188 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[April, 
Improved Posts for Clothes-Lines. 
BY GRUNDY. 
A clothes-line of hemp or cotton accumulates 
dirt, and soon decays if exposed to the weather 
when not in use. Figure 1 shows the top of a 
clothes-line post. Securely nailed to it is a small 
box containing a windlass. The line passes 
through a hole in the post a , and is attached to the 
windlass by means of a hook and staple. When 
not in use, the line is wound into this box by turn¬ 
ing the handle of the windlass. The end of the 
line in the box is knotted so that when stretched 
it pulls against the post and not on the windlass. 
Figure 2 shows how the opposite end of the line 
may be quickly attached to its post. A piece of 
hard-wood having a V-shaped notch cut into it, is 
securely nailed to the top of the post. The line 
is knotted and slipped into the V. This knotted 
end hangs out when the line is wound up. Figure 
3 shows a good way to hang a wire line. S is a 
strong cross-piece,about six feet long, of oak or oth¬ 
er tough wood, attached to the top of the line-post 
by means of a strong iron bolt. Two strips of tough 
wood, x, x, are bolted to the cross-piece, s, and fas¬ 
tened together at the lower end, forming a V~ 
shape brace. Half-inch holes are bored through 
them and into the post. A hard-wood or iron pin 
fastens them at any angle. 
As shown, one line is three feet lower than the 
other. Hang the long clothes on the lowest line,draw 
the pin out of the hole, 2 ; move the y to the right, 
raising the line e, and lo weringthe line d; stick a pin 
in hole 1; then hang the short clothes on line d. To 
make the lines the same hight, put a pin in hole 5, 
in the brace and post. 
Figure 4 shows how a single line may be hung so 
as to dispense with a clothes prop. The line is at¬ 
tached to the short end of the lever, p, which fits 
into a notch in the top of the post, and turns on 
the iron bolt, r. A cord, havinga hook fastened at 
one end, is attached to the long end of the lever, 
and a staple is driven into the post near the ground. 
When the clothes are hung, raise the line by draw¬ 
ing down the end of the lever and placing the hook 
in the staple, as shown in the engraving. 
The Household Hurly-burly. 
It needeth not Vennor, or Wiggins, or yet the 
Signal Bureau with its “indications,” to predict 
the spring house-cleaning storm that betides nearly 
every well-ordered household in the land. In a 
somewhat extended experience, I have envied at 
least one friend, whose wife prided herself in so 
conductinghouse-cleaningthat her husband should 
not know when it was done. When my friend 
made the boast about his wife, on behalf of my suf¬ 
fering fellow man I sought an interview with her, 
to beg or buy her secret. “ Clean house so that 
George doesn’t know when,” said the wonderful 
wife, “ that is very easy. I don’t clean house at all. 
I clean a room, or a floor, as it may be, only so 
much at a time as can be finished and put in order 
before my husband comes home at night. It takes 
longer, but it is not so hard a task ; it is done with¬ 
out greatly fatiguing those who do the work, and 
the family is not thrown into confusion and made 
uncomfortable.” What a contrast with the usual 
way! This house-keeper always began with the cel¬ 
lar, and made thorough work, including white-wash¬ 
ing,there. The next step—some will go to extremes 
—was the garret. Happy woman ! her house had a 
garret. Modern architects sometimes provide for 
an “ attic,” but the garret, that most useful “an¬ 
nex,” is becoming rare in our houses. The garret 
cleaning is followed by that of the next story be¬ 
low, and the ground floor is taken in hand last. 
One important suggestion was made, that if “ help ” 
is hired for the occasion,care must be taken that no 
sand is used on the paint. If the paint is much 
soiled, use whiting on the 
cloth; soap and water 
are usually sufficient, but 
sand should never be 
used. Let painted walls 
be washed by moving the 
cloth from above down¬ 
ward, and not rub it in 
circles. Paper is best 
cleaned by wrapping a 
broom — an unworn one, 
with straight edge—with a 
soft cloth, and sweeping, 
with a steady stroke 
from top to bottom. Do 
not take stoves down in 
any room which is daily 
occupied. There will be 
many cold days before July. Open fireplaces and 
open grates are better on this account, as they can 
not be removed, and can be used at any time. 
These are some of the hints by the wife who kept 
house-cleaning from the knowledge of her husband. 
I would suggest to house-keepers that it may be 
well to let the “ man of the house ” into the secret, 
if this plan of house-cleaning is followed. He will 
be glad to avoid the usual annual cataclysm, and 
will willingly aid in inaugurating the new plan. 
New Jersey. 
The Back Stoop. 
There is no part of the house more useful in 
summer than the back stoop. Call it piazza or 
veranda, if modern usage requires it, but old- 
fashioned people know it as stoop. The churning, 
the ironing, the preparation of vegetables for din¬ 
ner, and other household tasks, may be done 
here. It is often pleasanter than the front piazza 
for afternoon sewing, and may be preferable to any 
room in the house for the meals at midsummer. 
We have suggested uses for the back stoop which 
imply that it has one important requisite—cleanli¬ 
ness in itself and its surroundings. The condition 
of this door and its appendages, of which the stoop 
is one, is of far more importance than that of the 
front door. It is more used, and is more closely 
related to the interior of the house. 
If care be taken to allow no deposit of rubbish, 
no throwiug out of slops that would not be toler¬ 
ated at the front, the back stoop will be always 
presentable, and in a condition for occupation. 
If the builder of the house did not provide this im¬ 
portant annex, it will be well to repair the omis¬ 
sion before the hot days come. The essentials are, 
a floor and a roof ; the one may be any strong, am¬ 
ple platform that the available lumber will allow to 
be built; the roof is needed principally for shade, 
but it should afford shelter from rains. Thin 
boards, with the joints battened, will answer. For 
the sides, place poles—cedar are the best—at the 
corners of course, and at desired intervals for the 
support of climbers. Whether this stoop is thus 
extemporized, or is built with the house, its beauty 
and comfort may be enhanced by embowering it 
with vines. Honeysuckles, the Virginia Creeper, 
the native Clematis, and other hardy climbers may 
be used, or a grape-vine ; but, for an immediate 
effect, use annuals. The Morning Glories and 
the Scarlet Runner are amoug quick growers and 
the easiest to procure ; the Wild Cucumber, so 
common in the Western States, is also useful. 
This is a department of gardening that the 
house-keeper should look to. 
Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4. —clothes-line posts. 
A Shield for Door Knobs. 
SHIELD FOR DOOR KNOB. 
It was formerly the custom to provide every 
door in a house with two large brass knobs. These 
the careful house-keeper prided herself on keeping 
bright, and, where they were numerous, at a great 
expense of rotten-stone, oil, and “ elbow-grease.” 
These knobs of brass were replaced by those of 
earthenware, or so-call¬ 
ed porcelain, which had 
the advantage over the 
brass in not requiring 
scouring, but they were 
often cheap-looking, 
and would sometimes 
break. Later we have 
had an “ age of bronze ” 
in door trimmings. 
These are very rich 
in appearance, and have the. durability of brass- 
without its annoyance. In many houses there are still 
brass knobs to be kept in order. If this task is 
left to the “ help,” the knobs get their weekly rub¬ 
bing, but so does the door, and a circle of worn 
paint around the knob attests the thoroughness of 
the scouring. It is easy to avoid rubbing the door 
as well as the knob by using a shield or guard at 
the time the work is done. This maybe a piece of 
leather or of oil-cloth, not too stiff. Make a cir¬ 
cular hole in the center of the shield, about the 
size of the neck of the knob; then with a knife 
make two cuts, at right angles with one another, 
with this hole for a center, long enough to allow 
the shield to go on over the knob. The shield 
thus made is shown much reduced in the engrav¬ 
ing. Its use will protect the painted, varnished,, 
or oiled door. 
Sunflower Fan for Decorating Walls. 
Cut yellow paper, such as is used for show bills,, 
into strips six inches wide and thirty inches long, 
one strip for each fan. Color the paper a dark 
brown along one edge for a depth of three inches, 
and notch the other edge with the scissors into deep 
points. For coloring the paper, dye or paint may 
be used, as happens to be most convenient. After 
the paper is dry, fold it very carefully, creasing 
each fold well. After it is all folded, make a small 
hole through the brown part, half an inch from the 
edge, and put through it a fine wire or waxed 
thread. By this thread or wire, the paper is fastened 
to thin wood—a piece of shingle half an inch wide 
which has been sand-papered, answers the purpose. 
A hole is made at one end of the handle, the wire 
HOME-MADE WALL FAN. 
or thread is tied through it, and the edges of the 
paper fastened down along the edge of the handle 
with mucilage. When done, the fan will look as 
shown in the engraving. Any room which has a 
comer too dark to hang a picture in, can be bright¬ 
ened wonderfully by putting there a group of 
bright-colored fans. The thoughtful housewife 
will find many other means of making the home 
neat and attractive. 
