American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-12-13
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.

The fumes of a birthstone match will
remove berry stains from book or paper
or engraving.
Dry paint is removed by dipping a
swab with handle in strong solution
of oxalic acid. 1t softens at once.
If there is rust on your fiat-iron, or
other roughness, put some fine salt on a
board, rub it rapidly while warm until ii
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 cup of tar and let it go,
and it will tar-plaster every hole in the
house.
-Ifa glass stopper won't move, hold
the neck of the bottle to flame, or warm
it By taking two turns of string and see
saw it; the heat engendered expands the
neck of the bottle before a corresponding
expansion reaches the stopper.
-Borax half teaspoonful in half a
teacup of water, makes the mildest and
most efficient hair and scalp cleaner in
the world. Rub in 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 foam, then rinse
with warm water.
Dutch Sauce.-Put into a saucepan
one teaspoonful of flour, two ounces of
butter, two table-spoonfuls each of vinegar
and water, the yoiks of two eggs, and
salt to taste; put over the fire and do not
allow it to boil, but stir constantly until
thick; if it happen to curdle strain the
sauce through a gravy-strainer: add the
juice of half a lemon, and serve in IA sauce
boat.
Force Meat Balls.-Take y h. oflean
veal raw, scraped, pounded, and passed
through sieve (the parts that will not go
through may be added to the white stock :;
then skin, chop, and pound to a paste Ii.
of fresh beef suet; then add oZs. of
panada-that is, bread soaked in milk and
boiled till nearly dry-pound this with
the suet and add the veal, l tea-spoonful
of salt, Il tea spoonful of pepper, and =
tea-spoonful of nutmeg; then add by de-
grees eggs; when well mixed, take a
small piece in a spoon and poach it in
some boiling water; if delicate and firm
ii is. fit tor use.
Keep some strong spirits ofhartshorn
in ground glass-stopped bottle. A tea
spoonful in tablespoonful of water will
clean combs and brushes, and restore
colors injured by acids. A weaker solu-
ton, applied to i'll smelling feet and arm
pits, removes the OdOr, and removes the
grease spots from carpets and clothing.
\ weak solution in water makes good
wash for the hair, and stimulates its
growth when impaired by fever and
cleanses the scalp etfectually. A weak
solution, scattered over the leaves Of
plants, from soft, fine, timber brush,
gives new life to plants. Even il Il little
is sprinkled over the earth at their roots,
their growth is invigorated.
"A few words in relation to roses which
are to remain in the open ground over
winter. 1t is an excellent plan to head
back the more tender varieties severely
say within nine or ten inches of the
ground-and then cover them over with
coarse manure and litter from the stables.
But don't kill with kindness: don't give a
coat Of manure that would cover the
garden, and then expect the poor plant to
survive. This is almost certain death
The object is not to keep the plant warm
but to preserve it cool and free from the
fluctuating temperature of our trying win
ter. Sudden freezing and thawing is
what does the mischief. The harder
kinds need only a little protection from
the sun, such as is afforded by Il few
boughs ofevergIeens or rough weeds; but
it is a mistake to tie them tight. A par
ticular friend once put his up nicely in