787 
Dyeing Rag Carpet 
In answer to query about coloring rag 
carpeting, will say I have had good suc¬ 
cess for the last. 25 years in preparing dye 
as for coloring; that is, without adding 
the large amount of water required for 
ordinary dyeing. Whil 'ill hot I apply 
with a toothbrush. Th • sties are stiff 
and the brush is nariv.., and one can 
apply the dye without over-running the 
stripe. It is better not to walk on it until 
dry, or nearly so. I find it will keep its 
color pretty well, and is not so very hard 
to apply when the carpet is stretched and 
tacked down. I bottle any dye that is left 
over, and by heating again it can be used 
whenever needed. G. 31. P. 
Suggestions in regard to dyeing rag car¬ 
pet were asked recently. I offer the fol¬ 
lowing : Clean the carpet thoroughly on 
the floor. Use any good dye. Dissolve in 
hot water and with a paint brush or 
toothbrush color each stripe separately. 
This is not so arduous a task as it seems, 
and the results are quite gratifying. 
MRS. F. A. c. 
Preparing Rabbit Skins 
The fur of the common rabbit can be 
used very successfully at home for several 
purposes; lining small children’s gar¬ 
ments, mittens, foot warmers, insoles, etc. 
Here is a recipe to cure the furs at home: 
Tack the furs, when still fresh, on a 
plank, hair side to the wood. With a knife 
carefully scrape away all little pieces of 
skin. Dissolve one teaspoonful of alum 
and one-half teaspoon salt in one cup of 
water, and rub this on the skin. Let this 
stay on one day, then scrape again and 
rub in solution; let stay another day, 
scrape again, and when necessary put. on 
for the third time. When they look clean 
take them off the plank and with a ham¬ 
mer beat on the hair side till the fur is 
soft. A little unsalted butter rubbed on 
the skin side will help this last process. 
MRS. WII.LV S('HF.PP-COrnki.i ss e\. 
Pressure Cookery 
I have seen a number of articles about 
the use of the steam pressure cooker in 
canning, but very little about, its every¬ 
day use in cooking. < )ur cooker is in con¬ 
stant use; there are few days when it is 
not in use once and frequently twice. 
The flavor of foods cooked in it is much 
superior to that of foods cooked in the 
ordinary way, and the time and fuel re¬ 
quired are much less. 
We bought our cooker, which takes no 
more room on the stove than an ordinary 
large kettle, late last Winter, primarily 
to can meat for Summer use. It was 
very successful for that purpose, but we 
think we have saved the price of the 
cooker (.$24) on fuel alone for the regular 
cooking. 
The time required for cooking the large 
brown beans is about 1)4 hours, allowing 
half an hour to get up to pressure; the 
small white beans- require less time. We 
use wood as fuel, and the saving in oil or 
gas would be greater. 
But the best thing about the cooker is 
the flavor it gives the food. Beans cooked 
in it are unexcelled; the intense heat 
gives them a nutty flavor; they are soft, 
but never mushy. White beans prepared 
with salt pork, onion, mustard and mo¬ 
lasses. as for baking, and cooked in the 
pressure cooker, cannot be equaled by 
beans baked for hours in an oven. All 
cereals are delicious and most digestible 
cooked in this cooker, and hominy is at 
its best. 
Any kind of meat, fresh, corned or 
cured, is extremely savory, and every bit 
of nourishment is derived from the piece 
of meat by this method of cooking. The 
meat will readily fall from the bone, and 
the good of the bone itself is extracted. 
If a roast is desired it can be browned in 
the oven a few minutes before serving. 
Delicious meat or vegetable soups can be 
made in the cooker, and it is equally good 
for cooking all kinds of dried or fresh 
fruits and vegetables, the fresh ones re¬ 
quiring but a few minutes. Puddings can 
be steamed in less than half tin* time they 
ordinarily take. 
These are only a few of the ways in 
which a pressure cooker may be used. Of 
course there is nothing else as good for 
canning meat, vegetables and fruit. One 
great advantage which this method has, 
especially when oil or gas is used, is that 
several things in separate dishes can be 
cooked in the pressure cooker at one 
time, thus simplifying the preparation of 
a meal. The “One-dish meal” recently 
advocated by the Government can be pre¬ 
pared at a great saving of work and ex¬ 
pense to the housewife. 
Last, but. by no means least, it is no 
more work to clean or adjust than an 
ordinary kettle. AVo expected to find it 
intricate and dreaded using it, but were 
delightfully surprised by its simplicity. 
M. A. 
Waching White Clothes 
I am a farmer's wife with three chil¬ 
dren. all under four years of age, and I 
believe any process that will bring our 
clothes white and clean should be satis¬ 
factory for any ordinary washing. A few 
weeks ago a friend from my h uno town 
was visiting us. My husband came in. 
after a trip to the village, with a basket 
full of clean clothes ready to be folded and 
ironed. 
“Oh,” said my friend, "you hire your 
washing done. Well, 1 should think you 
would have about enough to do without it. 
but I wish you would try the method we 
‘Pk RURAL NEW-YORKER 
neighbors at home are using now. It 
saves time, energy, soap, water and fuel. 
AVashday morning we put the boiler on 
the stove with cold water and two or 
three tablespoons of washing powder. 
Then throw the dry, dirty clothes right 
into it, and when they have boiled take 
them oil and suds them (I use my wash¬ 
ing machine six minutes), and rinse and 
blue them and hang them out.” 
That week I washed the baby’s diapers 
that way (of course they had been soak¬ 
ing) and found it quite satisfactory, 
but think I have improved upon their 
method somewhat. The next week I sent 
away just the colored clothes and woolen 
-things, and kept at home all that could be 
boiled, and this is the way 1 washed 
them : 
I put them to soak the night before, as 
usual. In the morning I warmed the 
water enough to be comfortable to the 
hands, put the waehboiler on the bench 
beside me, took each piece separately on 
the washboard and soaped it as though I 
was going to scrub it, then rolled it up 
carefully and loosely and without wring¬ 
ing it out, tossed it into the boiler. When 
I had enough in the boiler (it probably 
wouldn’t be wise to boil table linen with 
dirty hand towels), I put it on the stove, 
adding enough cold water to cover, boiled 
the clothes thoroughly and took them out 
into the “sudsing water.” I looked each 
piece over, rubbing between my hands 
Embroidery Designs 
any grimy places on neckband, wrist¬ 
bands, etc., rinsed and blued them and 
hung them out. I used to think boiling 
clothes would “set the dirt” (what it 
didn’t take out) but now I think it loos¬ 
ens it. 3 irs. j. n. P. 
A Moving Experience 
Having helped to execute a very suc¬ 
cessful “flitting” without breakage, and 
with economy of labor. I wish to tell of 
an unusual method which we employed; 
also of my belief in the policy, not so un¬ 
usual, of getting rid of all* articles not 
needed, or. desired, before moving. We 
had lived in the same place (a country 
farmhouse) for over a generation, and 
though accustomed to give away old cloth¬ 
ing, had an accumulation of books, keep¬ 
sakes and other things which would take 
up too much space in our prospective 
apartments. Beginning months before¬ 
hand with “Eliminate!” for motto, I 
found real pleasure in disposing of our 
superfluous possessions, giving all which 
had any value to persons avIio were glad 
to receive them. Some good books I gave 
to a school library, and others to a neigh¬ 
bor’s large family; some I reserved for 
Christmas gifts; even two prosy old-fash¬ 
ioned novels, which were with us a family 
joke, were asked for by a person who saw 
me about to discard them, and who was 
made happy by the gift of these and other 
treasures quite useless to us. 
Pursuing the same course with house 
plants, dishes and utensils not needed, 
furniture, etc., I reduced my packing to a 
minimum, and then began on it, using 
(here is the unusual point) grape trays, 
rectangular wooden boxes with handles, 
holding about a bushel, and which could 
be piled together compactly. For covers 
we used a supply of bottoms intended for 
other trays, nailing theVn on lightly, so 
that they would not be spoiled for the 
original purpose. As fast as a box was 
packed I wrote a list of contents on the 
cover. Having visited our future home, 
measured the rooms and planned the fur¬ 
nishings. I was able to pack together 
such articles as would be used in the 
same room. Even my best china and 
glassware were packed in the trays, table 
linen being used in part, to prevent break¬ 
age. A few large boxes, with our trunks, 
sufficed for the large articles to be 
packed, and as we were oiilyflbing a few 
miles, and not by train, our light boxes 
served admirably, and greatly facilitated 
the work of settling. I myself, though 
not strong, could handle them; and the 
lists on the covers were invaluable. 
GRACE A. TIMMERMAN. 
Letters from a Cousin 
Dear Amelia : You said that you were 
constantly accumulating recipes for jel¬ 
lies, jams ami pickles, then forgetting 
where you had put them and never able to 
remember from one season to another 
what new sorts you had intended to try. 
So let me tell you how Edna manages the 
matter. She lias a common wooden box 
with a slide cover, such as hardware 
comes packed in. The dealer where she 
buys nails and screws let her select the 
sort she wanted. The length does not 
matter, but the other measurements would 
best be about 4x5 on the outside, as cards 
to fit that size will hold a recipe nicely. 
If culled from newspapers or woman’s 
journals she pastes the clipping onto a 
card and all are filed with her written 
cards in alphabetical order. No recipes 
for cooking or baking go into this box, 
but she slips in after any recipe a piece of 
paper, cut to card size, on which she h : as 
written the date and any particulars con¬ 
cerning that season’s canning or preserv¬ 
ing by that formula. If she has varied it 
she writes how and why and watches for 
results when the cans are opened during 
the Winter. If she sees reason for doing 
things a different way next time, there is 
a place where she can put her resolutions 
in exact wording and find the record when 
the canning season comes around again. 
The matter is thus made very compact 
and out of the way till needed, and reci¬ 
pes to be discarded are easily burned up 
to give place to fresh ones. If one had a 
perfect memory, of course no such card 
cataloguing would be needed, but what 
woman past 50 lias never-slip remember¬ 
ing faculties! 
You also wrote of having bought a new 
beautifier in the hair goods line, and Edna 
happened to tell me, yesterday, that she 
finds that her transformation keeps in 
good condition if she shakes it out well at 
night and hangs in before an open win¬ 
dow. The night air seems to liven it up 
and straighten out kinks and yet will 
make hair with any natural curl the more 
wavy. Of course one must not wash 
made-up hair goods, and this nightly air¬ 
ing keeps it sweet and fresh. She was 
told always to use a brush and light touch 
when straightening it, and never a comb, j 
but says that gentle shaking out was more 
than half the work. 
You wrote of a plan which included 
taking your bedroom matting for the 
sewing-room. But. I hope you have 
changed your mind, for threads on a half- j 
worn matting are a trial to patience when 
sweeping time comes. Edna had a dress¬ 
maker here last week, and though she 
spread a heavy sheet, kept for the pur- 
pose, and placed the sewing lady on the 
center of it, we had to go over the mat¬ 
ting with a whisk broom to clear it of the 
silk ravelings. AURELIA. 
Egg Sandwiches—Mash six hard-boiled 
eggs fine, add pepper, salt and a small 
lump of butter. Add one-half cup of nut- 
meats or peanut butter if desired. Pour 
over this one-half cup of salad dressing. 
Mix well and spread on thin slices of 
bread. 
I Need a Bicycle ” 
“I’ve got to get around more. 
Hoofing it takes too long—an 
automobile is too expensive 
for short trips — a bicycle is 
just what I need ! ” 
IVER JOHNSON 
BICYCLES 
The choice of the farmer who 
knows is the Iver Johnson. Because 
ofits strong truss-bridge frame,seam¬ 
less tubing of high carbon nickel 
steel; drop-forged parts, and its im¬ 
proved scientific “Two-point” ball 
bearing construction both on one axle 
—runs as smoothly as water over a 
dam. All equipment the most modem. 
Every bicycle guaranteed satisfactory. 
Iver Johnson Adult Models. $45 and uo. Juve¬ 
nile Models, $27.50 to $32.50 (Coaster Erake 
extra on Juveniles). 
Write today for free, interesting 
Bicycle Catalog “ B ” and Illus¬ 
trated Booklet on Firearms " A.” 
Iver Johnson’s Arms & Cycle Works 
308 River Street, Fitchburg, Mass. 
717 Market Street 99 Chambers Street 
San Francisco New York 
Iver Johnson Revolvers 
are safe. You can 
“Hammer the Hammer'' 
PRODUCTIVE POULTRY HUSBANDRY, 
by Harry R. Lewis; $2. A popular Poultry 
work. For sale by Rural New - Yorker 
NEW PERFECTION 
COOK STOVES 
Delicious Cooking 
lhe NeAv Perfection Oil Cookstove gives all the 
comfort ot gas — keeps your kitchen cool, ev r en in 
the hottest weather, and clean the year round. 
No kindling, no ashes. 
It broils, bakes, roasts, toasts—literally to per¬ 
fection. 
Its Long Blue Chimney makes the clean intense 
heat—prevents smoke, odor or soot. You regu¬ 
late the flame like gas—on when you want it, 
off Avhen youYe finished. 
The New Perfection Plot Water Heater gives 
plenty ot hot Avater for kitchen, laundry and bath. 
See your dealer. Today. 
STANDARD OIL CO. OF NEW A ORK 
