imiitrM 
JUNE 43 
MOOBE’S BUBAL NEW-YOBKEB. 
338 
Jorntstiq (g^mrmg. 
CLEANING THE CELLAR. 
- 1 
“ A HOMELY topic” you say, and so it is; , 
but not less important than some others 
that we discuss; and we have. a. vague sort , 
of impression that a venerable correspondent , 
of the Rural once condemned t he average 
farm-house cellar as being unfit for keeping } 
milk or storing butter. 
Now, vve do not imagine that in the whole 
country there is but one thoroughly reno¬ 
vated cellar, but thousands, of them, if you 
busy people would only tell ns about them ; 
so we may be pardoned for alluding to the 
way ours is made suitable for dairy purposes. 
One day a neighbor caught us down cel¬ 
lar, right in the midst of our cleaning in a 
part of the house which we have come to 
regard as more essential to the well-being of 
the family than the parlor; and while we 
w ere giving the timbers overhead, and the 
nicely painted walls a good coat of white¬ 
wash, she expressed her surprise that any 
body should be so foolish. 
“ Don’t you have enough white-washing 
to do up stairs ? Is so much extra, work 
necessary V 
We mildly answered, “yes,” to the first 
query, and emphatically “yes” to the last, 
for In lieu of a cool room above ground, the 
cellar was to be our milk room during the 
heat of summer, so no unpleasant odor must 
linger to taint cream or butter. Our work 
was soon finished, and the freshly scoured 
milk racks and tables were in place, when 
two comical figures, mistress and maid, 
emerged from the cellar, well pleased with 
their half day’s work. 
After tea our friend followed us down the 
stairway, and rewarded us with the follow¬ 
ing comment: 
“How cool and light it seems! Why, I 
should like t.o stay here and skim the milk 
myself.” 
This approval from the skeptic of an 
hour or two ago was quite encouraging, and 
here is the programme from beginning to 
end. In the spring, just as soon as the 
weather will permit, the windows and out¬ 
side cellar door are opened, and all the 
decaying vegetables, as well as empty bar¬ 
rels and bins are carried out. When it is 
warm enough to remove the roots to some 
out-building, the men folks again lend us a 
helping hand, and the rest of the boards 
and boxes are piled up somewhere out of 
doors for future use. Nothing is left that 
can harbor mold or undue moisture, not 
even the vinegar barrol and jugs. Only the 
rubbish on the cellar bottom reminds us of 
the generous store of good things that went 
down in November; and when the last 
vestige of that is borne away by stout 
hands, we dismiss our knights of the hoe 
with thanks, for the rest of the task is com 
paratively easy. 
First, there is a thorough sweeping over¬ 
head, down the walls, and about the grateB 
in the windows and upper half of the doors; 
then the gravelly ground which by use has 
become almost as smooth and hard as a 
floor, gets several sweepings, till we are 
quite sure that no decaying matter hides in 
the soil, when Bridget carries the disabled 
spiders and scrapings off to some far away 
place. 
After some dry lime, such as we find par¬ 
tially slaked among the lumps, has been 
sprinkled on the ground close to the walls 
and in the entrance to the drain, we are 
ready for white-washing. Providing our¬ 
selves with an old brush (for the process is 
damaging to a new one) and a kettle of 
whitewash made of fresh lime, a handful of 
salt and sufficient boiling water to allow the 
mixture to be spread on the stonas, we give 
the boards and sleepers above, and every 
stone and crevice in the wall a generous 
brushing. By the time they are dry, and 
the air is purified by the action of the lime, 
the cellar is perfectly sweet and clean, and 
we aim to keep it so. If milk is spilled, it 
is wiped up immediately, and occasionally 
dry lime is sprinkled under t ie racks to 
prevent mold. With every thing banished 
from the room that could impart an un¬ 
pleasant odor we spend many cheerful sum¬ 
mer hours in our dairy. Ruth Lee. 
-♦-*.>-. 
HOW TO TEST COLORS. 
Prof. Stein of Dresden, has recently pub¬ 
lished a little book on this subject, from 
which we extract a few tests which can be 
readily applied by persons who are not chem¬ 
ists and who have no laboratories to work in. 
Red .—A piece of the goods is first boiled in 
soap water, which should remain colorless, 
or nearly so. Secondly, it is boiled in lime 
water, which should be colored but litt le, if 
any, while tlu^ color of the goods must not 
become paler, or become brown or yellow. 
These simple experiments suffice to indicate 
the presence or absence of camwood, archil, 
santel and the coal-tar colors. 
Yellow.—The most permanent yellow is 
madder; the least so are Orleans and tur¬ 
meric. Only those of t in* firstclass willstand 
washing. To test a yellow it is first boiled 
in water, then in alcohol, and finally in lime 
m 
PRINCE & CO.’S ORGANS. 
That “ the man who has not Music in his 
soul is fit for treason, stratagems and spoils,” 
has long been a familiar adage,—and there 
is so much truth in it that the teachers of 
music, ami manufacturers of musical in¬ 
struments, ought lo receive credit and honor 
want a good Organ, has only to get (through 
a committee or otherwise,) a contribution of 
$2 from each of the requisite number of 
families or persons, and the first-class in¬ 
strument will be obtained, while the con¬ 
tributors receive fifty-two visits from a 
paper t hat we trust will prove both inter¬ 
esting and useful—alone worth far more 
than its cost. 
.Information. 
HOW TO CHECK COUGHS. 
Dr. Bbown Sequard, in his late Boston 
lectures, says that there are many facts 
which show Unit morbid phenomena of res¬ 
piration can always he stopped by the influ¬ 
ence of arrest, Coughing, for instance, can 
be stopped by pressing on the nerves of the 
lip (n the neighborhood of the nose. A pres¬ 
sure there may prevent a cough when it is 
beginning. Sneeziug may be stopped by the 
same mechanism. Pressing in the neighbor¬ 
hood of the ear, right in front of the ear, 
may stop coughing. It is also preventive of 
hiccough, but much less so than of sneezing 
or coughing. Pressing very hard on the top 
of the mouth inside Is also a means of stop¬ 
ping coughing. And, lie adds, that the will 
has immense power there. There was a 
. • 
PRINCE Sc CO.’S ORGANS. 
[Style Nos. 55 and 50.] 
water. If the former are colored quite yel- ; 
low, and the latter a reddish, while, the stuff 
acquires a reddish-brown tint, the color is i 
not fast. 
Blue.—This color is not fast if, on boiling 
with alcohol, it gives to it a red, a violet red 
or a blue color ; or, if on warming it with < 
muriatic acid and water or alcohol, the liquid 
turns red, or the goods turn red or brown 
red. 
Violet and Purple. —Madder violets, and 
those formed by combining indigo-carmine 
with cochineal, are fast. If fast colors are 
combined with fugitive colors they lose their 
value. All violets are to be considered pool 1 
if they give up a considerable amount of 
color when boiled in equal parts of water 
and alcohol, and allowed to stand ten or fif¬ 
teen minutes. Also, if they change to a 
brown or reddish-brown by boiling in dilute 
muriatic acid. 
Orange.— The goods are first boiled in wa¬ 
ter ; if this is colored the colors are fugitive. 
If the water remains colorless, the sample is 
next boiled with alcohol, to which it should 
give no color. 
Green. —Dilute alcohol should not be colored 
blue, green or yellow when boiled with the 
goods, nor should muriatic acid acquire a red 
or blue color. 
Browns Are not so easily tested. If, how 
ever, they give a red color to water, or a 
yellow color to alcohol, they may be consid¬ 
ered as fugitive. 
Black.— If, on boiling the goods in water 
^containing some muriatic acid, it only Im¬ 
parts a yellow color to the liquid, the color is 
fast. If, on the other hand, the liquid ac¬ 
quires a red color and the stuff turns brown, 
the dye is not permanent, but nearly worth¬ 
less. 
-- 
DOMESTIC BREVITIES. 
Hop Beer. —Healthy, easily made and 
really valuable; will keep six or eight 
months; three months after it is made it is 
almost equal to ale. This receipt is for fif¬ 
teen gallons: Twelve ounces hops, six quarts 
molasses, ten eggs; put the hops in a bag 
and boil them fifteen minutes in three pails 
of water; put in the molasses while hot, and 
pour immediately into a strong ale cask 
which can be made perfectly air tight and 
put in the remainder of the water cold; let 
the mixture stand unt il cool, and then add 
the eggs, well beaten. This beer will not 
ferment in cold weather unless put in quite 
a warm place.—A Subsortbkk, Jackson, Pa. 
Tried fieri pies — Cookies. — Three cups 
sugar, one cup butter, one cup sour cream, 
three eggs. Another—One and a half cups 
sugar, one cup sour cream, one cup butter, 
one egg. 
Jelly Cake.— One cup sugar, one of flour, 
three tablespoons butter, three tablespoons 
sweet milk, three eggs beaten separately, 
cream tarta r and soda. 
Sponge Cake— White of four eggs, one- 
half cup sugar, two-thirds cup flour.—Y oung 
l Housekeeper. 
French nurse who used to 
“The first 
patient who coughs here will be deprived of 
his food to-day.” it was exceedingly rare 
that a patient coughed then. 
as well as profit, for efforts tending to pre- . 
vent the committal of the sins enumerated ^ 
and promote harmony and happiness. Those 
who furnish, either as inventors or rnanu- ( 
faeturers, superior musical instruments, are . 
therefore entitled to honorable mention and ^ 
encouragement. 
The musical instrument for the people is 1 
undoubtedly the Reed Organ or Melodeon. , 
The full, sustained, sympathetic tone, the 
comparatively small space needed, the rela 
tive cheapness—all combine to render Reed 
Organs attractive to large numbers; even 
those who have pianos find it desirable to 
add these to the attractions of their homes. 
Foremost among the manufacturers of these 
instruments are Messrs. Geo. A. Prince & 
Co. of Buffalo, N. Y. Among the pioneers 
in the business, they are stronger and more 
vigorous to-day than when they sold the 
first instrument of the 58,000 they have 
made, and the instruments themselves have 
also heen progressively Improved, till to-day 
they stand in the front rank of instruments 
of their class. 
We give herewith a representation of the 
Organ, style Nos. 55 and 56, the difference 
between the two styles being that No. 56 has 
pedals, rendering it powerful enough for 
Church use. Apart from these the two 
numbers are alike, containing six stops, and 
two 5 octavo sets of reeds, inclosed in hand¬ 
some black walnut ease. Style 55 can be 
bought for $ 185, and, with sub bass added, 
form ng style 56, $150, a marvel of cheapness 
as well as beauty and use. We have speci¬ 
fied these styles because we think them 
most likfly to he desired by our Agents and 
Subscribers, but the variety of styles and 
prices Of instruments made by Messrs. 
Prince & Co. is considerable, and they will 
send circulars with full information to any 
inquirer. 
The Prince instruments are excellent, not 
only for the Family Circle, but for small 
Churches, Sunday and Day Schools, Acad 
emies, &c. We may add that, with a view 
of furnishing them cheaply, or almost with¬ 
out cost, to families, churches, schools, &o., 
we have made arrangements t.o place sev¬ 
eral styles of them in our next Premium 
List. As we pay for the instruments in ad¬ 
vertising we can furnish them very cheaply, 
and it is proposed to give our agents and 
others most of the advantage thus derived. 
For instance, to any individual, church or 
school, sending us 125 yearly subscribers to 
the Rural, at only $2 each, we will give 
Organ No. 55, (above mentioned, price $125,) 
or for 150 subscribers, at same rate. Organ 
No. 56, price $150. We hope to furnish many 
churches and schools, as well as families, in 
this manner, anil those wishing to avail 
themselves of the offer can commence or 
send in their lists without waiting for the 
receipt of our new list of premiums. In 
many cases it will be a comparatively easy 
matter for the members of a church, or 
school to securu one of these choice instru- 
. meuts, without expending a dollar in money. 
Indeed, any church or school which may 
HYGIENIC NOTES. 
Exhaustion of the Brain. —Dr. Radcliffe, 
in his recent Croonian lectures, is reported 
to have discussed, at much length and very 
acutely, the subject of brain exhaustion, so 
common at the present day. After describ¬ 
ing the leading Rymptoras, such ns loss of 
memory, depression of spirits, increased or 
lessened sleepiness, unusual irritability, epi¬ 
leptiform condition of the nerves, and some¬ 
times transitory coma, he argues against 
urging the patient to eat heartily, believing 
that such a practice tends to develop the 
disease; lie equally opposes the training diet 
system, as generally starving the nerve tis¬ 
sues by excluding hydrocarbons from food ; 
nor should the patient be urged to work 
more than Is natural under the circumstances, 
nor to rest from headwork—in many cases 
cerebral exhaustion being intensified by the 
brain lying fallow ; if there is undue sleep¬ 
lessness, the head should lie low on the 
pillow, and if undue sleepiness, it should be 
kept high. 
Alcohol as a Remedy for Barns.— Alcohol, 
recommended by Sydenham, has lately been 
employed by Leviseur, particularly with 
children, as the most rapid and effective 
means of alleviating the pain of burns. The 
affected part is either simply covered loosely 
with an alcoholic compress, or is bathed with 
alcohol, when the pain instantly disappears, 
but returns when the application ceases. It 
must, therefore, be continued for one to two 
hours, and then be repeated at longer inter¬ 
vals, until the reddened epidermis is bleached 
and shriveled, or until any blisters that may 
have formed have opened and discharged, 
which will take place in from six to twelve 
hours Care must be taken, especially where 
the surface to be treated is large, that the 
vapor of the alcohol does not affect the 
patient. 
Felons and Rusty Nails. — Elder Evans, 
the Shaker, says:—For the past ten years we 
have treated felons with hot water, and with 
unerring success. No cutting, no blistering, 
no anything, but Immersing the finger, hand, 
or even the whole arm if. necessary, in water 
as hot as can bo borne, until the pain is gone 
and the core is loosened and drawn from the 
bone. When rusty nails have produced 
wounds, the same course has been pursued. 
If on the hand or foot, keep it in hot water. 
Sticking salve.—Jo reply to inquiry of lady 
for sticking salve, 1 will give the recipe for 
the original “ Pel eg White’s salve,” once so 
famous ; obtained from himself by an ances¬ 
tor. I know of nothing better, it is so con¬ 
venient, for sores, wounds, or braises. We 
would not think of getting along without it: 
3 lbs. of resin ; % lb. burgundy pitch ; % lb. 
beeswax ; % lb. mutton tallow. — Mrs. 
W. C. G. 
Pulsations per Minute of Animals.—War 
tel’s Veterinary Pathology gives the follow¬ 
ing as the number of pulsations in a minute, 
in a state of health, in the undermentioned 
animals:—Horse, 32 to .38 ; ox or cow, 35 to 
40 . sheep, 70 to 76 ; goat, 72 to 79 ; cat 110 to 
120; have, 120; dog, 90 to 100 ; crow, 136; 
duck, 136 ; hen, 140 - heron, 200 . 
