378 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Nov. 
|kntl & domestic Cconorn 
Worth Knowing—Bums. 
Some of the papers have had a paragraph recommend¬ 
ing the use of wheat flour in the ease of scalds or burns. 
A gentleman at Dayton writes that he tested it to his 
satisfaction. He says: 
While at the supper table, a little child which was 
seated in its mother’s lap, suddenly grasped hold of a 
cup of hot tea, severely scalding its left hand and arm. 
I immediately brought a pan of flour and plunged the 
arm into it, covering entirely the parts scalded with the 
flour. The effect' was truly remarkable—the pain was 
gone instantly. I then bandaged the arm loosely, ap¬ 
plying plenty of flour next to the skin, and on the fol¬ 
lowing morning there was not the least sign that the 
arm had been scalded—neither did the chi.d suffer the 
least pain after the application of the flour. 
Reader, do you bear this little fact in mind, if a simi¬ 
lar occasion offers. 
Remarks. —We have ourselves experienced the 
soothing effects of wheat flour years since. A watery 
rash broke out under the arm, the effect of heat and 
sweat in the field, and having nothing else at hand we 
rubbed on some dry flour. It alleviated the pain at 
once, and as we think was the cause of its healing, as it 
did speedily. We can readily perceive after this per¬ 
sonal trial of its virtues that the above statement of 
the Dayton gentleman is not an exaggeration.— Ohio 
Farmer . —— 
A Cheap Filter. 
As efficient a filter as can possibly be constructed 
may be made in a few minutes by any person, and at 
the cost of a very few pence. Procure a clean flower¬ 
pot of the common kind, close the opening of the 
bottom by a piece ef sponge, then place in the inside a 
layer of' small stones, previously well cleansed by 
washing p this layer may be about two inches deep, the 
upper stones being very small; next procure some 
freshly buret charcoal, which has not been kept in a 
damp or foul place, as it rapidly absorbs any strong 
smells, and so becomes tainted and unfit for such pur¬ 
pose ; reduce this to powder, and mix it with about 
twice its bulk of clear, well-washed, sharp sand; with 
this mixture fill the pot to within a short distance of 
the top, covering it with a layer of small stones, or 
what is perhaps better, place a piece of thick close 
flannel over it, large enough to tie round the rim of* the 
pot outside, and to form a hollow inside, into which the 
water to be filtered is to be poured, and which will be 
found to flow out rapidly through the sponge in an ex¬ 
ceedingly pure state. The flannel removes the grosser 
impurities floating in the water, but the filter absorbs 
much of decaying animal and vegetable bodies actual¬ 
ly dissolved in it; when it becomes charged with them 
it loses this power, hence the necessity for a supply of 
fresh charcoal at intervals.— Monthly Observer. 
Duration of Posts. 
The result of forty years experience and observation, 
with me, is that common fence posts set in the ground 
green, and butt end downwards will last, in a sandy 
loam, about ten years. The same set in like situation, 
inverted, wifi last fifteen or eighteen years. The same 
timber, (and’soil of the same,) well seasoned before 
setting will last eight or ten years longer. I speak of 
good white chestnut or white oak. Timber cut in the 
old of the moon in February, will not be eaten by 
worms, will not snap in burning, and will last much 
longer made into posts than when cut at any other 
time. I have chestnut and white oak posts standing 
well that were set twenty-eight years ago. 0. Brig¬ 
ham, in N. E. Farmer. 
Receipt for Joining Glass. —Melt a little isin¬ 
glass in spirits of wine, and add a small quantity of 
water. Warm the mixture gently over a moderate 
fire. When mixed by thoroughly melting, it will form 
glue perfectly transparent, and will re-unite broken 
glass so nicely and firmly that the joining will scarcely 
be perceptible to the most critical eye. Lime mixed 
with the white of an egg forms a very strong cement 
for glass, porcelain, &c.; but it must be done neatly, as 
when hard, the superfluous part can hot easily bo 
smoothed down or taken off .—Scientific American. 
Skin Diseases. —For some eruptions on the face, 
borax is an excellent remedy. The way to use it is to 
dissolve an ounce of borax in a quart of water, and apply 
this with a fine sponge every evening before going to 
bed. This will smooth the skin when the eruptions do 
not proceed from an insect, working under the cuticle. 
Many persons’ faces are disfigured by red eruptions 
caused by a small creature working under the skin. A 
very excellent remedy is to take the flour of sulphur and 
rub it on the face dry, after washing it in the morning. 
Rub it well with the fingers,-and then wipe it off with a 
towel. There are many who are not a little ashamed of 
their faces, who can be completely cured if they follow 
these directions. 
To Clean Comb's and Brushes. —To enough tepid 
water to cover the bristles, not the top of the brush, 
add a few drops of the spirits of hartshorn, an ounce of 
which may be had for sixpence at any apothecary’s; 
dip the brush several times, shaking out the water 
carefully, and the mixture will act like magic, leaving 
it clear and pure, needing only to be dried by a towel; 
no rubbing is needed. Combs may be done in the 
same way without injury.— Lady's Book. 
To Cure Nos'E Bleeding. —Roll up a piece of paper 
and press it up under the upper lip. We have tried 
this plan in a great number of cases and have only 
seen it fail on one occasion. 
A Hew Seidlitz Poivder. —A new Seidlitz powder, 
in one paper, is now used, and found to be as useful as 
any. It is composed of one part of bicarbonate of soda, 
and two parts of bitartrate of soda. Half a teaspoonful 
is dissolved in spring water. 
A Good Wash for the Hair. —Beat the whites of 
six eggs into a froth, and with that annoint the bead 
close to the roots of the hair. Leave it to dry on ; then 
wash the head and hair thoroughly with a mixture of 
rum and rose water in equal quantities. 
Washing by Steam. —A New-York correspondent 
of the Boston Transcript, in describing the new St. 
Nicholas Hotel in that city, thus refers to the steam 
washing machine in the basement of the building :— 
<c This is something new under the sun. Four hundred 
pieces are thrown into a cylinder, half filled with water 
and soap-suds. This is thrown into rapid revolution by 
a small steam-engine. Steam is then let into the cyl¬ 
inder under the water and clothes, which raises them 
out of the water, passing through the pores of the fab¬ 
ric, and out at the, top of the cylinder. The clothes are 
thrown clown again by the pressure of steam into the 
suds and so on. The changes thus produced by the 
rapid revolution, and by the passage of the steam thro’ 
the clothing, washes them perfectly clean in the space 
of ten minutes. The clothes are then thrown in a body 
in another cylinder, and wrung by the revolution of the 
cylinder, and then by letting in hot air, which pssses 
through the clothing, they are perfectly dried, ready 
for ironing in seven minutes. The whole time occupied 
in washing, wringing, and drying, is hut seventeen 
minutes. The advantages of this apparatus are—first, 
an immense saving of time and expense in washing; 
second, the finest cambrics can he washed without wear¬ 
ing them out or injuring the texture, as is necessarily 
done by rubbing.” 
The Lecture on Flax, delivered by Prof. Wil¬ 
son, of England, at the late State Fair at Saratoga, 
has been published by C. M. Saxton, New-York. 
