MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
■* —~a ft ’. ; 
34 
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KEEP AMMONIA IN THE HOUSE. 
We find the following sensible article cred¬ 
ited to “Exchange” which we transfer to 
our columns because our own experience 
teaches us the advice is good : 
“No housekeeper should be without a bot¬ 
tle of spirits of ammonia, for besides its med¬ 
ical falue, it is invaluable for household 
purposes. It is nearly as useful as soap, and 
its cheapness brings it within the reach of 
all. Put a teaspoonful of ammonia to a 
quart of warm soap suds, dip in a flannel 
cloth, and wipe off the dust and fly spoeks 
and see for yourself how much labor it will 
save. No scrubbing will bo needful. It will 
cleanse and brighten silver wonderfully; to 
a pint of suds mix a teaspoonful of the spirits, 
dip in your silver spoons, forks, etc., nib 
with a brush, and polish with chamois skins. 
“For washing mirrors and windows it is 
very desirable ; put a few drops of ammonia 
on a piece of paper and it will readily take 
off every spot or finger mark on the glass. 
It will take out, grease spots from every 
fabric; put on the ammonia nearly clear, 
lay blotting paper over the place and press a 
hot fliit iron on it for a few moments. A few 
drops of water will clean laces and whiten 
them as well ; also muslins. Then it is a 
most refreshing agent at the toilet table; a 
few drops in a basin of water will make a 
better bath than pure water, and if the skin 
is oily it will remove all glossiness and disa¬ 
greeable odors. Added to a foot bath it en¬ 
tirely absorbs all noxious smell so often 
arising from the feet in warm weather, and 
nothing is bettor for cleaning the hair from 
dandrulf and dust. For cleaning hair and 
nail brushes It is equally good. 
“Put a teaspoonful of ammonia into one 
pint of water, and shako the brushes through 
the water. When they look white rinse 
them in water and put them in the sunshine, 
or in a warm place to dry. The dirtiest 
brashes will come out of this bath white and 
clean. For medicinal purposes ammonia is 
always unrivaled. For the headache it is a 
desirable stimulant, and frequent inhaling of 
its pungent odors will often entirely remove 
catarrhal cold. There is no better remedy 
for heartburn and dyspepsia, and the aro¬ 
matic spirits of ammonia is especially pre¬ 
pared for these troubles. Ten drops of it In 
a wine-glass of water are often a great relief. 
The spirits of ammonia can be taken in tho 
same way but it is not as palatable. 
“ In addition to all these uses, the effect of 
ammonia on vegetation is beneficial. If you 
desire roses, geraniums, fuchsias, etc., to be¬ 
come more flourishing, you can try it upon 
them by adding five or six drops to every 
pint of warm water that you give them, but 
don’t repeat the dose of toner than once in 
five or six days, lest you stimulate them too 
highly. So be sure and keep a large bottle 
of it in the house and have a glass stopper 
for it, as it is very evanescent and also in¬ 
jurious to corks. 
-- 
“THE HOME ATMOSPHERE” 
I have just finished reading an article in 
Rural New-Yorker, Dec. 20, entitled “The 
Home Atmosphere” written by Esther 
Allen. Now, when I read a paper, it is my 
custom to sift out the chaff, (as I term it) and 
think over and remember the best part, I 
think this article very good and will venture 
to reply, although I never did such a thing 
in my life. I wonder if Esther ever thought 
when such habits were formed, or, what 
formed them ? I have, because I have fre¬ 
quently seen just such management as she 
has. I could prove by several instances such 
habits were formed while young. 1 will give 
my experience t—When a little girl, scarce 10 
years old, I remember reading in a newspa¬ 
per something that told me about nice, tidy 
housekeepers, and also about slovenly ones. 
I wanted very much to be a nice housekeep¬ 
er, so I commenced at once to keep my own 
room in order. But being the oldest of more 
than half a dozen children I had some?thing 
to do to accomplish even that. Persever¬ 
ance helped me. I always commenced in 
the morning, made my bed, (after airing it) 
pur. everything in its place, swept and dusted 
my room. That was the beginning. As 1 
grew older I continued to road and practice, 
and to-day (although only in my twenties), 
I have a home of my own and continue to 
have order. I am a farmer’s wife and have 
little ones to take care of arid do my own 
work. This shows what good papers like 
tho Rural do, I wish the next generation 
of little girls could all read it and be benefited 
by it. I could tell you the slovenly side if I 
had time and space. But it would be where 
good papers never came. 
Now, good Mr. Editor, please correct the 
mistakes, nud publish this, in hopes it may 
keep even one little girl from being a sloven ; 
then the object of the writer will be accom¬ 
plished. Bernice Better. 
Binghamton, N. Y. 
- *~+~* - 
BUCKWHEAT CAKES. 
Please allow me to answer that “Young 
Housekeeper” who wants to know how to 
make t he best buckwheat cakes in the world; 
for I think I know by experience how to do 
it. Take three tablespoonfuls hop yeast, four 
teacups buttermilk, one teacup warm water, 
a little salt, a handful Indian meal, about 
three teacups buckwheat flour, mix all 
together in a stone jar and set by the fire to 
rise. When it begins to look like bread 
sponge, set it away in a cool place (to prevent 
it from souring); it is then ready for use 
and will make cakes that, saleratns ones 
cannot be compared to and more wholesome 
too. There is as much difference between 
the two kinds as there is between nice raised 
bread and saleratns biscuit. If the first 
named cakes were used there would be ag 
much difference between the persons who 
eat them and those who eat saleratus ones 
as there is between a robust, healthy person, 
and a dyspeptic. Try it and be convinced. 
1 see by the answers in ltURAL Dec. 20th, 
everybody makes saleratus cakes. I suppose 
they don’t know how to make any other; 
for if they did, they would not make that 
kind long. 
Whenever these cakes sour through neg¬ 
lect, or otherwise, the jar should be cleaned, 
well scalded and commenced anew. 
Bernice Better. 
-- ■ 
CURING MEAT. 
In the Rural New-Yorker of Dec. 6th, I 
saw a long article in regard to curing meat 
by Mr. Gould, all of which is good. For the 
benefit of the readers of the Rural I will 
give my receipt for curing hams. I rub them 
well with fine salt and sugar and lay in a 
dry place. After five or six days, rub again, 
putting on some new salt, as the old becomes 
hard and does not penetrate. At the end of 
eight or nine days apply tile salt again, using 
u» sugar only the first time. Keep the salt 
on them until the shank looks white and the 
skin drawn down tight. When you sec your 
hams and shoulders look as described, you 
may know your meat is ready to smoke. 
Shoulders take salt about one week sooner 
than hams. 
The best way I have found to keep smoked 
meat is to take it before the flies have de¬ 
posited then* eggs, and put the Orleans mo¬ 
lasses on and sprinkle black pepper, ground 
fine over it, and hang back in your smoke¬ 
house. In damp weather add a little smoke. 
Thus your hams are free from must and 
mold. I have tried this for years and with 
good satisfaction. An Old Subscriber. 
-*~*~*-- 
SELECTED RECIPES. 
Friar's Omelet .—Boil eight or nine large 
apples to a pulp, stir in two ounces of butter, 
and add pounded sugar to taste. When cold, 
add an eg g well beaten up. Then butter the 
bottom ol a deep baking dish, and the sides 
also. Thickly strew crumbs of bread, so as 
to stick all over the bottom and sides. Put in 
the mixture, and Strew breud crumbs plenti¬ 
fully over tho top. Put, it into a moderate 
oven, and when baked turn it out, and put 
powdered sugur over. 
To Menxl China .—Take a. very thick solu¬ 
tion of gum arabic in water, and stir into it 
plaster of Paris until the mixture becomes 
of a proper consistency. Apply it with a 
brush tn the fractured edges of the china, 
and stick them together, in three days the 
articles cannot be broken in the sime place. 
The whiteness of the cement renders it doubly 
valuable. 
Mush and Fried Mush .—Stir corn meal 
into boiling water till sufficiently thick. Add 
salt; keep stirring it to prevent it being 
lumpy. It should bpil nearly one hour. Pour 
it out into pans, and when"cold it makes a 
wholesome .rad good dessert, if sliced and 
fried. Eat it with sugar and cream, or butter 
and molasses. 
London Syllabub .—A pint and a half of 
sherry; two ounces of sugar ; grated nut¬ 
meg ; two nil arts of milk. Sweeten a pint 
and a half of sherry with the loaf sugar in a 
bowl, and add nutmeg. Milk into it from 
the cow about two quarts of milk. 
Apple Sauce. —Two quarts of water, a pint 
of molasses, a root of ginger, and boil all 
together twenty minutes ; put in while boil¬ 
ing a peck of pared, cored and quartered 
apples. Stew till tender. 
Ham Toast .—Chop lean ham, and put it in 
a pan with pepper, a lump of butter, and two 
eggs well ocaten. When well warmed, 
spread it on hot buttered toast and serve. 
With the holidays, we enter upon the 
round of social pleasures. From the center 
of fashion, we learn that black is the most 
popular color for evening toilettes. The fa¬ 
vorite material is tulle, which sometimes 
comes embroidered with white dots and 
sometimes with gold and silver. Tulle dresses 
are made with a succession of side-plaited 
raffles to the waist and ornamented with 
garlands of flowers. For black tulle, a gar¬ 
niture of gold or silver and jet is the hand¬ 
somest trimming. 
A FAVORITE OCCUPATION 
with ladies who have the time, is tho em¬ 
broidery of bouquets and garlands of flow¬ 
ers, which arc now so largely used instead 
of artificial flowers. Those garlands, stamped 
on silk, are embroidered with silk floss, to 
resemble ns closely as possible, and in the 
most harmonious combinations, artificial 
flowers ; the silk of the foundation is then 
cut out. The effect Is very pretty, the gar¬ 
lands being so much lighter than artificial 
flowers. These garlands can be bought by 
the yard for about $5. 
LIGHT SILKS 
come in the delicate shades of pink, blue, 
green, brown and mauve. Very nice quali¬ 
ties, sufficiently good for evening silks, can 
be bought for $1.05 ; 18 yards will make an 
evening dress, as overdresses of the silk .ire 
not woi’n. A moderate train finished with 
one-deep, or two small flounces, completes 
the skirt. The train is generally looped to 
form the pannier. Most corsages terminate 
in short, fancy basques. Sleeves are cut 
Marie Antoinette ; necks, heart-shaped or 
square, trimmed with ruffles of silk and lace 
or tulle. If an overdress is worn it is of lace, 
tulle, or muslin. 
NATURAL FLOWERS 
are always the most suitable for the hair. 
They are mingled with srnilax, which can be 
arranged so tastefully in braids or curls. Tn 
using artificial flowers it is necessary to exer¬ 
cise some caution. Never buy common green 
foliage ; arsenic is used in dyeing it, and 
cases of poisoning have resulted from wear¬ 
ing it. 
GLOVES FOR EVENING WEAR 
should be of tho same tint aa the dress if it 
is light. Three buttons tiro tho very least 
that fashion allows, while five and six are 
tho favorite numbers. Wc will assure our 
readers hero that tho greater the number of 
buttons tho better the kid, and that from the 
standpoint of economy, it is always better 
to buy light gloves. The seams do not stretch 
as in tho dark colors, and they can always 
be cleaned and afterward colored. The clean¬ 
ing is but a few minutes’ work with a basin 
of water, a clean towel and some good soap. 
Wring the towel out quite dry, use plenty of 
soap, and having put the glove on, touch it 
lightly, changing the place on the towel tho 
moment it is soiled. Always be careful not to 
get the kid too wet; after cleaning, stretch 
the glove well, pulling it in every direction ; 
then, if it shows spots of dirt, apply the 
towel and soap again. The whole matter is 
very simple, and only requires patience and 
a little care. It is better to clean every spot 
as it appears than to wait until the glove is 
too soiled to wear. Good gloves (for only 
good gloves will stand cleaning) may be made 
to last in this way twice as long. 
NECKLACES OF BLACK VELVET RIBBON 
are very pretty for evening wear, dotted 
with delicate steel stars, which sparkle like 
diamonds in the evening; gilt i leur-de-Lis 
are also used. A pendant of velvet, studded 
and trimmed with gilt fringe, is often added. 
Cut beads, graduated, of jet, amethyst, 
quartz, crystal and smoked crystal, are a 
great deal worn, as are various tints of Ro¬ 
man pearls, which have earrings to match. 
Frosted gilt and silver balls are very popu¬ 
lar as earrings now. Cuff buttons to match, 
composed of two buttons united by a chain, 
are the favorite style. 
The very large gold chains and lockets so 
much in vogue for the few past years, are 
disappearing. The imitations have been car¬ 
ried on so successfully that they could not 
be detected on the person without close scru¬ 
tiny. The smaller links are now in use, and 
serve simply as chains for pendants and me¬ 
dallions. 
THE FASHION IN JEWELRY 
is for light enamel, which is of the most del¬ 
icate description. Light mauve or pearl 
grounds, with forget-me-nots, roses and vio¬ 
lets, are veiy lovely. This is the style of 
many of the Geneva watches now. Tho 
chains are composed of a center and two 
outside chains, that in the center being most 
heavily twisted. They are caught at inter¬ 
vals with enameled bars. On the chatelaine 
are enameled charms. Although go beauti¬ 
ful, this style is very fragile, and requires 
careful treatment, 
Tho favorite ring now for both ladies and 
gentlemen is t he cameo. Dark grounds are 
the most becoming. They are pointed oval 
or oblong in shape, and set in dead Roman 
gold. Enameled rings of the same style are 
also worn, and turquoise hoops. A fashion¬ 
able caprice dictates wearing rings on the 
little and third finger, two and throe on each. 
It, is a fashion, however, which has nothing 
to commend it but its novelty. 
Bracelets are not worn so commonly. 
Euamoled bands are the most used. There 
is a fancy for shell and jet ; the latter is most 
becoming. Large rounded bands of jet, 
crossed with narrow threads of gold, forming 
lozenges, are the prettiest. 
ONE OF THE MOST SUITABLE HATS 
for ordinary wear is a felt, with tumed-up 
brim, around which is twisted a foulard 
handkerchief, blue, or blue aud crimson, 
the two ends turning up and fastened with 
a steel or jet ornament. Iu addition, they 
have the merit of not soiling easily. It is 
very advantageous, in selecting a 
WALKING COSTUME 
to have tho under petticoat of the same shade 
trimmed with a nairow flounce. In bad 
weather, the dress may bo looped beyond all 
reach of the mud, and the effect will be the 
same. This we not only suggest, but warmly 
commend. Any one who has seen the mot¬ 
ley effects of costumes looped on gray, white, 
brown and red skirts, and contrasted them 
with costumes and skirts of the same shade, 
will readily comprehend how desirable is 
the latter fashion. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Ermine. — Annie. —If you have not let your 
ermine get too dirty, you can clean it by rub¬ 
bing it with bran. However, if it is very 
dirty, you can wash it in a lathpr of curd 
soap and water, slightly blued. Then shake 
it until quite dry, and rub the skin until it is 
thoroughly soft. Of course, you are to exer¬ 
cise a good deal of care, and not use more 
water than is necessary. • 
Washing Lace.. —Mrs. J. T.—Never let your 
lace get veiy dirty, as it requires such careful 
handling. Lot it soak first in cold soap suds, 
then wash it gently in warm water. If it'is 
a bad color, wind It carefully on a bottle and 
boil it after thoroughly soaping it. Never 
wring it, but carefully squeeze it. If stiffen¬ 
ing is required, put a lump of sugar in the 
rinse water, but never use starch. When the 
lace Is almost dry, take it and press it out 
gently, but do not iron it. If you put a little 
gum arable in the starch for your linen, you 
will give it the glow you desire. 
Greek Cross. — “ Frou-Frou.”— In the Lat¬ 
in cross the arms are placed above the center, 
lu tho Greek cross they are placed across the 
center ; on each end is a small croBslet, also 
of equal length and breadth. The Latin cross 
is tho form adopted in all the Catholic 
churches and cathedrals. 
Frosted Gfas3.—“ ITousekekver.”-— Take 
thick tissue paper of four or six thicknesses, 
and cut stars at regular intervals; wet the 
paper in thin boiled arrowroot water, and 
put it on inside the glass veiy smoothly and 
let it thoroughly dry ; with a seft paint 
brush and salad oil cover the paper ; it will 
remain for years. 
Silver Jewelry. —Ella K.— Genoa is the 
great depot for silver jewelry. To clean it, 
use a toothbrush and spirits of hartshorn. It 
comes in complete sets. 
Fancy Dress. — “Fanchon.” —Avery sim¬ 
ple fancy dress is a scarlet merino, festooned 
with strings of popcorn, which can be put on 
in many striking designs. In a fancy basket 
carry popcorn and a small cup. 
Chamber Music.—" Mrsicus.”—Chamber 
musijC is music which is not generally played 
at large and mixed concerts, but in those 
smaller rooms where are given wliat is called 
recitals. It is the music of the great com¬ 
posers, played to audiences who are familiar 
with and appreciate the more difficult kinds 
of composition. Hans von Be low is the 
great interpreter of chamber music. He 
married tho daughter of Arbi Liszt. His 
wife has since married Wagner, the eccen¬ 
tric musician of Munich, and apostle of the 
music of the future. 
— — -- ++* - 
Miss Myra Gurney of South Abington, 
has put six months and forty thousand 
stitches into a life-sized worsted-work por¬ 
trait of George Wasbington. George would 
never have done that for Miss Gurney. 
A lady in Edinburgh wears a mole-skin 
mantle manufactured from the coats of near¬ 
ly GOO moles captured on her own property. 
