odes and Pnmtet[8, 
Note.— Patterns furnished at this Office for 
all fashion illustrations given. Ladies sending 
for patterns will please send bust and waist 
measure, for upper garments; for full costume 
add ( lie length of the skirt In front. These pre¬ 
cautions are necessary in order to insure pat¬ 
terns of the proper size. 
FASHIONS IN FURS. 
During one quarter of the year we have, a 
as a nation, grown to he almost as great. ^ 
wearers of furs as the Russians and other u 
people who live in an equally severe climate, t ,. 
Most of the fmw we wear are of native - r 
growth, and, through our fur companies, ^ 
the principal markets of Europe arc, to a ^ 
very great extent, supplied. With the con- 
stanlly increasing demand of fashion for 
novelties, the variety of furs now used in 
manufactures is surprising—the almostnum- 
bcrless array of fur-skinned animals, from the 
tiny chinchilla to the grizzly bear, contribute ^ 
ing to the need or fancy. ^ 
Except in such furs as the astrakan, which 
hus entirely gone out of fashion—and the ; 
royal ermine, which is now used principally ll 
for lining and trimming childrens’ cloaks, ® 
and is much cheaper than formerly—the 
price of furs remains at about the same fig- , 
ures as last year. Seal, which raged with 
such a furore the past winter, will continue 11 
to be fashionable, but the elegance and st 3 T le 
of the new fur-lined and fur-bordered silk m 
cloaks will very much modify its prestige. a 
Moreover, the intense love of the seal for its " 
1 , (*( 
young, and its piteous moans ot grief—so 
like to human woe—at the sight of their w 
murder, cannot but deter many tender- ! n 
hearted and commiaserate persons from 11 
wearing the skins of this harmless animal. L 
Of the two varieties of seal, Shetland and ™ 
Alaska, the former is preferred because of 
its greater length of fur. Asaequeof Shet- st 
land seal costs from $200 to $375 ; of Alaska ^ 
seal from $T0O to $200. I 
In shape the sacquea are longer than those 1 
of last year, and more closely lit the figure. 1)1 
It. is much better for persons of exceptional s ' 
figure to have their saeques made to order, Y 
as the expense is no greater. The natural I 
color of soul skin is nearly yellow, and it was ° 
not until the fashion of dying the fur a rich, I 
reddish browu that it came into such gen- I e] 
eral favor the natural color being much Y 
too prononce. Seal skin for ladies’ hats— I 
now of the shape of English walking hats— I ^ 
cost from $12 to 620; they are “ soft ” in I 
shape, with higher crowns than heretofore. I 1 
With the addition of a crown feather over s 
the top they cost from -MS to $25, To gen- a 
tlemen’s turbans is added a double band, a 
which may bo turned down to protect the I c 
ears. Ladies’ seal skin gloves cost from S3 1 
to $12. Long w listed driving gloves for gen- « 
tlemen, reaching to the elbow, and of supe- ‘ 
rior quality, range from $25 to $35. The fur- I i 
lined cloaks of silk, although popular for I r 
some yearn abroad, only began to be adopted I ' 
generally by New Yorkers’ last year. Their I > 
comfort, as well as their beauty, form a dou- I 1 
ble attraction to all women who lutvt* money 
enough to possess them. There is quite a I 
variety of silks used for the outside of the 
garment—a heavy ribbed lustrous silk, 
kuown as Sicilienne, the better qualities of 
French and American, and a rich sort of 
basket-woven, or brocaded fabric, known as 
matellasse. A cloak of the latter, in length 
reaching to the knee, lined with Turkish 
satin haudsomely quilted, double sleeves, 
one coat-shaped inside, a straight, loose pair, 
left open to the elbow, and trimmed with 
bands of silver martin, with square pockets, 
ornamented with black ribbon bows and 
streamers, and small manufactured martin 
heads, which also are placed up the front 
like buttons—royal garment—with mult to 
match, $100. A shorter cloak of plain silk, 
lined with gray fox and bordered with cross 
fox—a breed between the silver and gray— 
may be had for $120. 
Then there are the long, large and ample 
sleeved garments of Sicilienne silk, lined 
with gray and white fur, called squirrel- 
lock, bordered with Alaska sable, and fast- 
eaiug at the throat with oxydized or silver 
agraffes, at prices ranging from $L50 to 
*200. The preference for the squirrel-lock 
fur as a lining lies in the skins in which the 
gray is darkest in color, as depth of color 
indeed denotes superior value in most fill’s. 
For carriage wraps many ladies purchase a 
3 ilk circular simply lined with this fur, with¬ 
out border, which comes much cheaper, as 
also do the paletots or sacques similarly 
made up. They cost from $40 to $75. They 
are warm, light and elegant, and much more 
stylish for young women than velvet jackets. 
TRIMMING FURS. 
The trimming furs are legion. Dark Rus¬ 
sian sable retaius its usual high price. Next _ 
in expense comes the silver fox, a feathery, - 
frail and beautiful trimming, used chiefly ou 
velvet—at from $8 to $10 per yard, with not 
over one quarter of an inch width of skin, 
but the fullness and lightness of the forgives 
a width of two or three inches to the trim¬ 
ming, which comes, as all fur trimmings do, 
in narrow bands, and which is measured off C( 
as so much ribbon. The silver fox is found ( j l 
in the loftier peaks of the Rocky Mountains, a 
and the northern parts of Europe and Asia, f, 
A mu If and boa cost from $75 to $100. 3 he ril 
novelty of the season is castor beaver, dyed q, 
black, and iuto which Is veined, at frequent q, 
intervals, white hairs, giving it a somewhat ve 
noticeable appearance. Two inches wide on hi 
the skin, and S>£ on the fur, costs $8 per ) a 
yard. Alaska sable (Mephitis A-tnericnna) ti< 
is very popular as garniture, being used on 
seal, cloth, silk and velvet. It is of natural w 
color—almost black—and very durable. It at 
varies from $3 to $5 per yard, according to pi 
width. A muff and boa of this fur costs 
from $15 to $25, in good quality. It is espe- 
daily recommended purchasers who desire m 
an Inexpensive but elegant fur. Mink is far w 
less fashionable than formerly, but still pie- 
ferred by unmy on account of its beauty, 3 [, 
which, in the Eastern skins, is very marked, ti j, 
deep in color, with stripes verging upon the j n 
darkest shades of brown. Muff and boa, or p ( 
small collar of this kind, $7.>; Western 
mink—lighter colored fur—from $30.' It'.is q, 
a curious fact that the minks frequenting the j\f 
country north of Lake Ontario in the regions q. 
coursed by streams running through soil ar 
where iron abounds, have fur approaching f r 
in color that produced by impregnation of ^ 
iron. Mink is not handsome Jus a triuuning se 
fur. The finest muffs have fur tassels. 'Hie m 
muskrat furs nre among the cheapest—from 3 j 
$5 to $0 a set. Chinchilla is a beautiful, to 
soft, pearl gray fur—the skin of a rodent oi 
animal about as large as a squirrel, native of pi 
Peru and Chili. Fur and boa of this fur, 
from $00 to $05 ; as trimming, from $r> to $15 jq 
per yard. For brown fabrics the fur of the a j 
silver martin is used from $3.50 to $3 per a j 
yard. The fur of the common gray fox costs at 
from $1.50 to $7.50 per yard ; gray, in vari- y( 
ous shades, from 40 cents to $1.00 per yard ; q 
silver mart in from $1 to $3 per yard ; royal t( 
ermine, 1J-j inches in width, from $4 to $5 per I 
yard. 
A novelty in French muffs and collars is of si 
feathers. Tbe leathers are sewed on cloth 30 ii 
closely that they present much the same sur- a 
face as on the fowls,some formed of such long, h 
slender feathers as grow about a cock’s neck, r 
and others having a ruffled appearance as of li 
a hen in anger, while some muffs are formed t 
of bands of lay - down feathers alternat- t 
ing with the upstanding ones. The feathers 
are all dyed, and are mostly of a dark color. 
Some are blue, or purple, or two shadcs.to- t 
gather to match costumes. A set costs $25. i 
They are to he worn with costumes trimmed t 
with bauds of feathers of like style. The i 
shape of muffs remains unchanged—small, i 
only large enough to get. the hand In. There i 
are velvet muffs with fur simply around the 
ends, to match velvet wraps bordered with 
fur; and silk muffs similarly ornamented 
with bands of fur, or feathers, to correspond 
witli garments of similar material. 
Another use to which fur is being put is in 
the manufacture of mats for drawing-room, 
bedroom and library floor?. There are rugs 
of white cony, lined with flannel, for chil¬ 
drens’ carriages, $8 to $10. Bear and tiger 
skin mgs, of natural outline, lined with flan¬ 
nel, the notched edges of which project from 
the edge of the skin, cost from $50 to $350, 
according to size and animal. They are su- 
i perb for the feet—so soft and warm. 
; Genet is the name of a fur much used in 
i making gloves, caps and collars for coach- 
, men—a strong, coarse fur dyed black. 
< Capes reaching to the waist coBt $25. Collar 
- and gloves, from $10 to $14. A set, consist¬ 
ing of cape and gloves, would be found very 
i comfortable by gentlemen living ill the couu- 
1 try who take long drives in winter, handliug 
- their own ribbons. 
As a trimming for operu and reception 
r cloaks, and those dainty wraps women love 
o to throw about their shoulders when goiug 
k to parties, etc,, in winter, the white, shaggy 
e arctic fur is preferred on cloth heavier than 
r merino or cachemere to swan’s down. 
3 . In buying furs it is economy to select those 
a of good quality. Fancy furs are better 
l- suited to the. town than country, because of 
is the caprices of fashion, 
y The prices given in this article, are, for the 
iy most, given by the -well-known house of 
re Gunther &Hons, No. 502 Broadway, N. Y. 
s. 1 Mintwood. 
Homesfnj <ftt[onomg. 
HOUSEKEEPING NOTES, 
FROM FACTS GATHERED 
COUNTRY. 
PIES AND PIE-MAKING. 
S€! 
I have concluded, since I have almost be- ^ 
come a partisan of pie, that, there is no depen- 
dence to be placed upon likes and dislikes as 
a future contingency. While visiting a j. 
friend at Niagara Falls, last summer, she re- ^ 
marked to her mother at dinner one day as 
dessert was being served, that “our guest 
does not eat pie.” We both laughed as we ar 
recalled the not infrequent occasions which 
had called forth from the “guest” an ava- ^ 
lauolie of maledictions upon ihe above men- 
tioned article of food. 
The mother of my friend gave a little nod _ 
with her head which was full of significance, 
and said, “Well, when she sees some of my ^ 
pies, she will both eat and like thorn too.” 
In due time the pies began to appear—pies _ 
of apple, and pies of peaches, and the 
mother’s prediction proved true. The pies 
were* delicious and quite free from the ordi¬ 
nary objection urged by hygienists and phy- j n 
Biologists against pastry. They were made in fl() 
this wise : A deop dish, from two to three j u 
inches in depth, was filled with the fruit, u £ 
pared, and if of apples, they were cored and 
cut in a dozen slices perhaps—with the re- m 
quisite addition of sugar, spices and water. w 
No under-crust. The top crust, thin and g, 
tlakey, camo from the oven light and crisp *., 
and free from sogginess. It retained in the q e 
fruit all flavor and the peculiar deliciousness or 
that escapes when cooked uncovered. In ^ 
serving it a knife was used to divide the pie f D 
in portions as is ordinarily done, and with a t(J 
spoon, the fruit removed from the pie dish £U 
to the dessert plate, where it formed an odor- w 
ous and amber-like pile by the triangular ^ 
piece of crust near it. ^ 
The memory of those pies remains with me bi 
like a sweet fragrance, and I feel sure that th 
all pie-makers who read this, and have not aj 
already adopted the plan, will henceforth do O 
so, for the labor is far leas, and the result be- pi 
yond comparison, with the orthodox and in 
dreadful two-crusted plan. Try it. Adhere I r< 
to it ! T 
NECESSITY AS INVENTION. ^ 
At the house of another friend, the kero fJ , 
sene unexpectedly gave out, and the mistress, 
in order to make the half filled lamps avail- 
able with their short wicks, filled up the w 
lamp bowls with water. The oil of course 
rose to the top and the double difficulty of a 
Little oil and short wicks was at once sur t 
mounted. The plan hit upon was a new one , 
to me, and may be to some of you. ^ 
I THE USE OF KEROSENE. a 
But nearly every where I was terrified at t 
.6 carelessness with which kerosene was p 
;ed. In one neighborhood whei’e 1 chanced I * 
i be, two young women were burned to | 
iiitli by using it to kindle tires, and within , 
week of each other. House-wives, house- < 
laids, aud even hoys and girls not over ten 
cal’s old, went up stair’s, down cellar aud 
very where a light was needed, bearing a 
erosene lamp. It seemed to me, as it in 
sality was, most unpardonable fool-hardi- 
ess. ff a kerosene lamp is trimmed and 
leaned in the morning, lighted with care at 
ight, and placed upon a secure table, there 
3 little danger of explosion. If it is carried 
bout, there is danger of explosion every mo- 
nent I For such use lamps of oil, or a candle 
hould be provided. Fortunately candles are 
:oming into fashion again, and in the best 
jountry houses are used entirely for sleep- 
ng rooms. 
TRANSFERRING FEATHERS. 
C, one day had occasion to empty goose 
feathers from one tick into another. She 
ripped a hole three or four inches long in 
both ticks and sewed the edges of both aper¬ 
tures together, making “ Siamese twins” of 
the two, as she expressed it. In this way the 
feathers were transferred from one tick to 
the other without the loss of a bit of down, 
or causing a bij of litter in the room. 
BREAKFAST CAKE. 
A Central New York banker who regards 
cakes in general as an invention of the evil 
one, indorses but one kind which he desires 
as an adjunct to his breakfast cup of coffee, 
tuken, as coffee should be taken, without 
milk. This is the recipe as his cook gave it 
to me ;—\}4 coffee cups of light bread dough ; 
2 ditto of white sugar ; J.j teacup of butter ; 
3 eggs; 1 teaspoon of soda ; 1 teacup of 
stoned raisins. Cloves, cinnamon or nutmeg 
to taste. Rub the raisins iu flour. Stir the 
batter with the hand, and if not thick enough 
add a small bit of flour. Put a layer of the 
batter in a deep, round baking pan, then a 
layer of raisins, until all the batter is in the 
dish. Place the pan in a warm place for 
two hours, or until the mixture iB light; 
bake. 
FRUIT SKINS. 
The majority of country people 1 have ob¬ 
served eating fruit, cat the skin of it also. 
Thftir children eat it iu the same manner and 
seem never to have been taught that the 
skin of fruit—be it apple, peach, pear, plum, 
or grape—should nrt'er be eaten, especially 
if uncooked. Fruit skins are so difflcult of 
digestion that there is probably not more 
than one stomach in a hundred capable of 
performing the difflcult task. Tbs skin is to 
fruit. whaL shells are to nuts, hides to animals, 
and husks to grain. To oblige or allow a 
child to eat his apple or pear unpeeled, is 
unkind and wrong, for it is no question of 
daintiness, but of health. 
Mary A. E. Wager. 
iggtyriq Information. 
A NOVEL TREATMENT FOR WOUNDS. 
Tup Herald of Health relates the follow¬ 
ing ; _Having noticed an account of the 
somewhat novel treatment recently applied 
in the case ora wound, we addressed a note 
of inquiry to the gentleman named, Mr. A. 
K. Smoot, a commission merchant of Balti¬ 
more, and received a reply, a portion of 
which, with permission, we copy. Mr. 
Smoot says, under date of September 22d : 
“Ou the 7th of the present month I acci¬ 
dentally jumped from an elevation of three 
or four feet on to a large nail or spike, driving 
it about two and a half inches through my 
foot. This happened in the morning, and 
toward evening the foot commenced swelling 
and the pain increasing, so much so that it 
was with difficulty my pliysieans, Drs. 
Atkinson and Warner, eould relieve me by 
the use of the strongest narcotic*. I slept 
but little during the night. The next day 
the same treatment was continued, with the 
application of a hot poultice to the wound. 
Ou that day l received a card signed 1 Sym¬ 
pathizer’ stating that the smoke from burn¬ 
ing wool or woolen rags would immediately 
relieve the pain and stop the inflammation. 
The directions were to smoke the wound 
twenty minutes at a time, repeating the 
operation two or three times. I accordingly 
took a piece of woolen blanket, and after 
making a firu in an iron pot I smothered it 
with pieces of the doth and held my foot iu 
the smoke. This soon relieved the pain, the 
swelling went down, aud up to the present 
time there has been scarcely any inflamma¬ 
tion ; a little bloody water has escaped from 
the sore, but that ia all. My physicians 
approved of the treatment, and I well know 
that it relieved me of pain aud has proved of 
great advantage in the healing of the wound. 
L am now able to walk and the wound is 
doing well. 1 applied the smoko once every 
day, and also by the tulvice ot my physicians 
continued the hop poultice. The treatment 
with the smoke is said to be applicable to all 
wounds arising from bruises, cuts, nails and 
the like, and 1 hope it may prove beneficial 
to others ’’ 
------ 
“WHY MOSQUITOES WERE CREATED.” 
I would not for a moment thwart any 
one in scientific discoveries, but 1 would 
expose erroneous instruction. Of critique iu 
Rural of Oct. 3Uth, page 387, I would say 
that the cauflor of the writer is worthy of 
notice, even in connection with such “ ignis- 
! fatuus” like argument. 1 will at once re- 
. move all »ucorrect ideas which the writer 
' entertains of my former article on mosqui- 
' toes, by saying that l had the best of evi¬ 
dence that every member of that household 
had been bitten by them. One evidence 
was, that no member of the family attempted 
even in the day-time, to lie down without 
3 an extra mosquito bar around him, although 
3 every bed was surrounded with one. An- 
i other was, that the advent of the mosquitoes 
was so early as Juue, while the mouth of 
, August was ihe general time for the approach 
1 of ague. Also my own experience, since 
e that time, has taught me that no person, 
o either sick or well, can escape the especial 
, attention of the mosquitoes, unless secured 
’ by bars, if he lives iu the vicinity of their 
homes, during warm weather. a. f. 
-- 
HEALTH AND CAPITAL. 
The Liberal Christian says:—“ Any healthy 
man may easily iu this countrv make him¬ 
self thoroughly independent of capital, and 
hold himself indifferent to the fate of labor. 
For he need ask no man for employment to 
keep the wolf from his door. 1’he time 
wasted in standing on street corners-, waiting 
for work, or in traveling from store-house to 
factory, and town to city begging employ¬ 
ment, applied to the production of the neces¬ 
saries of life would support most men aud 
their families beyond the fear of freezing or 
starving. 
