4:18 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
Mending a Rag Carpet. 
Mrs. H. M. R., of Columbia Co., Pa., sends a 
number of suggestions in matters relating to econ¬ 
omy in the household, of which we at present give 
the following: “One morning last winter as 
Henry took some hot coals out of the sitting-room 
stove to start a fire in the kitchen, he dropped near¬ 
ly half of them on my new rag carpet, and burned 
seven or eight holes from one to two inches in di¬ 
ameter. At first I did not know what to do, but 
soon made up my mind to try to mend them, and I 
think I succeeded admirably, for when they were 
done they could not be seen half way across the 
room, and they would never be noticed by anyone 
unless his attention was called to it. I first cut 
both rags and warp out as far as they were the least 
bit tender with the heat, then went to the rag 
drawer and selected rags as near the color of those 
burned as possible, and carefully joined every rag 
burned with one of its own size and color. I was 
lucky enough to have yarn like the warp, for 1 
made the carpet myself. Then I served the warp 
the same way, weaving it in the rags with a darn¬ 
ing needle. It is rather difficult getting the warp 
just right, unless you know how. Begin by putting 
in every alternate thread ; this brings them all over 
and under the same rags, the first going over. 
Then commence and put in those skipped, taking 
every other one left the first time over, and so on 
until all are in. It is better to pull some of the 
warp out a little farther than it was burned, so that 
the knots may not all come in one place. This is 
easier done while the carpet is tacked on the floor 
than at any other time. It will be found rather 
trying work at first, but all that is necessary to ac¬ 
complish it satisfactorily is a little patience and 
perseverance. Where there are many holes it is 
better not to try to mend more than one or two at 
a time. But I think it decidedly pays on a new 
carpet. Whether it will on an old one each one 
must judge for herself after she has tried it.” 
Economy in Coal Hods or Buckets. 
Coal hods—called variously scuttles and buckets— 
will wear out, and the bottom is the place which 
first yields to wear and rust, this portion often fail¬ 
ing when the rest is good. Mr. Frank Lee, of Ky., 
says: “My plan is: fit an oak hoard inches 
thick in the rim of the bucket bottom, and nail it 
there through the rim. A bucket treated thus will 
last years longer than it otherwise would. The 
wooden bottom should be put in when new, but if 
the bottom is broken and partly worn out it will do 
to put it in theu. I have in use two buckets that 
became worthless, and I was about throwing them 
away when the idea occurred to try a wooden bot¬ 
tom, which 1 did, and they are now worth more 
than when I bought them.” 
More Variety in Food Wanted. 
The farmer raises food for ether people, but often¬ 
times does not cater wisely for himself. There is 
much just reflection upon farm life in that old 
miserly maxim first uttered as a sarcasm : “ Sell 
what you can ; what you cannot sell, eat; what you 
cannot cat, give to the pigs.” We do not believe 
thrift lies in this direction. The producers of food 
are entitled to the best their farms afford, and in 
the long run this is (lie true economy. One secret 
of I he strong drift of our farming population toward 
the city lies in the farmer’s table. Children crave 
a variety of good, wholesome food, and enough of 
it, and any stint of it is certain to be remembered 
when the)' come to shift for themselves. The citizen 
always has a variety of food within his reach, and 
nothing but poverty prevents him from enjoying 
all that the farm sends to market. He has all the 
fruits and vegetables in their season, and in the 
best condition in which he can get them. lie has 
fish and flesh in great variety, and his appetite is 
never cloyed. But upon the farm, where the best 
of every thing is produced, salted meats arc too 
often thestaple provisions theyear round, and corn 
meal cooked in some form is a perpetual feast. 
Now, there is no reason in the world why the farmer 
should not be the best fed man in the community. 
He ought to be, as an advertisement of his business. 
A tailor, of all men, cannot afford to dress shabbily. 
Coarse, ill-fitting boots are a bad card fora shoe¬ 
maker. The producers of food should show us 
how to cook and enjoy it. Many farmers we know 
do give us this advertisement of their business. 
Their guests sometimes forget to come away, when 
their visits are finished. But this is a less evil than 
a hospitality which one is ashamed to offer, and 
which no one accepts a second time. The physical 
man should be kept in the best condition by a 
varied and generous diet, and the glory of the farm 
be made to culminate in the fine specimens of men 
and women it produces. 
- ■» -- —> « - 
Sandwiches. 
Francis Grosse, author of a dictionary of English 
local words, thus defines Sandwich : “ Two pieces 
of bread and butter, with a thin slice of ham or 
other salt meat between them ; said to have been 
a favorite dish with the Earl of Sandwich.” What¬ 
ever great deeds the Earl may have done, his only 
recorded monument is two pieces of bread and but¬ 
ter with a slice of meat between them. The name, 
at all events, is enduring, but the monument dis¬ 
appears pretty rapidly, as every one likes sand¬ 
wiches. They are in place at lunch, at tea, or 
at evening entertainments ; they are most accept¬ 
able to travelers and hunters, and are good as a 
“bite” at any time when one is hungry. Sandwiches 
may be made off-hand, as they are eaten, or with 
more care, to be served at the table. For a hasty 
lunch, take two good slices of bread, well buttered, 
of a thickness proportioned to the appetite, and 
place between them slices of ham, tongue, corned 
or roast beef, or any other cold meat. Cold chicken 
or turkey, having a very thin bit of ham with it, 
makes a most excellent sandwich. The meat should 
always be cut very thin, and it is better to lay on 
several delicate slices than one thick one. Salt as 
required, and use mustard if it is liked. In putting 
up sandwiches for travelers, or hunters and fisher¬ 
men, be generous, as they are apt to have consum¬ 
ing appetites. With sandwiches for the table, for 
parties, fairs, etc., more care should be used. For 
bread, a good, home-made loaf, baked in a square 
tin, will cut to the best advantage. It should be 
old enough to cut smoothly, and be sliced moder¬ 
ately thin with a sharp knife. Butter, and place 
the thinly cut slices of meat between; lay the 
sandwiches on a clean table, place a board on 
them, and press them just sufficiently to make them 
hold together; trim the edges square, stack on a 
plate, and cover with a damp napkin or cloth un¬ 
til served. Have the meat always very tender and 
thinly sliced, as it is exceedingly annoying to be 
obliged to “tug” at a sandwich. The best we 
have ever eaten were made of potted ham. The 
boiled ham is first chopped and then put into a 
wooden mortar and pounded until it becomes a 
smooth paste. This, spread upon a slice of bread 
and butter and covered with another, makes a 
sandwich more delicate than the Earl ever knew of. 
- --*-> - —— -- - » - ■ 
Apple Pie as it Should Be. 
A lady writes : “I have just been reading an ar¬ 
ticle upon apples, written by George William Cur¬ 
tis. Speaking of apples and apple pie, he says: 
1 If you choose to slice and dry them,—it is not their 
natural end,—but even then they will return you 
good for evil in pies that might persuade any pagan 
to be a Christian. Not doughy, clammy, fatty pies, 
which are a device of Satan, but those triumphs 
which have no bottom crust, and in which the 
spoon sinks and sinks—Selah ! 
1 For pies proper no condemnation can be severe 
enough. It is oue of the alarming signs that we 
are getting to be a pie-eating nation. (Getting to 
be ?) Pies are the staple food at all the taverns in 
the laud. The rural kitchen is full of pies. The 
railroad stations are piled with pies. The eating- 
booths in Fulton Market are lined with pies. It is 
the popular form of taking dyspepsia and ruining 
the health. The smart Sala, who hired himself to 
the London Telegraph to ridicule this country, 
sparkled when he wrote of pies ; and the worst of 
liis wit was that it was true. It is a prostitution of 
any fruit, an injury, a crime, to bury it in a pie. 
But agains., the venerable and august apple it is a 
peculiar infi my.’—‘ Thus,’ continues Mr. Curtis, 
‘ nothing is so improper as a pie proper. But 
there are preparations called pie which are truly 
delightful; and chief among them that which 
slices the apple without making a mush of it, and 
after it slices it, spices it, and then bakes it under 
a firm, light, thoroughly browned, and dry crust.’ 
Now I do not agree with him in regard to all 
fruit being spoiled when put between two crusts, 
for pies made of rich preserve in this manner are 
delicious. But I do think with him that pies made 
of apple sauce might have originated from the 
source which he affirms. The manner of making 
the delightful pie to which he alludes is as follows : 
Take a deep dish, invert a teacup in the middle 
and slice around it some juicy, tarty, high-flavored 
apples ; then add a little w’ater, sugar, and nutmeg, 
cover with a good, rich, light crust, and bake until 
nicely browned and the apples thoroughly cooked.” 
The iEtna. 
The HCtna is an ingenious contrivance for heat¬ 
ing liquids,or cooking small messes on short notice, 
without the trouble or expense of kindling a large 
fire. Two flanges are put on at the bottom of the 
vessel, as shown in the figure, the one to elevate it 
a little above the table on which it stands, and the 
other, inverted, to make a 
gutter for the alcohol, 
which is the article used 
as fuel. The alcohol 
when lighted makes a 
blaze on all sides of the 
cup, and heats it very 
rapidly. A teaspoonful 
will warm a pint of beef 
tea sufficiently for drink¬ 
ing, or cook the same 
quantity of arrowroot or 
other food. This vessel is a very great con¬ 
venience in the sick room, especially in the warm 
months, when a fire is oppressive. It can be had 
at the furnishing stores, or any tin worker can 
readily make it. It should have a wooden handle. 
Children's Swings.— In a recent letter “ Aunt 
Hattie” says: For a time we had only one swing, 
and the vexation and annoyance the one caused 
cannot be calculated. Every few minutes Willie 
would be in to complain that Lizzie had swung 
enough, and that it was his turn, or Lizzie would cry 
because Bobbie had it, or would not push, etc., etc., 
until finally Edward and I compromised the matter 
by having a swing made for each one, even the 
two year-old baby being accommodated with a 
chair suspended securely to a branch of the tree. 
You would be astonished to see how differently 
things go under the new arrangement. Baby will 
swing by the hour, and often goes to sleep in his 
“little rock,” as he calls it. I think a great deal of 
fretting and crying among children, and scolding 
among parents, too, might be prevented by the ex¬ 
ercise of a little care and ingenuity. 
■--—caster*—-*-**>'- 
The Health of Gold Fish. —These pets of the 
glass globe die early, like other beautiful things, 
as some of our fair correspondents complain. They 
are careful to change the water, and keep them 
clean, but forget that the carp is a carnivorous 
animal with a sharp appetite, and as much in danger 
of starving to death in his narrow quarters as a 
land animal. In confinement, however, it is best 
to give them animal food, such as worms, only oc¬ 
casionally, and let their principal fare be of pellets 
of stiff dough, made of flour and water only. 
Always remove all the food that remaius uneaten. 
