1872.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
105 
TiEIE »JJ§EIH©ILJn>. 
(For other Household Items , see “ Basket ” pages.) 
Our New Flour-Eox. 
A correspondent at Buda, Ill., writes : Having 
recently made a few improvements in our pantry, 
the best of which is a Hour-box, differing from any 
I have ever seen, aud which is admired by all the 
imiiiiiiiiiiiiiE 
Fig. 1.— FLOUR-BOX AND ACCESSORIES. 
ladies who have seen it, I send you a sketch of it. 
It is easily made, and there is no patent on it. It 
can be made without the four drawers, closet, and 
spice drawers, though these are all very handy. 
The top, a, I made of 1%-iuch pine, 22 in. wide. 
The flour-box, 5, is 16 in. wide inside at top, and 14 
in. at bottom. Depth, 15 in. inside. Length of 
end boards, 30 in. Width of front, 19 in. Length, 
24 in. outside. These dimensions may be varied, 
but the form of 
the ends, c, fig. 2, 
should be pre¬ 
served. They rest 
ou pieces of thick 
leather, fastened 
to them and to the 
floor when finish¬ 
ed. A strip (e) is 
screwed under the 
top, for the box 
to shut and open 
against. The back 
should be screwed 
on firmly. The 
spice-drawers are made of tin, 6 in. by 6 in., 
with black-walnut fronts, 2 to 3 in. deep, and 
lettered. They set in a case made of %-in. white- 
wood. The molding-board (g) is slid behind them 
when not in use. The drawers (m and n) are always 
useful for sugar, Graham or buckwheat, towels, 
baking tins, and a score of things ; the closet (Jc) 
for syrups, lard, butter, eggs, etc., etc. Three 
shelves are in the corner, though only one (j) is 
shown. Now, if any husband is coaxed by his 
better half to get one made for her, he may lay 
the blame to J. F, R. 
Farmers’ Daughters. 
Fig. 2.— SECTION OF FLOUR- 
BOX. 
The Agriculturist is an old friend at our house, 
and I owe it a thousand thanks for its numberless 
good suggestions. I feel more regret at seeing in 
it such an article as that “Can Farming Pay such 
Taxes?” than if it had been published in another 
paper. The Agriculturist is an authority in many a 
farmer’s home, and probably many a pater-familias 
will point out that very article, aud say, “Here, 
daughter, that’s the most sensible thing I’ve seen 
this long while;” and next time Mary or Lucy 
wants those buttoned shoes or that “ love of a hat,” 
which she has well earned, she will have to go 
without, or perform more than the usual amount 
of strategy to get him to open his pocket-book. 
Your correspondent takes the position that our 
daughters are growing idle and extravagant—asser¬ 
tions that are impossible to sustain. I have no 
daughters, and am obliged to pay 89 a month for 
hired help, very uncertain at that. My neighbors, 
who are more fortunate, do all their work, includ¬ 
ing all the sewing except the men’s best clothes; 
and the clothes of any one of the young ladles do 
not cost any more, if as much, as the wages of my 
hired girl, but with the assistance of the condemned 
fashion-magazines they are made up at home so 
tastefully as to rival the dressmakers. The time 
spent at the machine busily and patiently stitching 
at those ruffles, or at the ironing table fluting them, 
is not lost. They deserve praise for their ingenuity. 
Nor is this neighborhood isolated in respect to 
the industry and economy of the girls. My .obser¬ 
vation is that such is the rule, not the exception, 
among country lasses; about others I know little. 
Often, too often, is it that fathers are insensible to 
what their children are really worth to them in a 
pecuniary view. They do not note that those will¬ 
ing little feet save them a great many steps, and 
that those young hands are doing about all they 
ought. Of course, that reference to our grand¬ 
mothers is necessary—I observe it always is in ar¬ 
ticles of this kind. To be sure, the old ladies did 
not wear chignons, for the reason that they were 
not yet invented. But they stuffed their hair full 
of rolls—look at the pictures of Lady Washington, 
or the fashion plates of that time. They wore high 
tortoise-shell combs that cost four or five dollars 
apiece, and gold beads, aud scarlet cloaks, and all 
the other finery of the day. The fact is stubborn, 
that since the world has stood woman has loved 
personal adornment, and man has loved to grum¬ 
ble and refer to the past. Time will bring round 
its revenges, and a century hence the girls so cen¬ 
sured now will be held up as patterns. 
Your correspondent fails to notice the expensive 
clothing and habits of farmers’ sons. Bless the 
boys! they are welcome to their stove-pipe hats 
and fine boots—but I protest it is not right to con¬ 
demn one and not the other. If he has seen girls 
whose clothes cost as much as a mower and reaper, 
has he not as often seen boys whose clothes cost as 
much as a sewing-machine which their patient 
mothers were doing without? Our children should 
fairly know their parents’ circumstances, and be 
allowed what can be afforded for their clothing, 
always being made to understand that something 
must be put by for the future. Then they will not 
repine when they are denied, if they feel sure father 
is not “stingy,” but just as well as generous. 
H. C. A. 
Warm Plates. 
A trilling thing can convert what would other¬ 
wise be an enjoyable meal into an uncomfortable 
one. The difference between a warm plate and a 
cold one often makes the difference between a good 
dinner and a bad one. During all the cooler weather 
the plates should be properly warmed. In no case 
is the necessity for this more strongly shown than 
when the meat is mutton. The fat of mutton melts 
at a higher temperature, and consequently solidifies 
more readily, than that of other meats, and it is ex¬ 
ceedingly repulsive to see it harden upon the plate. 
To warm the plates is au easy matter, and may be 
accomplished in various ways. When the stove 
oven is not occupied, the plates may be set within 
that, or they may be set upon the cooler part of the 
top of the stove, taking care to change the bottom 
one before it becomes too warm. Some very fine 
plate-warmers are made of elegantly ornamented 
japanned ware. These are like a small closet, open 
towards the fire, with shelves within, upon which 
to set the plates. At the opposite side is a door. 
Warmers of this kind are intended to stand before 
the open fire of the dining-room. We recently 
saw in the store of J. H. Baldwin, in Murray street, 
a very simple plate-warmer, which is here figured. 
It is a rack of galvanized iron-wire, which holds 
the plates and may be set upon a stove, or in front 
of a fire, or over a hot-air register. This sells at 
$2. When one has to warm plates in a hurry, it 
WIRE PLATE-WARMER. 
may be very quickly done by placing them in the 
dish-pan and pouring boiling water over them. A 
few minutes suffice to warm them sufficiently. 
Home Topics. 
BY FAITH ROCHESTER. 
Conversing Well.— Somebody criticises me for 
not speaking of Conversation under the head of 
Accomplishments. I know there is a good deal 
said about the art of conversation, but I have not 
much relish mvsclf for conversation that is the re¬ 
sult of art, however “high and transcendental.” 
It is a good thing to know how to speak one’s 
native tongue correctly, aud a good thing to have 
learned to listen well to our partners in conversa¬ 
tion. In short, it is a good thing to be able to 
communicate our ideas to others without wearying 
or disgusting them either with ourselves or with 
our subjects of conversation. But it is a better 
thing to have good ideas and a kind heart. A few 
simple words from an honest heart, or looks of 
brotherly or sisterly sympathy, are far preferable, 
I think, to any amount of artistic discourse by one 
who is chiefly concerned about the manner of his 
conversation rather than about its matter. 
I have no particular right to give advice upon 
the subject, but if any one should ask me how to 
go to work to learn to converse well, I should say, 
Get as good'au education as you can, not only at 
school, but by general reading, and by keeping 
your eyes and ears open. Above all, keep your 
heart open, and remember the golden rule. That 
will make you a good listener when others are 
speaking. To write your thoughts carefully will 
help you to express yourself clearly. But try not 
to worry about yourself and the impression you 
are making. 
Young people but slightly acquainted with each 
other sometimes have difficulty in finding anything 
to talk about, and silence seems very awkward to 
them. It is well enough for Miss Amanda, when 
invited to ride with Mr. Arthur for the first time, 
to think beforehand what she will talk about, and 
to prepare herself somewhat. But conversation 
which needs much especial preparation is never of 
the best kind. Out of it may grow, however, some¬ 
thing fresh and worthy of the name. When among 
one’s friends there is usually no lack of things to 
talk about. You may have to jot down beforehand 
the few very particular things that you must talk 
about, or they will get crowded out by the innu¬ 
merable minor topics of mutual interest. 
Washing Flannels. —Wash white flannels in 
cleim suds. Some washers put them into the “ suds¬ 
ing water,” the water in which the suds has been 
washed from the white clothes after they have been 
taken from the boiler. This gives them a dingy 
appearauce, quite different from the soft, fleecy 
whiteness they have when washed in bright clean 
suds. There is a difference of opinion among 
housekeepers about the proper temperature of the 
water in which flannels should be washed and 
rinsed. Some tell us to have both waters as warm 
as the hand can bear, or hotter if machines are 
used for washing and wringing. Others, of equally 
good authority, say use only cold water. I have 
been assured that the very nicest way is to soak 
them over night in cold suds, wash them out of 
this in the morning, and rinse in cold water. I do 
not practice this method, but think I would if 
