AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
531 
1883 .] 
it makes one appear high shouldered. A bow, of 
many loops, of narrow velvet ribbon, is worn on 
one or both shoulders. Narrow ribbon velvet, of 
black, or bright colors, is worn around the neck, 
and tied so as to leave long loops and ends at the 
left side. It is used in rosettes for trimming hats 
and bounets, and also looping overskirts. 
Jersey waists, which fit to the form like under¬ 
wear, are very useful and economical for ladies and 
children. They come in black, scarlet, dark blue, 
and maroon colors, and any skirt can be worn with 
them. Small bonnets are made of material to 
match the dress, are of velvet, and trimmed with 
small fruits, flowers, or feathers, with narrow rib¬ 
bon or velvet strings. They are of the small, close 
shape mostly. Good taste in material, is generally 
marked by simplicity of design, if plaid or figured 
—but of good quality. Plain colors are always 
preferable, and a lady with a nice black silk for 
best, and well fitted dark flannel for the street, and 
simple home dresses, with a few ribbons and laces 
of nice quality for ornamentation, is well dressed 
for any occasion. 
Plain collars of velvet, with cuffs to match, 
trimmed with white lace turned upward, and tied 
with a bow and long ends of narrow ribbon, are 
worn with any dress, if the color is in harmony. 
Ethel Stone. 
Home Decorations for Thanksgiving. 
At Thanksgiving a few wreaths and other decora¬ 
tions, put up in places where they will show to the 
best advantage, will do much toward giving the 
Fig. 1. Fig. 2.—CRANBERRIES. 
room a holiday look. The work of making these 
wreaths affords much pleasure, equal to the satis¬ 
faction felt when viewing the completed work. 
Golden wheat, and autumn leaves, and berries, 
belong to Thanksgiving, as fitly as holly and mis¬ 
tletoe to Christmas. The bright berries of the 
mountain ash can sometimes be kept until Thanks¬ 
giving, but not always so, and it does not always 
do to depend on them. Sumach, if gathered before 
it looks dried and brown, will keep its lovely dark- 
red color. Climbing bitter-sweet, or wax-work 
Fig. 3.— AN EVERGREEN WREATH. 
berries, are most effective. If they are brought 
in from the woods on long stems, they can be 
easily trained over pictures and along the wall. 
Substitutes for berries may be made in various 
ways. Cranberries can be arranged in bunches 
with little trouble. Each berry is strung on a fine 
wire (figure 1), the ends of which are then doubled 
and twisted together, and six or eight berries are 
tied into a bunch (figure 2). The wire must be 
cut into pieces about five inches long, and should 
Fig. 4.— EVERGREENS ON A LATH. 
be the fine kind used for wiring cut flowers. Peas 
and beans softened by boiling, can be put on wire 
in the same manner, and given a scarlet coat by 
dipping in sealing wax dissolved in alcohol, before 
making iuto bunches. 
One of the easiest methods of making wreaths is 
to tie small bunches of evergreen to hoops of the 
desired size. These (figure 3) may be made out of 
strips of heavy pasteboard, or barrel hoops, cut 
the right length and securely tied. Ropings are 
made by tying small bits of evergreen to rope 
with fine cord. For some places, laths covered 
with evergreen (figure 4) are more useful and more 
easily managed than the limber roping. 
If the hall is wide and roomy, as every hall should 
be, it should have a full share of the decorations. 
Large, round wreaths may be placed over each pic¬ 
ture. A group of flags of different sizes, in the 
most conspicuous place on the wall, and laths, 
well covered with evergreen, mixed with bright 
berries, over the doors. Place a small stand beside 
the door leading into the dining-room ; arrange a 
wreath of box or club-moss around the edge of the 
top, and a vine of bitter-sweet, mixed with ever¬ 
green, around the standard. After the seeds are 
removed from a large, yellow pumpkin, fill it half 
full of damp sand, place on the stand, and fill with 
dark green box, bitter-sweet berries, sumach, long 
heads of wheat, a few bunches of bright fall leaves, 
heads of millet, one or two ears of corn, and small 
red or other bright apples, stuck on twigs. 
Over the mantel in the parlors, make an inverted 
V-shaped arch (figure 5), by joining laths covered 
thickly with evergreen. At the top of the arch 
place a cluster of berries and some green to trail 
downward. Instead of a wreath over the pictures 
in the parlor, put vines of bitter-sweet, with which 
evergreen or trailing club-moss has been mixed. 
If bitter-sweet vines can not be procured, use any 
graceful vine—wild grape vines and Virginia- 
creeper answer well,—and decorate it with club- 
moss, or evergreen, and berries made as described. 
Beneath small pictures a cluster of green may 
be tacked, and a vine extended from it up over the 
picture, as shown in figure 6. 
The decorations over the dining-room mantel 
may be quite different. A large bunch of green, 
mixed with wheat, millet, and berries, should be 
tacked up near the ceiling, and vines or ropings of 
green may hang down and be fastened out at 
each side. Beneath the arch should be'placed a 
cornucopia filled with autumn fruits and vines. 
Vases, even if choice, and treasures of art, are 
removed from the mantel to make room for two, 
manufactured, like the one in the hall, from ple¬ 
beian pumpkin, and filled with autumn fruits and 
vegetables. These various suggestions given 
above can be easily carried out from the illustra¬ 
tions. They may be changed to suit the different 
places to be decorated. Mrs. Busyhand. 
Economy and Comfort. 
Very pretty durable bed-room rugs can be made 
from coarse but tightly woven material, such as is 
used in coffee sacks. They may be lined with the 
same or other heavy, coarse material. Briar-stitch 
them around the edges with bright colors of coarse 
woolen yarn, and make a circle in the centre of the 
same, or some other simple design of fancy work. 
We use old guano and phosphate sacks. They are 
made of the strongest and best material, very 
thickly woven. To remove the offensive odor hang 
the sacks out in one or two hard rains. Soak them 
afterwards in hot suds, and hang them up and ex¬ 
pose them to the air and sun a day or two. Then 
wash them thoroughly and they are ready for use. 
These rugs are quickly made, easily washed, neat 
in appearance, and save much wear of carpets. 
When blankets and large woolen garments are 
much worn, they may serve as filling for thin 
quilts. It is warmer than cotton, and will not 
“ wad ” when washed. This filling must be tom to 
pieces and laid with perfect smoothness in the quilt. 
Very warm, pretty leggins for children can be 
made from the good part of old woolen pantaloons. 
Turn the cloth wrong side out. The leggins should 
come high over the knee, and be lined through¬ 
out. They are far more durable than knit ones. 
We recently made a handsome, serviceable 
child’s cloak out of an old coat. The wrong side 
Fig. 5.— MANTEL DECORATIONS. 
of the coat, which had a heavy nap, was used for 
the right side of the cloak. The breast and back 
were interlined with pieces of flannel. The collar, 
cuffs and pockets were made of different colored 
material. When completed, the garment above 
described is warm, economical and stylish. 
A simple and durable stocking supporter for 
children can be made with bias strips of heavy 
Fig. 6.—PICTURE DECORATIONS. 
flannel. Cut the strips the desired length, and an 
inch and a quarter wide. Double the strip length¬ 
wise and stitch the edges together. Work a button¬ 
hole in each end, one end to be buttoned on the 
stocking and the other on the waist. Bias flannel 
will stretch almost as much as ordinary elastic. 
A A ice Cofice Calce. —On partaking of 
some excellent cake at the residence of a reader of 
the America w Agriculturist, which, from its appear¬ 
ance when passed, we supposed was “ ginger 
bread,” we asked for the directions, which are: 
Mix well together one cup sugar, one cup mo¬ 
lasses, one cup butter, one cup of strong coffee as 
ready for the table, four well-beaten eggs ; stir into 
this five cups of flour, in which a teaspoonful of 
soda has been incorporated, and finally a cup of 
chopped raisins or English currants, and bake in 
one or two pans in a hot oven. 
