HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. 
Every lady thinks slie can keep house; but how 
few do it with economy. With a long purse and 
plenty of servants at your command, it is easy enough; 
but when the cents have to be counted, and you are 
reduced to the necessity of keeping but one servant, 
and sometimes none at all, it becomes then a burden 
instead of a pleasure. 
In the first place, to be a good housekeeper you 
must have the taste, for it, and be willing to accommo¬ 
date yourself to circumstances, to put up with discom¬ 
forts, and make sacrifices for others, which the sterner 
sex little dream of. It costs a little self-denial to lay 
aside an interesting book or a dainty piece of work to 
go and see what Bridget wants, or to rectify Sallie’s 
blunders. Housekeeping is a trial of temper, for how¬ 
ever expert the mistress of the establishment herself 
may be, she will soon find that servants are not all 
willing to conform to rules; and unless she practically 
superintends the ways of her household, and systemati¬ 
cally arranges things, she will never succeed. 
In keeping house the first thing necessary is system. 
Have a set time for everything. Let your servants 
know that such things are to be done at such hours, 
and in such a way, and if they neglect to do them ac¬ 
cording to orders, let them understand that it is your 
wish that it should be so done, and they will, in time, 
if they are at all desirous of pleasing, fall into your 
ways. 
Have everything that is needed for the table ready 
before meal-time. Let the table-cloth be always neat 
and clean; nothing contributes more to the enjoyment 
of the meal than having everything around you nice 
and fresh looking. A dinner well served promotes 
good humor. Do not trust the washing up of your 
cups and saucers, glassware, &c., entirely to your 
servants. It is not beneath the dignity of the lady of 
the house to do such things herself. She will, at least, 
have the satisfaction of knowing that they are clean. 
It is best to have your silver washed in the house; 
many a piece has found its way out of the yard by 
being carried into the kitchen, for servants are apt to 
be careless and leave things lying about. Every lady 
should have the control of her kitchen. By this I do 
not mean to approve of the plan adopted by some, of 
going there at all times and making excuses for poking 
into every hole and corner; but let it be understood 
by those you hire that it is your privilege to go into 
your kitchen whenever you choose to do so, and that 
you expect to find things clean and in order. Your 
stove or range should be polished at least once a week; 
and charge the servants not to pour cold water on it 
for the purpose of extinguishing the fire, for it will 
crack and ruin your stove. Coke, which can be pur¬ 
chased at the gas-works, makes an excellent article of 
fuel, particularly for summer use, for it catches up 
quickly, burns well, and dies out very fast when no 
longer needed, and, above all, is so much cheaper than 
hard coal. It can be mixed with the latter, and makes 
a very nice fire. It burns better when beaten up, with 
a little water poured on it. 
Make your own purchases; you should know your 
wants better than your servants do, who, besides, are 
so liable to be imposed upon. You will find it to your 
advantage to deal at one place as far as you can do 
so; and be assured that the best is the cheapest in the 
end, particularly in the article of food. Provide 
enough for your family; but beware of setting out to 
make a show. Live within your means; it is the 
safest plan, and see that nothing is wasted. Never 
buy what you do not want, even if it is cheap ; it may 
prove very dear. Keep a strict account of all expen¬ 
ditures, and allow yourself a certain amount a month, 
and try and keep within that limit. It may seem hard 
at first, but, by degrees, when you ascertain exactly 
what your daily wants are, it will be easy enough. 
Never run into debt; “it is the first step that costs;” 
when once you commence, it will be hard to stop, and 
it is a practice that has ruined many. I consider it 
wrong even to run up a bill if it can possibly be 
avoided. Sometimes we are so situated that it cannot 
be helped; but let such cases be the exception, not the 
rule. You will feel happier in knowing that you will 
not be annoyed with bills and no money to meet them. 
Where there are little children, mischief is very often 
made by servants. Teach both children and depend¬ 
ents that they must be kind and considerate to each 
other. A little child is not always responsible for its 
actions; but servants are apt to take advantage of 
them to vent their ill-humor. Let it be the rule of 
the household to be kind and forbearing in little 
things. Never reprove before strangers, however ag¬ 
gravating the offense may be; that should always be 
privately administered. The head of the house, he 
who provides the means for its support, should uphold 
the lady in her efforts to maintain a proper discipline. 
It should be his duty to correct as well as to praise; 
but men are very glad to leave such unpleasant things 
to their wives or mothers, never thinking how dis¬ 
agreeable it may be to sensitive natures to expose 
themselves to the insolence of hired servants, who, in 
many cases, never fail to take advantage of the oppor¬ 
tunity to heap on them the most insulting epithets. 
Your home surroundings may be plain, but if blessed 
with the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, your lot 
will indeed have fallen in pleasant places. 
Florence May. 
The fumes of a brimstone match will remove berry 
stains from a book or paper or engraving, 
drop of sweet oil on the catch, or on the hinge, if it 
creaks. Soap will do, but not so well. 
If there is rust on your flat-iron, or other roughness, 
put some fine salt on a board, rub it rapidly while 
warm until it moves smoothly. 
If rats are about, scatter powdered glass about their 
holes, or powdered copperas, or fill up the crevices 
with hard soap, or smear their holes with soft tar, or 
dip the rat in a cup of tar and let it go, and it will 
tar-plaster every hole in the house. 
If you wish to make a nail drive easily and last 
long without rusting, dip it in melted grease first. 
This is excellent for fencing and other exposed work. 
If you want a new shoe to fit as easily as an old 
one, put on two pairs of stockings before your measure 
is taken. 
HOUSEHOLD KNOWLEDGE. 
A single drop of the srrsquiodide chloride of iron, 
put on a corn between the toes, once a day, with a 
camel’s hair brush, will effect a marvellous cure. 
Ten grains of oxalic acid, in half a pint of water, 
will remove all ink and fruit stains. Wet the article 
in hot water, and apply it to the top of the bottle, so 
that the liquid will reach it, then rinse it well. 
Dry paint is removed by dipping a swab with a 
handle in a strong solution of oxalic acid. It softens 
it at once. 
Common ley of wood-ashes will soften hard putty 
in a few minutes. 
Keep some strong spirits of hartshorn in a ground 
glass-stopped bottle. A teaspoonful in a tablespoonful 
of water will clean combs and brushes, and restore 
colors injured by acids. A weaker solution, applied 
to ill-smelling feet and arm-pits, removes the odor, and 
removes the grease spots from carpets and clothing. 
A weak solution in water makes a good wash for 
the hair, and stimulates its growth when impaired 
by fever, and cleanses the scalp effectually. A weak 
solution, scattered over the leaves of plants, from a 
soft, fine, limber brush, gives new life to plants. Even 
if a little is sprinkled over the earth at their roots, 
their growth is invigorated. 
Borax, half a teaspoonful in half a teacup of water, 
makes the mildest and most efficient hair and scalp 
cleaner in the world. Rub it into the hair and scalp 
with the balls of the fingers, head held over a wash¬ 
basin, eyes shut, until the entire scalp is in a foam, 
then rinse with warm water. 
If a door does not shut without a “slam,” put a 
Floor-Cleaning. —When a carpet is taken up to be 
cleaned, the floor beneath it is generally very much 
covered with dust. This dust is very fine and dry, 
and poisonous to the lungs. Sprinkle the floor with 
very dilute carbolic acid to Mil any poisonous germs 
that may be present, and so thoroughly disinfect the 
floor and render it sweet. 
To Preserve Clothes-Pins. —An exchange says: 
“ They should be boiled a few moments and quickly 
dried, once or twice a month, when they become more 
flexible and durable. Clothes-lines will last longer 
and keep in better order for wash-day service if occa¬ 
sionally treated in the same way.” 
To Improve Starch. —To each bowl of starch add 
one teaspoonful of Epsom salts, and dissolve in the 
usual way by boiling. Articles starched with this will 
be stiffer, and will be rendered to a certain degree 
fire-proof. 
Husks. —Five pounds flour, half pound butter, 
twelve ounces sugar, nine eggs, one pint milk, yeast 
enough to make it light. 
Mrs. Brown’s Muffins.— Five eggs, one quart of 
milk, flour to make a stiff batter, and one cup of yeast. 
Coffee Cakes. —Take some soft-boiled rice, add 
twice as much flour as rice, a handful of Indian meal, 
a little yeast; mix over night and bake in the morn¬ 
ing. 
Muffins. —One egg, one heaped tablespoonful sugar, 
three cups flour, half cup milk, two teaspoonfuls cream 
tartar, one of soda. 
Graham Rolls. —A little more than one pint of 
sour milk, one teaspoonful soda, small piece of butter; 
(of course, if you can have a little cream with your 
milk, it is better than any shortening,) a small half 
cup of sugar, a little salt. Stir in some graham meal, 
then a handful of fine flour, then thicken with graham 
till pretty stiff. Have the roll pans hot and a good 
oven. One egg improves, but it is good enough with¬ 
out. 
Graham Raised Bread.— Prepare at night a little 
sponge, using perhaps a pint of lukewarm mixing, half 
new milk if you have it, and two-thirds of a cup of 
nice, sweet yeast. Make this batter but a little thicker 
than for fritters. In the morning, or when perfectly 
light, add half a pint of sweet milk or warm water, 
half a cup of molasses, a little shortening, if you have 
used water to mix with, but not otherwise; a little 
soda if the yeast is sweet, not over a quarter of a 
teaspoonful; stir stiff with graham meal and pour into 
baking tins. Bake slowly and thoroughly. Of course, 
these receipts suppose the use of best quality meal, 
made from white wheat. 
