The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
A  Housekeeper’s  Notes 
This  is  the  season  of  the  year  when 
the  Spring  housecleaning  "bug”  gets  in 
his  deadly  work,  and  being  undecided 
whether  to  go  out  and  work  in  the  yard 
and  garden  (which  my  soul  longs  to  do) 
or  go  to  cleaning  the  woodwork  in  the 
dining-room,  which  my  conscience  tells 
me  I  should  do,  I  am  going  to  do  neither 
and  sit  down  and  put  some  of  my  thoughts 
on  paper,  just  to  see  if  some  of  the  other 
farm  wives  and  mothers  may  not  glean  a 
few  short  cuts  from  them.  One  of  my 
hobbies  is  to  try  to  find  a  new  or  better 
way  of  doing  some  old  time-worn  task, 
and  I  hope  there  are  others  doing  the 
saine  who  will  take  the  time  to  write  them 
down  so  we  all  may  profit  thereby. 
I  often  begin  housecleaning  in  the  Win¬ 
ter,  so  to  speak,  by  putting  in  order  bu¬ 
reau  drawers,  desks,  buffet,  closets,  chests, 
etfi„  and  the  month  of  March  is  devoted 
to  sewing;  making  new  rugs,  curtains, 
aprons,  towels,  and  so  on,  whatever  is 
ne'eded  most  by  the  house  and  its  mem¬ 
bers.  Then  usually  by  April  it  is  begin¬ 
ning  to  be  warm  enough  by  spells  so  that 
when  the  fever  is  on  me  I  can  go  at  some 
one  room  and  clean  it  thorouglily,  every 
inch  of  space,  every  crack,  every  corner, 
as  my  mother  set  the  example  for  me 
The  Rural  Patterns 
In  ordering  always  give  number  of  pattern 
and  size  desired,  sending  price  with  order 
0971.  Blouse  with 
kimono  sleeves,  34 
to  42  bust. 
2048.  Two  -  piece 
skirt  with  tunic,  24 
to  32  waist.  The 
medium  size  blouse 
will  require  l1,™ 
yards  of  material  40 
or  44  inches  wide. 
The  medium  size 
skirt  will  require 
2%  yards  of'  mate¬ 
rial  30,  40  or  44 
inches  wide.  Each 
20'  cents. 
0821.  Girls’  dress, 
8' to  14  years.  The 
12-year  size  will  re¬ 
quire  414  yards  of 
material  30  inches 
wide,  3*4  yards  44, 
2 %  yards  54.  20 
cents. 
9845.  Girls’  dress, 
with  or  without  flchu 
collar,  2  to  8  years. 
The  4-year  size  will 
require  3%  yards  of 
material  27  inches 
wide,  2%  yards,  30, 
214  yards  44.  20 
cents. 
small  women,  16 
and  18  years.  The 
10-year  size  will  re¬ 
quire  3 Vs  yards  of 
material  30,  40  or 
44  inches  wide.  20 
cents. 
years  ago.  One  of  my  best  helps  in  clean¬ 
ing  woodwork  and  washing  windows  is 
my  big  tray  (a  service  wagon  would  be 
fine  if  I  owned  one),  on  which  I  carry 
pan  of  water,  soap,  brushes  and  cloths. 
It  also  serves  to  carry  odds  and  ends 
back  to  the  kitchen  to  be  burned  or  other¬ 
wise  disposed  of.  Having  ivory-painted 
woodwork  and  ceilings  of  wall  board  and 
steel  throughout  the  house,  I  have  tried 
each  year  to  devise  a  new  and  better  way 
of  cleaning  them.  Our  home  gets  more 
or  less  jvood  smoke  and  griddle-cake 
smoke  all  Winter,  and  it  is  sometimes  a 
little  .stubborn  about  coming  off.  especially 
on  the  ceiling,  so  I  use  what  I  call  a 
"dry  wash”  for  this  work.  Dissolve  one- 
half  cake  of  naphtha  soap  in  one  quart  of 
boiling  water.  Apply  this  hot  solution  to 
a  small  area  at  a  time  with  an  ordinary 
vegetable  brush,  and  wipe  dry  immedi¬ 
ately  with  a  dry  cloth.  As  the  cloth  be¬ 
comes  soiled  and  damp,  rinse  in  several 
waters  and  dry,  meanwhile  using  a  fresh 
one. 
My  kitchen  is  the  pleasantest  room  in 
the  house,  and  it  should  be,  'considering 
how  much  time  most  of  iis  spend  there. 
When  Spring  comes  I  think  we  all  be¬ 
come  more  or  less  dissatisfied  with  the 
kitchen  first  of  all.  and  cast  about  for 
some  means  of  improving  it.  There  are 
three  windows,  facing  the  south  and  east. 
T  aider  the  east  window  is  a  long  sink 
with  drainboards  at  each  end,  cupboards 
beneath,  where  I  keep  dish  pa  ns,  drainer, 
<nnpc  silver  polish,  vegetable  kettles, 
meatboard,  garbage  pail,  everything  that 
is  used  around  the  sink.  Underneath  the 
shelves  above  the  sink  each  side  of  the 
window  hangs  colander,  dish  mop,  drink¬ 
ing  eups.  My  butcher  knives,  paring 
knives  and  smaller  cleaver  are  thrust 
under  a  wooden  strip  on  the  left  side, 
where  they  are.  within  reach  for  paring 
vegetables,  cutting  meat  or  dressing  a 
chicken.  On  these  two  small  shelves 
stand  the  water  glasses  in  every-day  use, 
the  crumb  tray,  hand  lamps  and  clock. 
There  is  a  zinc  back  to  the  sink  about 
10  in.  wide,  beneath  the  window,  and  on 
hooks  screwed  into  this  hang  wash  dish, 
soap  shaker,  kettle  scraper,  etc.  There 
is  a  drawer  under  the  drainboard  on  the 
left  side,  divided  in  two  parts,  one  for 
dish  toWels  and  the  other  for  silverware. 
The  walls  and  woodwork  are  light  gray, 
and  between  the  two  west  windows  are 
diminutive  gray  table  and  chairs,  where 
the  family  lias  breakfast ;  bandy  to  the 
hot  griddle  cakes  and  coffee.  A  comfort¬ 
able.  not  too  large,  rocker  stands  by  one 
of  these  windows  also. 
My  stove  is  the  one  shining  jewel  in 
my  kitchen  ;  it .  is  skv  blue  porcelain, 
plain  nickel  trimmed.  :  and  a  perpetual 
joy  both  as  to  service  and  to  keep  clean. 
Five  minutes’  going  over  with  plain 
water  and  cloth,  followed  by  a  polish  with 
dry  cloth,  makes  it  shine  inside  and  out. 
The  best  part  of  it.  is  that  the  interior 
of  the  oven,  all  flues,  etc.,  are  enameled, 
so  it  is  virtually  rust-proof.  The  polished 
top  I  clean  when  lukewarm  with  steel 
wool  and  soap,  which  removes  every  spot 
and  leaves  it  black  and  shining.  To  the 
left  of  the  stove,  in  arm’s  reach,  stands 
my  cupboard,  the  upper  part  for  dishes, 
two  lower  for  pans.  I  find  it  convenient 
to  keep  the  tea  and  coffee,  ivith  a  table¬ 
spoon  for  measuring,  next  to  the  tea  and 
coffee  pots  in  this  cupboard.  Kettle  cov¬ 
ers  of  all  sizes  take  up  small  space  iu 
the  warming  oven  of  the  stove,  and  the 
right  size  is  always  there  when  needed. 
In  a  corner  behind  the  stove  stands  my 
mop  pail  and  wringer,  always  ready  in 
an  emergency,  for  things  do  get  spilled 
sometimes.  The  mop  wringer  is  one  of 
my  most  prized  possessions.  My  hands 
have  improved  quite  perceptibly  since 
I  have  had  it,  and  not  the  least  of  its 
charms  lies  in  the  fact  that  I  can  use 
water  boiling  hot  if  I  want  to.  On  the 
Opposite  wall  from  stove  and  less  than 
one  step  away  is  my  substitute  for  a 
kitchen  cabinet,  which  I  did  not  feel  that 
I  could  afford.  This  is  a  shelf  of  smooth, 
hard  pine,  1%  in.  thick,  10  in.  wide  and 
about  34  in.  from  the  floor,  the  right 
height  for  me  to  roll  out  pie  crust,  make 
a  cake  or  fix  a  dish  of  escalloped  pota¬ 
toes.  About  25  iu.  above  this  wide  shelf 
is  a  narrower  one,  on  which  stand  glass 
jars  of  sugar,  flour,  soda,  salt,  flavoring 
extracts,  spices,  paprika,  onion  salt  and 
pepper.'  On  the  under  side  are  screwed 
cup  hooks  to  hold  potato  masher,  rolling 
pin,  funnel,  wire  strainer,  toasting  fork, 
bread  knife,  flour  sifter,  eggbeater,  meas¬ 
uring  cups.  etc.  An  old-fashioned  knife 
basket  holds  knives,  forks,  and  spoons 
which  do  not  hang  up.  Still  higher  above 
the  second  shelf,  in  fact,  along  the  mold¬ 
ing,  is  a  row  of  small  nails,  where  I  hang 
the  small  saucepans,  grater,  potato  ricer 
and  muffin  pans  in  every-day  use.  This 
“collection”  of  tools  saves  me  hundreds 
of  steps,  as  well  as  keeping  m.v  pantry 
free  for  the  storing  of  food  supplies,  milk, 
butter  and  cream.  My  pantry  shelves 
have  long  strips  of  wail  board  cut  to  fit 
the  shelf,  and  covered  with  white  oil¬ 
cloth  fastened  with  thumb  tacks  on  the 
under  side.  These  are  easily  wiped  off. 
Pumpkin  and  squash  are  cooked  with 
the  rind  on  and  put  through  the  potato 
ricer  instead  of  the  old,  tedious  method 
of  sifting.  The  fireless  cooker  is  excel¬ 
lent  for  raising  bread.  I  like  to  get  it 
in  the  tins  early,  and  I  am  always  sure 
of  its  being  light  first  thing  in  the  morn¬ 
ing.  I  put  my  bread  mixer  right  in  the 
cooker  over  a  stove  slightly  heated. 
I  like  to  soak  my  clothes  over  night, 
but  hated  to  put  my  hands  in  the  cold 
water  on  chilly  mornings,  so  with  friend 
husband’s  help  I  set  the  tub  on  the  regis¬ 
ter  of  our  pipeless  furnace,  where  it  keeps 
nice  and  warm  all  night. 
Keeping  the  baby  covered  up  nights  is 
a  problem  which  perplexes  many  of  us. 
and  I  have  solved  it  by  laying  a  folded 
blanket  in  the  crib,  laying  the  baby  on 
this,  and  pinning  her  up  with  large  safety 
pins,  so  that  when  finished  she  looks  more 
like  a  little  papoose  than  anything  else. 
If  in  a  hurry  for  the  potatoes  to  boil, 
set  them  on  the  stove  until  steamed 
through,  then  pour  on  boiling  water,  and 
they  will  begin  to  cook  almost  immedi¬ 
ately. 
•Ironing  is  sometimes  tedious,  and  I 
find  the  time  goes  more  quickly  if  a  book 
of  poetry  or  songs  is  laid  on  one  end  of 
the  board.  I  have  memorized  many  fa¬ 
vorite  poems  as  well  as  all  sorts  of  songs. 
Every  American  ought  to  be  able  to  sing 
“America”  and  “The  Star-Spangled  Ban¬ 
ner”  without  the  words,  as  well  as  many 
of  our  old  familiar  hymns. 
And  now  one  last  word  about  paint 
brushes  before  I  bring  this  long  letter  to 
a  close.  How  often  a  much-prized  paint 
brush  has  stood  around  until  hardened 
with  paint  and  utterly  ruined?  I  have  a 
covered  can  of  kerosene  with  my  paint¬ 
ing  materials,  and  as  soon  as  I  finish 
painting  for  the  day  I  pour  this  into  an¬ 
other  dish  and  clean  my  brush  throughly, 
wiping  it  dry  with,  an  old  cloth,  pour  the 
kerosene  back  into  the  can,  where  the 
sediment  sinks  to  the  bottom,  leaving  the 
top  clean  and  ready  to  be  used,  over  and 
■over.  A  paint  brush  cared  for  in  this 
way  will  last  until  literally  worn  to  the 
Stub.  MARI  AX  B.  SPEXCEK. 
753 
PATENTED 
TRADE 
BURNER 
MARK 
Look r  for 
the  name 
Keroga «'* 
on  the  oil 
stove  burner 
To  make  sure  ^that  an 
stove  is  a  GOOD  oil  stove— 
Look  for  the 
Patented  Kerogas  Burner 
The  better  brands  of  oil  stoves  go  by  many  different  names,  but  they 
all  have  the  same  name  on  the  burner — Kerogas. 
Kero-^ax  — do  you  get  the  significance?  Not  the  old-fashioned  oil 
flame,  but  a  marvelous  double  flame  of  gas — made  by  mixing  one 
part  kerosene  with  400  parts  of  air — clean,  powerful,  uniform,  just  like 
the  flame  of  a  gas  range — and  at  oil  stove  cost.  By  simply  turning  a 
little  control  wheel  you  get  exactly  the  degree  of  heat  you  want — 
quick,  slow,  intense  or  "simmering.” 
Ask  your  dealer  to  demonstrate  the  “flame  within  a  flame”  of  the 
Patented  Kerogas  Burner.  Observe  for  yourself  its 
intense  heat — under  perfect  control. 
The  Giant  Kerogas  Burner 
Every  "Giant  Kerogas  Oil  Stove"  equipped  with 
"regular”  Kerogas  Burners  also  has  one  of  the  new 
Patented  Giant  Kerogas  Burners.  The  ’  ‘Giant’  ’  is  for 
use  when  you  want  an  intense  flame  quickly.  Stoves 
with  "Regular”  Kerogas  Burners  only,  also  to  be  had. 
Manufactured  by 
A.  J.  LINDEMANN  &  H0VERS0N  CO. 
1233  First  Avenue,  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin 
Maaafactnrtn  af  Barnert,  Orta*.  Cooking  and  Heating  Stores  and  Rangea 
Dealer's  Note:  The  best  jobbers  are  prepared  to 
supply  oil  stoves  equipped  with  the  Kerogas  Burners 
The  KEROGAS 
Oven  for  Baking 
and  Roasting 
As  reliable  as  any 
range  oven  evermade. 
Gives  sure,  uniform 
results  because  of  its 
even  and  easily  regu¬ 
lated  temperature. 
And  be  sure  that  you  use  only  the  best 
paint ;  cheap  paint  is  expensive,  flakes 
off,  will  not  withstand  rain  and  sun. 
SMORTON  PAINTS 
are  the  greatest  value  obtainable, 
made  of  the  right  quantity  of  Lead, 
Linseed  Oil  and  Zinc  to  insure 
wearing  quality. 
By  selling,  direct  to  you  we  can  give 
you  an  unusually  low  price,  and  we 
will  guarantee  that  our  paint  will  do 
all  that  is  claimed  for  it. 
Send  for  free  color  chart  which  will  he  p 
you  to  decide  on  your  color  scheme. 
Smorton  Wall  Paper  &  Paint  Co. 
Dept.  H,  Utica,  N.  Y. 
Cuticura  Soap 
——The  Healthy . — 
Shaving  Soap 
Cuticura  Soap  shaves  without  mug.  Everywhere  26c. 
When  you  write  advertisers  mention 
The  Rural  New-Yorker  and  you’ll  get 
a  quick  reply  and  a  “ square  deal.”  See 
guarantee  editorial  page.  :  ,  : 
Sure  Relief 
FOR  [N  DIGESTION 
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Hot  water 
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E  LL-AN  S 
25$  and  75$  Packages  Everywhere 
ETHICUS 
INDIGESTION 
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Has  proven  its  worth.  Relieves  aiul  Removes  Cause. 
Contained  in  ETHICUS  Prompt  Treatment  Kit.  So 
highly  recommended  by  DR.  ROYAL  S.  COPELAND 
and  other  eminent  physicians— 16  doses,  50  c«nf». 
ETHICUS  LABORATORIES.  1819  Broadway.  N.  Y.  City 
Farm  Co-operation 
Fundamentals  and.  results 
within  reach  are  explained  in 
this  new  book,  “ORGANIZED 
Co-operation,”  by  John  J. 
Dillon.  Price,  $1.00. 
FOB,  SALE  BY 
RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
333  W.  30th  Street,  New  York 
