“Jbf RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
857 
Spring Activities in the House 
When Spring comes and all nature 
appears in fresh, bright colors we notice 
particularly the dinginess and faded state 
of our homes. Perhaps the rooms are 
badly in need of paint and paper, as well 
as some renewed furniture. Wallpaper 
and'paint are high in price just at present, 
and when the cost of labor is added the 
sum becomes considerable. < H't.eu, too, it 
is impossible to procure a man to do the 
•work when you need it done. I have 
waited with my rooms torn up for weeks 
for a man to do papering and paint¬ 
ing, and finally in desperation started the 
work myself. I found it. was not nearly 
so dittieult as it appeared, and it is not 
any more strenuous than many of the 
Risk;- that farm women are called upon 
to pei form. We have built and repaired 
several houses, so that. 1 had the benefit 
of watching experts tit this kind of work 
before I undertook it. I also learned 
some things by experience that I am glad 
to pass on. 
In repainting or papering the walls 
their present condition must first be con¬ 
sidered If they have been previously 
papered the first tiling to do is to remove 
the old paper from the walls. The fin¬ 
ished work will look much better and it 
is extremelj unsanitary to leave the dirty, 
germ-laden paper underneath. If the 
paper sticks tightly to the wall, wet it 
thoroughly with a sponge or cloth, let it 
stand a few moments, and y ou can easily 
l>eel off large sheets. After the paper is 
removed, if you find any broken plaster¬ 
ing, it. w ill have to be repaired. Remove 
all the loose plaster, and with a small 
trowel, or even a knife, fill in a mixture 
of plaster of Paris and water. It should 
be of the consistency of thick paste, and 
will he easily worked with, but. n> soon 
as it hardens it should be smoothed even 
with the wall at once. 
In many old country house*, there are 
ceilings still covered with whitewash or 
kalsomine. Paper will not stick to such 
a surface unless the wall is treated before 
papering. If the kalsomine or white¬ 
wash is not very thick on the ceiling, 
washing the surface with vinegar will be 
sufficient < )ue ceiling 1 had where the 
whitewash was on very thick 1 first 
papered with newspapers. When dry 1 
pulled them loose and most of the white¬ 
wash with them. The ceiling was then 
washed with the vinegar, and I never had 
the least bit of trouble about the paper 
cracking loose after the work was done. 
Piist.e for papering can be bought, but 
the homemade is much cheaper. Take 
several quarts of flour, mix to a smooth 
paste 'with cold water. Pour * boiling 
water into the paste, stirring till it 
thickens., but do uot boil. It will get 
quite thick and should be thinned with 
cold water. Have it just thick 'enough 
to brush easily on the paper. A* white¬ 
wash brush is used to put the paste on 
the paper, and a puperhuuger’s brush is 
also necessary to smooth tin paper on 
the wall. A platform of boards, with 
tables or .stepladders used for the sup¬ 
ports is necessary to stand on while paper¬ 
ing the ceiling. A long table which can 
be made of hoards laid on proper sup¬ 
ports is necessary to lay the cut strips 
of paper on while pasting. < )ne. woman 
alone cannot very well bang the ceiling 
paper, but two can do it very nicely. 
After the paper has been trimmed and 
cut the proper lengths it should be placed 
right side downward on the table and the 
paste applied. Fold the paper over on 
itself at each end for three or four feet, 
then turn back each . nd again a few 
inches, so that it can be readily taken 
hold of when you unfold to put on the 
ceiling. One woman should be at each 
end. The one merely helps hold the 
paper, while the other puts it in place. 
If both should attempt to match in posi¬ 
tion bad wrinkles would result. 
One thing 1 found, that if you have a 
fairly good grade of paper the paste does 
not soak through very quickly, and it is 
not necessary to move with the frantic 
haste that, the amateur invariably feels 
is necessary. The paper can be removed 
from the wall and readjusted several 
times if it is necessary. If it should 
tear a little it; will not show when dry. 
The first strip on the ceiling it is im¬ 
portant to get on properly, or it will 
make the hanging of the succeeding strips 
very difficult. Let the edge and ends of 
the strip extend down on the side wall 
for several inches. Walls are never built 
exactly straight, and if you do not do 
tiiis and it is necessary to match a pat¬ 
tern, the last strips might not In quite 
long enough at one end. Fare must be 
taken not to got. any paste on the right 
side of the paper, as it always shows 
badly when dry. Pound tin edges down 
well with the brush so they do not stick 
up in an unsightly manner. 
Side walls are much easier papered 
than ceilings, although the extra cutting 
around doors and windows takes time. I 
have found plain wallpaper much to be 
preferred to the large ornate-figured af¬ 
fairs. Oatmeal paper is my preference. 
Then are two kinds, permanent oatmeal 
and oatmeal pulp. The former is much 
tin- more satisfactory, as tiie colors do 
not fade. The cost is a little more than 
foji some other papers, but as it conies 
in oO-inoh widths not nearly so many 
rolls are required for a room. Then, too. 
the fact that uo matching is needed in 
these plain papers makes the work much 
mb re quickly don*. 
Painting P something else that can be 
done by the housewife quite as easily as 
the papering. Ready-mixed paints are 
best for the amateur, and it pays to get 
a good grade. If white paint is used be 
sure to get the white used for inside 
work, as the other kind will turn yellow 
when used indoors. Have the surface to 
be painted thoroughly clean. Do not take 
much paint on your brush, and brush it 
thoroughly over the surface you are paint¬ 
ing. In this way you will not get the 
paint on too thick, and will prevent the 
unsightly scaling off that sometimes oc¬ 
curs as the result of putting it on too 
thick. 
Floors in many old houses are tfot fin¬ 
ished, and when the housewife wishes to 
have a rug instead of carpets her floor 
will not warrant it. Prepared floor paint 
can be used, or a stain of the color wished 
can be applied, and then a coat of shellac. 
I particularly like the latter, as it is 
very durable and does not mar as easily 
;is some other finishes. 
Painting of outside surfaces is not so 
easy for a woman, but porch floors, posts 
ami banisters are not hard to do, and help 
the appearance of things greatly, as well 
as preserving the wood. If they have not 
been painted before, or if the wood is very 
much weatherbeaten, mix the paint thor¬ 
oughly with an equal quantity of raw 
linseed oil, as this sort of a surface will 
absorb large quantities of oil, and unless 
you use the paint thinned iu this way it 
will soon skin off. 
Window sash are also easy to do. Per¬ 
haps the putty may have scaled off aud 
file sash ueeds reglazing. This can be 
done by the amateur, too. If all the 
putty is not off it should be removed. 
Have your putty fresh and in good work¬ 
able condition, roll a rhiu strip and lay 
on the groove where the old putty was. 
It should then be smoothed to an even 
liuc_ '\ith a knife. A regular glazier’s 
knife is best , but any bluut-emled knife 
can be used. After the putty has thor¬ 
oughly dried the surface should be 
painted. It is really not a hard job, 
although of course not exactly fas¬ 
cinating or interesting. However, all 
these things make a great difference in 
the appearance of the home, and if the 
work in itself is not pleasing the results 
are, aud that is after all the main thing. 
MRS. <11 AIU.KS JOT! XSTO.V. 
Letters from a Cousin 
Dear Amelia: —My package of ideas 
is a small one this week and they may 
prove best adapted to a small family, for 
Sara s household is never a large one. 
1 bat makes ln*r ways of saving all the 
left-overs the more useful, aud certainly 
everything that comes onto her table botii 
tastes and looks good. 
At night there is usually a soup or a 
salad. The salads are of great variety. 
Usually on Sunday night it is a fruit 
salad, maybe grapefruit, banana, orange, 
and a few nuts; again apple, orange, 
a little celery and a cherry or two on each 
plate. She usually serves a separate 
plateful for each, as when put in one 
solid dish the head of the house will give 
one too much, another less than is wanted 
and himself almost none, perhaps. Prunes 
with pit taken out and the space filled 1 
with cream cheese make a •••••od salad. A 
small can of lobster will, with celery and 
a hard-boiled egg. make salad for three 
people an ample Sunday night supper if 
followed by cake and canned fruit. 
Sara says that almost any sort of cold 
meat goes if made into a salad, cold 
spa re rib being almost equal to chicken. 
If the supply of celery runs low she some¬ 
times slices iu a cucumber pickle or two. 
Any cold vegetables, potatoes, string 
beans, peas, beets and even carrots if 
mixed, or well combined, are well ac¬ 
cepted. Of course to have the lettuce 
and celery out of one’s own garden or 
'•old frame is a great saving of expense, 
and farmer people are to ho pitied who 
•lo uot have them iu plenty, or who do 
not like salads 1 noticed that Sara kept 
a small jar. with screw top, for making 
French dressing in. She would measure 
out four tablespoons of oil. tv o of vine¬ 
gar. one-half teaspoon of salt and one- 
fourth of pepper, shake the closed jar 
well and then pour enough over a bowlful 
of cut-up potato or meat and celerey. or 
whatever her material was. to season the 
whole lightly. When the lr* nee leaves 
were arranged on the plates a‘ light scat¬ 
tering of this dressing was added to them. 
The main materials were prepared an 
hour or two before serving, the lettuce 
just before going to the table. When 
these were ready a few spoonfuls of a 
heavy, rich salad dressing was put on 
top, less for some palates and more for 
others, and it was surprising how large 
a plateful the head of the house would 
make away with. 
Sara had given up mayonnaise dress¬ 
ing for one more easily made, less extra¬ 
vagant of oil and as well liked by every¬ 
body. To make it use one-eighth cup of 
mixed lemon juice and vinegar added to 
one large cup of hot water. When boil¬ 
ing stir iu two tablespoons each of olive 
oil aud flour mixed smooth. Cook till 
thick, take from the fire and add yolks 
of two eggs, well beaten. When almost 
••old beat iu one large cup of olive oil, 
adding it gradually. Then mix a large 
teaspoon of salt, one-half teaspoon of 
mustard and a speck <if cayenne. To this 
add a little of the dressing and finally 
mix all together. Sara would make hers 
in a granite iron fry pan, which allowed 
quick cooking and easy heatiug, aud 
would have a good-sized bowlful to put 
away in the ice chest. Sometimes thick 
cream would be beaten in and the whole 
so made to go farther. 
Here is. a recipe for a boiled dressing 
without oil: < )ne egg. one-fourth table¬ 
spoon ground mustard, one tablespoon 
sugar, one teaspoon salr. one-fourth cup 
vinegar, iy 2 melted butter. Heat the egg 
well, then beat in the sugar, salt and mus¬ 
tard. Add the melted butter slowly, beat¬ 
ing all the while, then the vinegar. Set 
the saucepan in another of hot water on 
the stove aud stir rill it thickens. When 
about to use this oue can add a little 
cream or milk beaten in AURELIA. 
More About Midnight Marauders 
I notice request fur a remedy to eradi¬ 
cate the bedbug. I once had the pests, 
and by taking a little sewing-machine oil 
••an and filling with coal oil, going into 
every little crevice, one can kill all the 
insects, and I surely did get rid of them 
for always. It was an easy remedy. 
c. o. 
A tablespoon fill of carbolic acid to a 
pint <»r quart of benzine will wipe out the 
insects, eggs and all It spoils nothing, 
evaporates quickly and eradicates. 
m. r.. o. 
Canned Pimentos 
Would you give the recipe for canning 
pimentos. like those we buy canned? I 
think they are in olive oil. MRS. n. L. z. 
We do not know any pimentos canned 
in oil. Several recipes have been given in 
The R. N.-Y. The following is a stand¬ 
ard recipe: Wash, cut in quarters and 
remove seed. Blanch for three minutes, 
dip in cold water and pack iu sterilized 
jars. Add salt aud boiling water and 
sterilize for one and one-half hours in 
wnshboiler, or one hour in canner. Some 
of our friends can the pimentos whole 
and add two teaspoons of sugar aud one 
of salt to the jar, sterilizing as above. 
Both green and ripe pimentos are canned. 
Perhaps it i.s the richer flavored ripe pep¬ 
pers that give the impression of being 
canned in oil. 
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OR PAIN KILLER FOR THE HUMAN BODY 
Gombault’s 
Caustic Balsam 
IT HAS NO EQUAL 
- A 1 
Pqj, —Tt is pel.' 
tracing. 8 oo t b - 
ing an*} healing, an-: 
1L « fop all Old 8 oivs. 
IslC Bruises, or 
Wound®, Felons, Boile. 
Corus »iid 
Bunion s. 
CAUSTIC BALSAM lia« 
P Af | l , no equal a* 
O'JUy a Liniment. 
Human 
Wo would say to all 
who buy it that it does 
not contain a particle 
of poisonous substance 
and therefore no harm 
can result fiom its ex¬ 
ternal use. Persistent, 
thorough use will cure 
many old or chronic 
ailments and it can be 
used on any case that 
requires an outward 
application wHh 
perfect safety. 
Perfectly Safe 
and 
Reliable Remedy 
for 
Sore Throat 
Chest Cold 
Backache 
Neuralgia 
Sprains 
Strains 
Lumbago 
Sore Lungs 
Rheumatism 
and 
ailStiff Joints 
REMOVES THE SORENESS-STRENGTHENS MUSCLES 
Cornhill, T»'x.—■••One b- 1lie Caustic Balsam did 
mv rheumatism mol'd good than $120.00 paid in 
doctor’s hills.*’ OTTO A. BEYER. 
Price $1.75 per bottle. Sold by druggists, or 6 ent 
by us exrresv prepaid. Write for Booklet R. 
The LAWRENCE-WILLIAMS COMPANY, Cleveland,0. 
“Sunday dinner 
spread on a new 
linen tablecloth makes everything 
look twice as appetizing.” 
See Page 400 of “Your Bargain 
Book.” There is a genuine linen 
tablecloth, 62x70 inches, for $2.79. 
It’s only one of many linen bar¬ 
gains. If you prefer Union linen 
or half linen, it too is here in many 
styles and at prices pleasingly low. 
“Your Bargain Book” is yours 
for the asking. Send today. 
Ike Charles William Stores. 
347 Stores Building New York City l “ e - 
JUDGING FARM ANIMALS, by C. S. 
Plumb; $2.25. A Practical Manual on this 
subject. For sale by Rural New-Yorker 
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