1883. J 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
187 
•cigar boxes answer the purpose well, and for large 
ones a lath, all the belter if planed, does nicely. 
These strips are very convenient for fastening up 
such engraving's as “ In the Meadow,” given free to 
subscribers to the American Agriculturist , or the 
various supplements and full page pictures which 
come with many of the art magazines and illus¬ 
trated papers. They are useful for cabinet photo¬ 
graphs of places of interest, and of celebrated pic¬ 
tures. By using long strips, six or eight photographs 
can be put side by side with very good effect. This 
is also a good way to put up pictures in a nursery 
or a child’s room, where the decorations are fre¬ 
quently changed. They do not have the unfinished 
look of an unframed picture.— Mrs. Busthand. 
A Window Trellis. 
I wanted for our windows something more 
than a lambrequin, and devised a vine trellis in 
which the remains of discarded hoop-skirts were 
made to do duty. These strips of steel, covered 
with woven cotton covering, were shaped in orna¬ 
mental designs. I bent the hoops to place, and 
fastened the ends by winding with stout, waxed 
TRELLIS FOR WINDOW PLANTS. 
thread. When I had as many pieces made as I 
needed, they were painted green. When dry, I fas¬ 
tened them together, as the accompanying illustra¬ 
tion shows. To each side of the wire trellis I 
fastened stout sticks, the lower ends of which 
were inserted in the soil of the pots containing 
the ivy which was to be trained over them. On 
each 6ide of the window frame I put brackets to 
hold the pots. The trellisses were a success. I 
•can turn the plants easily, by having one person 
to handle each pot. I can take them down and 
•clean them, and no lambrequin could be more 
beautiful. Any vine, like Madeira, Thunbergia, 
•or Vinca, can be used, but the ivy is the best. 
E. E. R. 
Corn-Cob Crate. 
Erom two-thirds to seven-eighths of all the cobs 
•obtained from home-shelled corn in Minnesota, 
Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and in North Missouri 
and Central Iowa, are 6aved for and used as fuel. 
There are thousands of families who employ no 
other fuel, except in very cold weather, though 
the well-to-do burn both coal and corn-cobs. 
Usually, the cobs are housed, to keep them dry, 
but in too many instances they are left out in the 
rain, and absorb so much moisture as to destroy 
half their value for fuel. 
The crate, holding a day’s supply of cobs for a 
large stove, is made of half-inch siding (tin or 
sheet-iron) ; the latter preferably to avoid dust. 
It is 3 feet high and 2 feet square. There is an 
opening near the bottom through which the cobs 
are taken out. The crate is placed on a stand, having 
vertical legs of any desired length, or as long as is 
necessary to bring the top of the stand on a level 
with the top of the stove. On the sides of this 
•stand or table the side strips are raised half an 
inch above the level of the top surface to keep the 
crate from sliding off. A bottom board to the 
stand may hold pail, basket, or dishes. There may 
be a drawer for knives or other kitchen utensils. 
The crate can be taken off at any time when not 
in use, and put away, and the stand used as a 
sewing table. J. W. C. 
Hints on Using Benzine. 
Benzine dissolves fats and oils, resins, varnishes, 
paint, etc., 60 readily, that it is largely used for the 
purpose of cleaning clothing and other fabrics. It 
is within the recollection of many that benzine 
was once rather costly, and could only be pur¬ 
chased in small bottles at a high price. Now it is 
cheap ; the makers of kerosene produce so much 
more benzine than there is a demand for, that, at 
wholesale at least, it bears but a nominal price. 
Benzine, in careless hands, is a very dangerous 
article, and no one should use it without under¬ 
standing its properties, that accidents may be 
guarded against. It boils at 140° F., and at all 
ordinary temperatures rapidly evaporates. When 
this vapor is mingled with the air, the two form a 
mixture which, in contact with a flame, will ex¬ 
plode violently. The vapor of benzine, when not 
mixed with air to form an explosive mixture, will 
readily take fire and burn rapidly. A bottle partly 
filled, in a warm room, will give off the vapor so 
freely, that it will take fire even when at a distance 
of several inches from a lamp. In working with 
benzine, always use it by daylight, and in a room 
without a fire, or so far from a fire that there can 
be no danger. These facts can not be too thor¬ 
oughly impressed upon all who have occasion to 
use this liquid for any purpose. In using benzine 
and other solvents for removing grease or other 
spots from fabrics, a mere wetting often is given, 
and after the benzine has evaporated, the place 
looks worse than before. By applying a little ben¬ 
zine, the grease or other substance is dissolved, 
and this solution spreads to the surrounding por¬ 
tions of the cloth, and the evil is increased. We 
must use the liquid in such a manner as to dissolve 
the grease, and then to carry away the solution— 
we must, in fact, wash out the spot with benzine. 
To do this, it is not necessary to immerse the arti¬ 
cle or a large portion of it. In removing a 6pot, 
first fold some old woolen cloths, or even porous 
newspapers, to form a thick pad. Place this pad 
under the article, and wet the spot with benzine. 
Use a sponge or a roll of woolen cloth, and rub 
the spot, adding more benzine as it is taken up by 
the pad below. In this manner the benzine hold¬ 
ing the grease, etc., in solution, is absorbed by 
the pad, and the solution is washed out of the 
cloth by successive quantities of benzine, to be 
also carried down into the pad. Success depends 
upon using sufiieient benzine ; it is cheap, and one 
need not be sparing of it. Gloves are cleaned by i 
immersing them in benzine in a wide-mouthed 
glass-stoppered bottle. The gloves are shaken up 
with the liquid for a few minutes, taken out, 
squeezed, and hung under a chimney to dry. If 
any spots are left, these are rubbed with a rag wet 
with benzine. If the gloves retain any odor, they 
are placed in a plate, covered by another, and the 
whole 6et upon a kettle of boiling water. The 
heat will soon drive off the odor. 
Dish Sink with Racks for Draining. 
Dish washing loses many of its unpleasant fea¬ 
tures if a sink like the one in the illustration is used. 
It is a little longer than an ordinary sink, is lined 
with sheet-iron instead of zinc, and is made with 
two divisions. The largest one is for draining the 
dishes and is furnished with a waste-pipe for carry¬ 
ing the water into a bucket placed below. If the 
house is supplied with water, the pipe from the sink 
should connect with other waste-pipes, and the 
bucket be dispensed with. The sink is also furnished 
with wooden racks for draining, which can be re¬ 
moved when not in use. They are frames made of 
thin strips of wood. The supports are put on so 
that by unfastening the hook they will fold up 
against the rack, and take up little room. Part of 
the space under the sink is inclosed and made into 
a small cupboard, with one large and two small 
WASH SINK FOR KITCHEN. 
drawers above, in which are to be kept dish-towels, 
cloths, and scouring materials required. 
Boxes for the Store-Room. 
It often happens that one wishes to use a place 
as a temporary store-room, and does not care to go 
to the trouble or expense of fitting it up with sub¬ 
stantial shelves or drawers. In such a case boxes 
arranged as shown in the accompanying engraving 
will be found very useful. They occupy but little 
more space.and are almost as convenientas drawers. 
The fronts of the boxes are cut off and lids fastened 
on with leather hinges. A little strap of leather, 
tacked to the front of the lid, has a hole cut in the 
other end so it can be slipped over a knob on the 
front of the box to hold the lid securely shut, or 
over one in the box above to hold the lid up 
while putting things in and out of the box. The 
boxes are fastened securely to the wall by screws. 
STORE-ROOM BOXES. 
Such boxes put up in the attic are excellent for stor¬ 
ing away seeds, herbs, clothes, carpet-rags, and any¬ 
thing which needs to be protected from dust or mice. 
Eggs in tile IKoiiseliold. —Eggs should 
always be kept in a cool place, but where there is no 
danger of freezing. In cold weather, they will beat 
quicker and nicer if laid in warmish water a little 
while before beating. Wipe dry before breaking. 
To separate the yolks from the whites, break gently 
in the middle, so as to form two cups of the shell. 
Carefully pour the yolk from one cup into the other, 
letting the white run away; but retaining the yolk as 
you pour back and forth, until the separation is com¬ 
plete. Beat the yolks first, as they can stand wait¬ 
ing better than the whites. Well beaten yolks grow 
several shades lighter-colored by the process. Beat 
the whites (with a strong flop) until the foam is so 
strong and dry that you may reverse the shallow 
bowl in which you beat them without spilling the 
foam. In boiling eggs, see that they are all per¬ 
fectly clean, and be sure you do not crack them as 
you drop them into the water. A wire egg-basket 
or a little wire dipper is very useful. 
