1915. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
359 
The Helpful Wheel-Tray. 
F ORTUNATELY, we have a handy 
man in our family who may he count¬ 
ed noon to have all sorts of odds and 
ends in his work-shop. For that reason 
it is difficult to give an estimate of the 
cost of my tray-wagon. 
It has two trays, 20 by .'10 inches in 
size, with a light railing round each to 
prevent dishes from sliding off. This rail¬ 
ing makes the wagon less convenient 
when we wish to eat directly from the 
tray, as we sometimes like to do, but 
makes it possible to carry a greater 
amount of dishes without danger of their 
falling off. 
While the tray-wagon is not a new 
idea, it is still too seldom found in the 
farmhouse. Think of walking once to 
your dining table, arranging upon it the 
dishes and food and sitting down to din¬ 
ner with the dessert and the bread-loaf 
at your elbow ready to serve when ne¬ 
cessary. 
Think of gathering up dishes and food 
after dinner, brushing tin 1 cloth with the 
brush kept conveniently on the lower 
tray and at one trip carry it. all to pan¬ 
try or kitchen. Compare this with the 
countless steps necessary when the table 
is set and cleared in the usual way, and 
no further argument is needed for the 
useful wheel-tray. 
At every meal our wagon plays its 
part. It makes the serving of guests a 
pleasure if there is no maid, because it 
saves the weariness and confusion of 
having the hostess endlessly leaving the 
table ns the meal progresses. 
It is just ns easy to wheel (he Sunday 
evening meal to the piazza or besides the 
cosy fire as to the dining table, and we 
all enjoy the change. It makes the 
serving of a light repast for the sewing 
society and similar social functions an 
easy matter; the lower tray is large 
enough to accommodate the china, silver 
and linen, while the sandwiches, cakes, 
relishes and percolator find ample room 
above. 
Ordinarily our tray-wagon stands in an 
out-of-the-way corner of the kitchen near 
the dish-washing sink. After each meal 
when the dishes are washed those for the 
next meal are placed directly back on the 
tray. A cloth thrown over them protects 
them from dust. This saves six hand¬ 
lings each day of the dishes ordinarily 
used on the table. In fact, we have no 
labor-saver that seems to come into play 
so many times each day as our easy- 
running wheel-tray. 
ALICE MARGARET ASHTON. 
Tomato Canning. 
A SHORT time ago I noticed an in¬ 
quiry in your columns about canning 
tomatoes. One bushel of good tomatoes 
will fill IS No. 3 cans. This is the size 
of tin can mostly used for this fruit. 
They should be put in whole and solidly 
packed, no water but one teaspoon of 
salt in top of each can. They are then 
sealed, dropped into boiling water, and 
cooked 22 to 25 minutes from the time 
the water again boils. The solder-hem¬ 
med caps simplify the sealing very much. 
A special soldering steel of the size of 
the cap is used. The larger size of caps. 
2 7-16 inches I think they are, are best. 
They can be filled more rapidly, and with 
larger tomatoes. Cans and all supplies 
can be purchased of various firms. Bulle¬ 
tins on canning tomatoes and other vege¬ 
tables may be had from the Department 
of Agriculture at Washington, D. C., an . 
if the inquirer would care to organize 
and conduct a Girl's Carden and Canning 
Club she 1 should write to (>. 11. Benson, 
Washington, 1). ('., specialist in charge 
of boys’ and girls’ club work. I think 
she can get all necessary information 
from tin 1 sources I have mentioned. We 
1 avc put up about a thousand cans each 
year for several years, from 1-10 acre in 
the Girls’ Club Work. mus. w. r. r. 
A Lesson in Laundry Work. 
F IRST-class laundries are not a thing 
to be had conveniently out in the j 
country. Therefore if you have at 
hand any recipes to make starch from, I 
for the purpose of laundering collars and j 
cuffs it will be very acceptable, together 
with any additional information you may 
have at your command regarding the pro¬ 
per irons to use. f. m. 
Practice and “knack” are very neces¬ 
sary to success in ironing starched pieces. 
No matter how carefully directions are 
followed, or what starch is used, the 
proper smooth stiffness cannot be ac¬ 
quired without practice. Some women 
have a natural knack for ironing collars 
and cuffs; others never seem to get it. 
Shirts, collars and cuffs must be wash¬ 
ed and dried before starching. Use any 
standard laundry starch that your dealer 
carries. Make a boiled starch, clear and 
not too stiff, dissolving in each quart of 
starch a teaspoonful of pulverized borax 
and about half as much paraffin or 
white wax scraped into fine shavings. 
Very particular people strain the starch 
through a piece of cloth, but we do not 
think this necessary if the starch is care¬ 
fully made. We mix the dry starch with 
a little cold water, in a large bowl, then 
pour in the boiling water from the tea¬ 
kettle stirring briskly as it is added, so 
that it is all smooth. Some pour the 
moistened starch into a saucepan contain¬ 
ing the boiling water, and then boil a 
few minutes, but we have found this pro¬ 
ductive of lumps, and tin 1 boiling water 
poured into (lie starch cooks it sufficient¬ 
ly; however, others may prefer boiling it 
on the stove. The necessary point is to 
get the starch smooth and clear. 
While the starch is still warm, dip 
each article to be starched in it, then 
lay flat on a clean cloth, and rub in with 
the flat hand all the additional starch 
it will take up. Stretch the article out 
smooth and rub out all wrinkles with the 
finger tips. Go over it with a clean cloth 
wrung dry out of clean slightly blued 
water; then hang tin! starched pieces 
on a wire or line covered with a clean 
cloth, in a place where there is no 
breeze or air stirring. 
When the pieces are quite dry, and 
not more than an hour before ironing, 
take a strip of clean muslin or old linen 
the width of the collars and cuffs, wring 
it out of clean blued water, lay the col¬ 
lars and cuffs flat on it and roll up tight, 
so that there will be a layer of the dam]) 
cloth between each two articles. 
Polishing irons are needed to do sat¬ 
isfactory work; the bottom is rounded. 
With ordinary flatirons you will con¬ 
stantly get a crease from the sharp edge, 
unless very expert. Take one cuff or 
collar at a time, leaving the rest tight¬ 
ly rolled up; go over it lengthwise with 
quick strong strokes on the right side 
only. The iron should be very hot; al¬ 
most hot enough to scorch if not kept 
in rapid motion. About half a dozen 
strokes are usually enough; then run the 
iron along the wrong side, which will 
round or shape it. A small bowl of 
water, and a clean rag, should be handy 
if there are any dry spots that need 
dampening, but this should la 1 avoided by 
careful and uniform folding 
Shirt bosoms are starched in the sam 
way, dried, after which the lower half 
of the bosom is wrung out of the water 
and turned up over the remainder; col¬ 
lars and wristbands treated, and the 
whole folded together until ready for 
ironing. The strokes of the iron must 
be up and down on the shirt bosom, and 
every crease and blister must be smoothed 
out first with the finger tips. The main 
rules are that starched pieces must not 
he blown about by wind or drafts; irons 
must be very hot, and strokes of the iron 
must be quick and strong. Modern fash¬ 
ion does not approve of a very shiny fin¬ 
ish, which is too much like celluloid. 
Much practice is needed before an ama¬ 
teur can succeed in this work, but if the 
irons are absolutely clean and polished, 
and the starch well made and smoothly 
applied, the articles should not stick or 
blister. In the great city laundries col¬ 
lars and cuffs are ironed by machinery; 
one well-known New York laundry lias 
its machine operators at. work close by 
the window, almost tinder the shadow of 
Grace Church, and there are always in¬ 
terested spectators watching the work. 
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ITHACA 
Calendar Clock 
Tell* lime accurately. 
Tells the day of the 
week. 
Tells the month of 
year. 
Strikes hours and half 
hours on sweet toned 
gong. 
The ITHACA 
CALENDAR 
CLOCK is a 
i per p e t a a I 
! time-piece, 
ami a perpetu¬ 
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Needs no at¬ 
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tv i n <1 once a 
week. 
Du lv$in Al " trlAncc, 
V/Illy'lv you get I ho 
- ‘ minute, t li e 
hour, I ho day 
of the week, 
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Clock shown hero Is et«mlar<l"8-ilay movement. Con- 
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ITHACA CALENDAR CLOCK COMPANY 
75 Hey Street, :-s Ithaca, N. Y. 
Established ISOS. Reference. Any Mercantile Agency 
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Be sure to address Dept.'J-3 
r 
in 
$187 BRINGS IT 
THE‘‘MARTINDALE” -This hnndBome 
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jPjf 
gg 
fi&L 1 ; 
Paper 3 rooms at cost of one 
Get now Spring wall papers from us 
at mill prices, also free instructions 
for hanging. You savo retail profits 
on paper, and expenso of paper-hanger. 
Write today for sample book and in¬ 
structions FliKK, 
Penn Wall Paper Mills 
Dept. F, Philadelphia 
Running water when 
1 ami you 
1 Lower t y 
Bhlff. % New Y »rk 
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