard ground, and trod 
on them to make sure of their death. The ax 
thus placed at the root of ilic tree, saves 
much destructive work these millers and 
bugs might otherwise do, and the great labor 
required in destroying their work after it is 
plainly seen. Sweetened water or sour whey 
from milk, if placed in the orchard or gar¬ 
den among trees or shrubs, will do a vast 
deal of work in trapping various insects. 
About Mink*.—The correspondent who makes 
inquiries about minks is Informed that if ho 
desires to “ keep minks” ho will Had it neces¬ 
sary to “keep them confined." if ho were “to 
enclose a few acres of Bwatnpy land, and allow 
thorn not no freedom,” he would commit about 
as great a blunder as tho fabled SchilbcOHEU 
did when ho determined to destroy u ontb by 
drowning, and simply throw 1dm into the water. 
II tho minks nro allowed several ucrosuf land, 
or several square rods of land, they will soon 
burrow so successfully that their fur will be 
dearly paid for by tho amount of digging neces¬ 
sary to find and capture them, if., North Caro¬ 
lina. 
ngrcnic information 
A LIGHT, WARM TALK. 
of having good substantial colors. For the 
green take three ounces alum, one-half 
pound fustic, two ounces curcuma, one 
tablespoonful blue compound to each one 
pound of goods; boil tho fustic iu enough 
water to cover the goods and strain it, add 
the other ingredients, and bring it to a boil¬ 
ing heat; rinse in clear water. To color 
scarlet, for one pound of goods take two 
ounces cochineal, one ounce cream tartar, 
one ounce quercitron bark, one-half ounce 
curcuma, two ounces madder compound; 
put all the ingredients, except llie madder 
compound, into enough water to cover the 
goods, bring it to a boiling heat, add the 
compound, and put in the goods ; let it 
stand until you have the color required. If 
you want a bright, pretty crimson, color 
your goods a strong madder first, and then 
in the cochineal dye.—M. E. C., Otieida Co. y 
K F., 1870. 
To Color Scarlet , 
Can'laae House and Horse Stable—Ground Plan. 
The carriage room (A) is thirty-two feet 
by thirty, including the harness-room and 
stairway; the stablo (B) is thirty-four feet by 
twenty; C, C, passage by aide and hall in 
front of horses; e, entrance from carriage 
room to stable, closed by a slide door hung 
on rollers at tho top r d, harness room; /, 
stairs; g , doors : h, windows; stable door 
on the back may be kept for common use, 
which leaves the front yard clean and tidy. 
Burford, Out. D. Smith. 
•Take soft water enough 
to cover the cloth, bring to a boiling heat in 
a copper or brass kettle; then add one and 
a-half ounces of cream tartar for every pound 
of cloth. Boil a minute or two and then 
add two ounces of powdered lac and three 
ounces of madder compound. The lac and 
compound must be mixed in an earthem 
bowl. Boil a few minutes more; wet the 
yam with warm water and ring out; put in 
the dye, boil an hour ancl rinse in cold water. 
—Mrs. E. W. 
To Pickle Red Cabbage .—Select solid heads 
—small hard ones are better than loose ones, 
but any kind will do—trim and quarter 
them, (unless the heads are quite small;) 
stick into eacli whole cloves, from ten to 
twenty in a quarter; add any other spices 
to suit taste ; boil till tender—not too soft — 
in pure eider vinegar; no other kind will do. 
BLINDS ON DWELLINGS. 
In the Rural of January 29th, page 70, 
in an article by L. D. Snook, under the head 
of “Farmers’ Cottages," wo read the follow¬ 
ing:—“There ia also another method of 
permanently ornamenting dwellings, which 
many architects and builders seem to ignore, 
viz.—providing the windows with blinds. A 
country residence without blinds, to my op¬ 
tics, presents a cheerless, unfinished appear¬ 
ance.” He argues that, by the use of blinds, 
rooms can be made dark, and the furniture, 
carpets, &c., will not fade—and advises every 
one who has not, to go and order blinds at 
once. 
Wo beg to differ, and claim that such ad¬ 
vice is wrong, because it clearly violates 
natural laws and makes such a dwelling un¬ 
healthy. True, the light aud sun may fade 
the carpet, provided the colors are not fast; 
but Providence has made both, and without 
light and the rays of the sun, no vegetable 
or animal growth or existence will be natu- 
| ral or healthy. 
€t»l!blota»—Remedy for.- T have* been a suf¬ 
ferer for a period of ton years from chilblain* in 
lta moBtacute form. 1 wassufforiiig tortures one 
evening, and mistaking a vial of peppermint for 
turpentine, I applied it before discovering my 
error. Immediately the burping sensation and 
itching ceased, and I was relieved tor tho re¬ 
mainder of tho evening. I Immediately pre¬ 
pared a lotion, which removes soreness and 
Infiamatlon ns well as the itching, which 1 here¬ 
with give, hoping it may prove as beneficial to 
other farmer boys as to myself1 drachm tinc¬ 
ture of opium; 2 drachms tincture arnica; 1 
,whm best oil of peppermint.— B. M. Ross, 
