American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-04-13
USEFUL AND SUGGESTIVE.

A GOOD method of cleaning lamp Chin
neys is to wash them in warm water and
wipe dry with paper. Never put n cold
chimney into water too hot, as it is liable
to break the glass.
| If it is wise to insure your property,
the loss of which would fall heavily upon
| your family, it is wiser to insure your
| life, the loss of which would be a blow
still heavier. Insure in the Washington.
| DoN'T keep in a constant fret about
| things that may be annoying, or worry
about things you can't help. Troubles
| are not lightencd by fretting The true
| remedy is to keep cool and try to master
the difficulties, and not let them master
you.
RADIsHEs.-To be worth anything the
radish must have quick growth Rotten
wood from the forest is excellent to mix
with the soil. The seed terminates very
readily. Sow as early in the spring as
possible, in drills six inches apart, thin
ming to two inches in the drill.
THE HOUSE FLY.-Dr. Fitch, the ento-
mologist, says the American house-fly is
a distinct though similar species to that
of Europe. They are much encouraged
by every sort of filth, in which they
breed, and consequently may be dimin-
ished in numbers by constant and thor
ough cleanliness both around our houses
and in our streets.
Sowing CLOVER SEED.-Farmers who
grow clover seed are recommended, by a
writer in the Rural World, to sow the
seeds in the chaff without hulling, since
it is actually worth more and will bring
better crop than the same quantity of seed
will if hulled. He says many of the seeds
are injured by hulling, and the chaif is a
protection to the young and tender
plants.
REMEDY FOR "KNEE SPRUNG" HORSES
C. c. Weeks, Tiskilwa, ILL.,, writes the
Western Rural that he has cured many
knee sprung" horses by having them
shOd with heel-calks very long and toe
calks short. Thus the constant strain of
the cords of the leg is removed. The
horse thus shod, should have his legs
bathed twice day, for a few days, with
salt and vinegar, and should not be driv-
en- nor ridden fast down hill.
To PICKLE MEAT IN ONE DAY-Get a
tub nearly full of rain or river water and
put two pieces of thin wood across it, and
set the beef on them at about the distance
of an inch from the water. Heap as much
salt as will stand on the beef, and let it
remain twenty-four hours; then take the
meat off and boil it, and you will find it
as salty as-if it had been in pickle for
weeks-the water having drawn the salt
NARROWING CoRN.-A correspondent
of the Western Farmer gives the follow
ing description of how he harrows his
corn: 81 commence just before the corn
comes up and continue as needed, to keep
soil loose and weeds out of sight, until it
is so tall the harrow Will break it off if
used. There is nothing so needful to Sc
cure crop of corn, with our short sea-
sons, as frequent stirring of the soil when
it is in its first stages of growth, and no
tool will do this so cheaply or so thor
cughly in the hill as rightly constructed
harrow. harrow back and forth till 1
have my land as l desire. If the com is
rowed both ways of the field, the second
narrowing should cross the first, the third
the second, and so on. l have not had a
failure in four years with Dent corn on
my white, heavy, cold soil.
To DYE SHEEP-sKIN MATs.-A sub
scriber asks for method of preparing
and coloring sheep-skin mats. The first
necessity is a good skin; the skin of a
healthy animal slaughtered for meat
should be chosen, not one taken from
sheep dead from disease, as the wool on
that will easily come off. A yearling
Cotswold's skin makes a beautiful mat
The skin should be taken off carefully,
and no cuts or gashes made in it, spread
on table, and scraped from adher1ng
flesh or fat, and sprlnkled on the flesh
side with alumni and salt pounded fine; it
should be folded in the centre, and rolled
up and tied tightly with string, and al
lowed to remain forty-eight hours, then
rubbed with piece of chalk until dry
and soft. The skin should then be tackled
with the wool outwards on to a piece of
board of the size the mat is desired to be.
The bath of dye is then prepared, the
wool washed in pure soap and water mod
erately warm, until freed from all dirt
and grease, and the mat carefully dipped
in the bath until the wool is Immersed
but not the skin, in which position it is
allowed to remain until it has taken the
dye sufficiently, which will vary with diff
ferent dyeing materials. To prevent
streaky or cloudy appearance, the mat
should be gently moved to and fro in the
bath occasionally without lifting or de-
pressing it. Any dye that will color wool
may be used. Scarlet, blue and yellow
are favorite colors for mats. When dry,
the skin is cut from the board, and the
mat is finished.-HearM and Home.