April, 1913 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
301 
A Parcel Post Scale 
INCE the introduction of the parcel 
post a specially devised scale for 
weighing such packages has been con¬ 
structed and pit: on the market. It will 
doubtless prove a decided convenience to 
many persons who are at a considerable 
distance from a post office, for it not only 
gives the weight of the package, but in¬ 
dicates the cost of sending such a weight 
to any or all of the various zones. 
The scale, which is made of iron, has a 
dial of unusual size, and its capacity is 
twenty pounds. On the face of the dial, 
at the left of the indicator is a table of the 
various zones, which range from any 
distance under fifty miles for the first zone 
to anything over 1,800 miles for the eighth 
and last. Directly below each of the 
figures that indicates the number of 
pounds is a column of figures extending 
to the center of the dial, one for each 
zone, and opposite each zone figure is the 
amount necessary to carry that particular 
weight the required distance. 
Although the scales will weigh anything 
up to twenty pounds, the table of figures 
is carried out only as far as eleven pounds, 
the limit of weight for parcel post pack¬ 
ages. For further convenience there is 
also a tin scoop-shape receptacle such as 
is seen on grocers’ scales, to be placed on 
the standard when there are bulky pack¬ 
ages to be weighted. 
With an assortment of parcel post 
stamps and a scale, one can be entirely 
independent of postman or postmaster, and 
rest assured that his parcels are sent out 
properly stamped and free from any risk 
of detention by the post office officials. 
To Renew Wire Screens 
IRE screens may be made to look 
like new by the application of a 
good coat of linseed oil. Lay the oil on 
several days before the screens are placed 
The new parcel post scale is planned for weigh¬ 
ing at home 
in the windows, for the dust will stick to 
the wire and cause a decidedly rough and 
unattractive appearance unless the oil is 
thoroughly dried beforehand. The oil will 
also prevent the screens from rusting, and 
prove a valuable aid to the housekeeper in 
preventing rust holes. 
How to Clean Kitchen Woodwork 
ITCEIEN woodwork having much 
paneling and groove work is hard 
to clean in the ordinary way, so many 
angles and corners being inaccessible to 
the cloth that is customarily employed. 
And yet the proper cleansing of this wood¬ 
work is of first importance, for cleanliness 
in the kitchen should be considered be¬ 
fore that of any other room in the house. 
To clean the woodwork properly it is feasi¬ 
ble to use a vegetable brush covered with 
one or two thicknesses of cloth to soften 
the bristles which yet proves yielding- 
enough to reach into every cranny and 
crevice evenly and with thoroughness. 
A Timely Home Suggestion 
ANY women in a sewing room con¬ 
stantly jump up and down to get 
some piece of lace or material to finish a 
garment. If the hundred and one things 
a woman needs at her work were all in 
some convenient place, all this trouble 
would be avoided. 
If there is a large closet in the sewing 
room or in the room where most of the 
family sewing is done, get three or four 
shelves and divide these at convenient 
heights inside of the closet. 
On each shelf arrange four or five boxes 
and then place the various kinds of laces, 
velvets, silks, buttons, each in a separate 
box, marking very clearly just what the 
box contains. 
Two Household Conveniences 
In a dining-room which was too limited 
in space to sacrifice room for a sideboard 
or buffet the following unique arrange¬ 
ment was devised. There was a window 
set high in the wall and in the space be¬ 
neath this a cupboard was arranged by 
placing shelves. This was fitted with 
paneled doors, painted to match the trim, 
and served very well as a buffet. Beneath 
the shelves a cabinet for table linen was 
made and the board closing this compart¬ 
ment was hinged to drop downward. A 
pleasant variation of this scheme might 
be to use leaded glass in place of the 
wooden doors. In this way the decorative 
effect of the china could be made use of 
even when the doors were closed. 
In another house where one of the bed¬ 
rooms was often used as a sitting-room it 
was found that drafts coming from the 
fireplace were very annoying when the fire 
was not lighted. The owner conceived the 
scheme of hanging two doors that could 
be closed over the fireplace entrance. 
These were of sheet iron with paneling to 
match the mantel on the outside. 
A unique way of replacing the buffet by a cupboard in the wall. This The annoyance of drafts from the fireplace may be remedied by hanging 
arrangement saves valuable space two doors such as shown in this illustration 
