1883.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
337 
more or stronger soap must be used, and the labor 
is harder. We want to loosen the dirt between the 
fibres of the cloth as easily as possible, and then 
to rinse it all away. That is the philosophy of 
making soiled clothes clean. F. E. R. 
A Home-Made Butter-Worker. 
I have used the butter-worker described below 
for four years, and like it very much. My sink is 
in a little unfinished room, and has a bench adjoin¬ 
ing it. About midway of this bench is a joist. A 
small square piece of board is nailed to the lower 
part of this joist next to the bench, so that one 
side projects two and a half inches. A round hole, 
an inch above the bench, in the corner of the 
square piece, serves as a socket for the end of the 
“ butter-worker.” A little knob, nailed to the 
. A HOME-MADE BUTTER-WORKER. 
bench, acts as a rest for the worker-board, and 
allows the hand under the edge of the board, to 
turn it around as the butter is being worked. The 
edge opposite the hand rests on the bench. The 
person using it grasps the worker in the right 
hand, and turns the board, to bring the butter in 
the right position, with the left hand. 
My board is made of maple, and is 14 inches in 
diameter, and about 4-incli thick. The worker was 
made from an old ash-wagon thill, and is 32 inches 
long, 24 inches wide, and 4-inch thick. One edge 
is beveled down almost sharp, and the other is 
round. A little groove should be made in the 
bench, to allow the buttermilk to run off into a 
dish. Wet both board and worker thoroughly out¬ 
side, previous to using, to prevent the butter from 
sticking. L. R., Abington, Mass. 
Walking for Health. 
It is a pity that women do not walk more in the 
open air, as there is no exercise better for the 
health. Household exercise cannot take its place ; 
in-door air is not so pure, and the limits of the 
house are too small to allow free play of the mus¬ 
cles. A woman who is accustomed to be on her 
feet almost constantly in the daily routine of the 
housework, is often a very poor walker; and the 
good walker sometimes finds herself greatly 
wearied by the busy house-keeper’s round of du¬ 
ties. A friend who lately applied to an eminent 
physician for counsel in regard to some chronic 
difficulty of the throat, received as the most im¬ 
portant part of the prescription, “plain, whole¬ 
some diet, and long walks in the open air.” This 
was because it was seen that an improvement of 
her general health would put an end to the local 
trouble. So it is with a great majority of our local 
ailments; they depend upon the general health. 
The physician will usually prescribe a “ tonic,” 
something to “tone up” the system. The very 
best of tonics are pure air and exercise, and with¬ 
out these, all others are of little use. 
Women suffer a good deal from cold feet, even 
in summer. Walking is the best thing to cure or 
to prevent this trouble ; not mere sauntering, but 
brisk walking, fast and far enough to set the blood 
in motion. Faith Rochester. 
Fancy Work. 
I-lmlti'OMlui'y 
Continues to increase in popularity, and ladies 
cau not make a mistake who occupy their 
leisure moments in embroidering their sum¬ 
mer dresses, wraps, or sashes, either in contrast¬ 
ing colors, or in the same tint as the material. 
Embroidered pattern dresses are so much admired, 
that in some designs city merchants caunot sup¬ 
ply the demand. Gold and silver embroidery is a 
new fancy, but is so conspicuous that it is more 
appropriate for curtains, etc., than for wearing 
apparel, although occasionally a touch of the 
gleaming threads on the ends of a sash, or bright¬ 
ening a dark border, is very effective. At first, 
what is called “real gold passing,” a thin golden 
wire, was used, but this is costly, and has been ex¬ 
tensively replaced by Japanese gold wire. It is 
better for applying than drawing through, as it 
breaks and frays easily. For solid sprays, a filling 
of yellow card-braid is first laid on and worked 
over, the veins being put in with silk. This style 
is particularly suitable for ornamentive Bibles, etc., 
on plush or velvet, and is much used for ecclesias¬ 
tical and military embroidery ; but the novice who 
attempts it must be willing to exercise a world of 
patience, before she can hope to execute this 
exquisite work with elegance. 
A I*iirIoi* Table. 
A beautiful little piece of furniture for a draw¬ 
ing-room may be made of a pine table, round or 
triangular, nicely ebonized. To do this, melt a 
quarter of a pound of best size in a stone pot, 
with water sufficient to cover it. Do not allow it 
to boil. Mix a small quantity of lamp-black 
and a very little blue-black, with oil, into the con¬ 
sistency of paste. Pour the size upon it, and mix 
all thoroughly together. Apply to the wood while 
warm, painting it thickly, and when dry, varnish 
with two or three coats of copal varnish. This 
will make it a dull, dead black, resembling ebony. 
The top of the table may be covered with olive or 
crimson plush, embroidered in pink wild roses or 
white dogwood blossoms, either in silk or in the 
pretty ribbon work now in vogue. 
Ail Kvcniiig Wrapper. 
There are many pretty little accessions to a 
young lady’s toilette that are easily and cheaply 
made. One of the most useful is a light shawl for 
the occasional cool evenings of summer-time, 
when there is a great temptation to linger on the 
piazzas. These shawls are made of squares of 
nuns’ veiling, cashmere, or camels’ hair, a yard 
and an eighth square, in delicate tints of either 
cream, white, blue, or pink. The same shade is 
chosen in Shetland wool or split zephyr worsted. 
A shell border of worsted is crocheted all round 
the shawl, and attached by passing the needle di¬ 
rectly through the material ; this can be readily 
done, if the hook is fine. A fringe may be added. 
A Combined Table and Book Back. 
ItY EBEN E. KEXFORD. 
The wish expressed by one of the family, that 
books in daily use should be conveniently kept, led 
me to devise a portable and handy book-rack, 
which does not take up much room. At first the 
plan was for a book-rack, and nothing more, but I 
concluded to add a top to it, and we have a com¬ 
bination rack and table, which is quite an ornamen¬ 
tal piece of furniture, and very useful. We have a ] 
scroll saw, and the legs were sawed out by the 
boys, from butternut boards. The entire table is 
made of butternut, oiled well, and not varnished. 
Varnished surfaces show every little scratch plain¬ 
ly, and lack the rich appearance of un-varnished 
surfaces. Across between the legs are fastened 
shelves for books ; two on each side. To the legs 
casters are fixed, thus making it easy to move the 
stand about the room or to any place where the 
family gathers. The top is devoted to papers and 
magazines. A neighbor has made one out of pine. 
The legs and shelves are stained to imitate walnut. 
The top has a covering of pretty cretonne, edged 
with fringe. Let the boys work at it, and they will 
soon turn out a most convenient article of furniture, 
which will be appreciated more and more every 
day. The children can use it for their school books. 
Little drawers might be added, like those fastened 
to the lower side of sewing machine tables, to hold 
attachments. These could be used for pencils, 
pens, ink, stationery, etc., thus adding to the use¬ 
fulness of the table, and making it a sort of port¬ 
able library and writing desk. About four inches 
above the center of each shelf a straight piece of 
wood runs across from leg to leg, forming a sup¬ 
port for books put in from each side. 
A Home-Made Tent. 
It is easy to make a tent which, if not as pleasing 
in outline as those for sale in the stores, casts quite 
as grateful a shadow, and is fully as comfortable. 
The first thing needed, is a light but firm frame 
put up in a substantial manner. The cover is made 
of awning cloth, and just large enough to fit easily 
over the frame. The top is in one piece, and to it 
are sewed the side pieces and those for the 
ends, cut in scallops around the lower edge and 
bound with wooleu braid, of a color to correspond 
with that of the stripe in the cloth. The pieces 
must all be sew r ed together very firmly, and the 
seams bound on the wrong side. Cords are 
attached to each corner of the cover, by which it is 
tied to the frame. If the tent is to stand in a very 
exposed situation, where there is an entire absence 
of shade, an extra curtain will be desirable. This 
should be supplied with rings, and hung on the 
A CHEAP LAWN TENT. 
side needing the protection from the sun. It should 
be as wide as the tent, and long enough to reach 
the ground. Two frames may be put up ; one on 
that part of the lawn which is most pleasant in the 
morning, and the other in a favorite after-dinner 
gathering place. If the frames are of the same size, 
one cover will do for both. In this wav, two tents 
can be made with but little more trouble and ex¬ 
pense than one. M. B. 
