1868 . 
American agriculturist. 
6 £> 
TOE Ef©U§E!Ht©!LBo 
(J£T For other Household, Items, see “ Basket" pages.) 
Do you keep a Household Journal ? 
A correspondent speaks of the keeping of a jour¬ 
nal of family events as one of the pleasures of life. 
Of the utility of such a practice we have no doubt. 
It would probably be irksome to many at first, but 
would soon come to be a pleasant part pf the daily 
routine. The pocket diaries published so cheaply 
in all our large cities have space enough to enter 
every thing that would be desirable. If one of 
these, furnished with a good pencil, were kept in 
the work-basket beside the needle case and the 
scissors, it would take but a few moments each 
day to make a record of passing events. One of 
the items appropriately kept in such a journal 
should be the family expenses, and there is usually 
a place at the end of these diaries where such an 
account can be arranged in an orderly manner, 
and footed up each month. The family expenses 
might be arranged under the heads of table, ward¬ 
robe, fuel, lights, service, education, travel, etc., 
and at the end of each month the heads of the fam¬ 
ily could tell very nearly whether they had spent 
more than they had earned. The whole secret of 
thrift in the household depends upon spending less 
than the income. Multitudes take no particular 
pains to ascertain either their income or expenses. 
They never know whether they are getting on or 
falling behind. They are never ready to settle ac¬ 
counts, and they live upon credit until nobody will 
trust them. It is true there are some difficulties in 
the way of a farmer keeping such an account, 
that would not embarrass a day laborer or a salaried 
man. These receive so much in wages or salary 
and know definitely how much they have to spend 
every day or every week. But the farmer provides 
very largely for his own wants, owns his house, 
perhaps, supplies his own fuel, and, in large part, 
his table. But it would not take long to ascertain 
howmucli wheat, corn, rye, potatoes, poultry, etc., 
of his own production, are consumed in the family, 
and what their market value is. If the estimate 
were made it would enable him to tell very nearly 
the expense of his housekeeping each month, and 
at the close of the year, when the account of crops 
was taken, he could tell very nearly what his in¬ 
come was. This definite knowledge would oper. 
ate favorably upon a farmer’s fortunes in many 
ways. He could check extravagance if he found 
it. He could retrench expenses if he found he 
was living beyond his income. He could get the 
new carriage or harness, or the piano for Kate, if 
the state of his finances justified it, without any 
uncomfortable apprehensions. If a man is not 
clear-headed enough to keep accounts and live 
within his income, his wife should take hold and 
help him in his book-keepiug. The temporal pros¬ 
perity of the family depends upon correct figures. 
Other items should find a place under their appro¬ 
priate dates,—births, deaths, and marriages in the 
circle of near relatives and friends, the beginning 
of the school, remarkable extremes in the weather, 
political, social, and ecclesiastical events, the blos¬ 
soming of fruit trees, and the first appearance of 
birds in the spring, the time of sowing or planting 
the principal crops, the several plantings in the 
garden, and every thing likely to be of interest in 
future years. Such a record, faithfully kept, would 
introduce system into the whole household. It 
would lead to definite knowledge of many things 
that now pass unobserved. It would cultivate the 
habit of observation, which is worth quite as much 
upon the farm as in auy other calling. It is often 
a matter of very great importance to know just 
when an event happened, when a tree was planted, 
when it bore its first fruit, the date of a cold snap, 
and the record of the thermometer. Legal decis¬ 
ions involving large sums frequently depend upon 
the memory of such small events. Recording 
them in a journal preserves an accurate knowledge of 
them, and is valuable for reference in future years. 
Not the least inducement to keep such a journal 
Is its value as an heir-loom to the children, ever in¬ 
creasing in interest as it goes down to the coming 
generations. What would we give for such a 
record of the incidents in the daily life of our early 
ancestors in this country ! It would afford a very 
good outline of their domestic life and of their 
characters. It would be better than their portraits, 
for it would show us their surroundings, their style 
of living, and much of the men and women them¬ 
selves. The bold doctrine of Sartor Resartus that 
clothing makes the man may not be true. If we 
could add to the work of the tailor, that of the 
schoolmaster and the pastor, the grocer and the 
butcher, and all the men with whom they had daily 
intercourse, we should see our forefathers very 
much as they were. Keep a household journal. 
FRAME OF PINE TWIGS. 
Household Ornaments. 
It is often a convenience to be able to hang a pho¬ 
tograph or small picture by the writing desk or the 
toilet table, to be always in sight. The illustration 
shows a rustic frame of suitable size for cartes de 
visite. It is made of the smallest twigs of the 
common Norway Spruce, about % of an inch 
in diameter. The twigs may be cut at any time 
when it is convenient, and after lying a few days 
the leaves will drop off. The natural color is pleas¬ 
ing to the eye, and nothing needs to be done to 
prepare them for the frame. Cut the side pieces 
of suitable length, with cross pieces for top and 
bottom. These are to be fastened at the joints 
with pins. The additional pieces above and below 
are fastened at the crossing with needle and thread, 
and the picture is kept in its place by a stitch at 
each corner. These can be made very readily by 
the boys and girls with a little showing, and a great 
variety of tasteful patterns may be wrought with 
the small twigs. If stouter limbs, a half inch or 
more in diameter, are taken, the frames can be 
made much larger and of a more substantial char¬ 
acter. If stout enough they can be fastened with 
glue, and they will last many years. Skillfully made, 
they are nice presents for friends, especially when 
they inclose the donor’s likeness. They are fre¬ 
quently manufactured for fairs, and bring very 
handsome returns for the labor invested in them. 
They cultivate the taste and ingenuity of the 
young, and are especially valuable for this reason. 
-- • > - —=-*-»-- 
Skating for Girls. 
An anxious mother wishes to know if this is a 
proper amusement for girls. We can see no reas¬ 
onable objection to it on the score of health or 
morals. We have known occasional instances of 
injury to the health from indulgence in this amuse¬ 
ment, but it was clearly traceable to unsuitable 
clothing, and imprudent exposure after the exer¬ 
cise. The same causes would have been quite as 
damaging to the health of boys. It is a very com¬ 
mon error to suppose that girls need clothing less 
substantial than their brothers, because they usu¬ 
ally spend much less of their time in the open air. 
This is rather an argument for warmer clothing, 
that they may feel the change less, and be guarded 
against taking cold. Too thin clothing for girls is 
a radical vice iu our household economy. A great 
outcry against thin shoes was made a few years ago, 
and the fashion was changed very much for the 
better. But this was only a single item in which 
reform was demanded. The girl is quite as sensi¬ 
tive to cold as her brother, and demands as much 
clothing from head to foot. The want of it ac¬ 
counts for much of the neuralgia, the rheumatism, 
and diseases of the throat and lungs, that afflict our 
American women. The English set us an admira¬ 
ble example in this respect. Witli a climate much 
less severe than ours in winter, they dress much 
warmer, and their women are trained from girlhood 
to out-door pursuits and amusements. They grow 
up with robust constitutions, well acquainted with 
the mysteries of the field and the garden, of the barn 
and stock-yard, as much accustomed to riding and 
walking, and as capable of enduring fatigue as man. 
Their shoes may be a little clumsy, and their com¬ 
plexion not so delicate, but they have what is bet¬ 
ter than any external grace, sound bodies, and that 
good common sense which comes of practical ac¬ 
quaintance with out-door life. Their refinement 
is not measured by dress and complexion. 
We have welcomed the present fashion of skating 
because it took our girls more into the open air, 
and enabled them to share the amusements of the 
other sex. It is not necessarily too severe, it 
strengthens the muscles, and accustoms the body 
to graceful movements. For aught we can see, the 
girls take to it as kindly as the boys, and it is quite 
as helpful in their physical training. Of course 
this amusement, like any other, needs regulation, 
and must have its appropriate times and places. 
It may become a mania and interfere with more 
important matters. It may lead to midnight ex¬ 
cursions and bad company. There is no place of 
absolute safety, either in work or play, for the 
young. They need amusements quite as much as 
work, and kindly oversight and guidance in both. 
Economy in Food. 
With a bountiful harvest iu most parts of our 
country, there is a want of prosperity, and the need 
of a more rigid economy than most families are 
accustomed to practice. In the South much suf¬ 
fering is reported, though the coni and wheat crops 
were abundant. In the North trade is dull and 
many failures have already taken place. Manufac¬ 
turers are reducing their labor, and many are 
thrown out of employment. Iu the cities and 
towns mechanics and laborers are not fully occu¬ 
pied, and they have to live on smaller incomes. 
All classes suffer in this general depression and 
must study economy. This virtue was practiced 
from stern necessity by former generations, but 
in our own time the tendency is all toward luxury 
and extravagance. The young begin where their 
fathers left off, and without much thought of the 
consequences, spend as freely as if they had the in¬ 
come of their fathers. There is great waste at the 
table especially'. Much of the food is spoiled in 
cooking, much is left upon the plate to be thrown 
away, and hardly a thought is bestowed upon the 
amount of nourishment furnished by the different 
varieties of food offered in the market. Many will 
now have to study the problem of nourishment in 
the cheaper forms ; and the experience of smaller 
incomes, if rightly improved, will be profitable. 
An average German or French family will live on 
half the income of an American, and keep in good 
physical condition. It is not necessary to good 
health to buy Porter-house steak, or the dearest 
cuts of lamb and mutton. A soup prepared from 
meat costing one-fourth as much will appease 
hunger, and will go quite as far iu sustaining the 
laboring man, though it may not please the appetite 
quite as well. As a rule, we eat much more meat 
than Europeans, more than is good for our best 
physical development and sustenance. A bushel 
of corn has about the same alimentary value as a 
