Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-03-31

Pounded alum Will purify water.
One teaspoonful of alum to four gal
Ions of the water will cause preci-
pltation of the impurities.
The best plan to remove grease
from wall paper is to lay several
folds of blotting paper on the spot,
and hold hot iron near it until the
grease is absorbed.
A composition known as artificial
marble, and possessing great solidity
and impermeability, has come into
use in France as substitute for the
natural article, it being also lighter
than and taking an equal polish to
the latter, besides resisting the action
of frost better.
TO clean Britannia metal, use fine
ly powdered whiting, two tablespoon
fuls of sweet oil, and little yellow
soap melted to some thickness; NIX
with II little spirits Of wine. Rub
this cream on with a sponge or soft
flannel, wipe it off with a soft cloth
and polish with leather.
Fence posts may be made firm by
tramping with q hammer; flat stone
rammed down against a loose post
will be useful, and as many stones as
possible should be thus driven around
the posts. Stakes should be driven
down firmly while the ground is soft,
after the frost has disappeared.
Plant early potatoes as soon as the
ground is dry and warm. A few
early frosts will do no harm if the
young shoots are kept covered by the
hoe or the pillow when a frost is fear
ed. The earlier the crop the higher
the prices. a difference of a week
may make II difference of sl.OO a
bushel.
No p!ow should be put into the
ground until the soil is dry. When
Il spadcful Of earth thrown down
crumbles into loose, mellow heap,
the plows may be started, but not
while the spade comes out of the
ground smeared and soiled. A few
days delay is better than being 4 day
too soon. The first in the field is
often the last at harvest.
At recent meeting Of the Royal
Horticultural Society, attention was
called to new insecticide. which
consists of camphor dissolved in
methylated spirits of saturation, and
mixed with soft soap to the consist
ency of cream. When diluted so as
to be fit for use with a syringe this
has been found an eflicacious substi-
tute for fumigation in the case of
mealy bug, scale, red spider, etc.
TO make Pan Doddles, make a
sponge just as you do for bread over
night. In the morning take from
the bread dough small pieces about
the size of a walnut, shape them
rather long than round; fry in boil
ing hot lard.a light brown; serve hot
in covered dish; pull them open
and butter them. You will find
them both simple and delicious tor
breakfast.
Gardeners should attend to the fol-
lowing rules in making flower beds:
First, avoid placing rose colored next
to scarlet, orange or violet. Second,
do not place orange next to yellow,
or blue next to violet. Third, white
relieves any color, but do not place
it next to yellow. Fourth, orange
goes well with blue, and yellow with
violet. Fifth, rose-color and violet
always go well together Gardeners
Monthly.
AS hens, turkeys, geese and ducks
are not provided with incisor, canine
nor molar teeth, it is folly to feed
bones to them, unless the hard sub
stances are first reduced to small
fragments. Fresh bones are vllua-
BILE feed for poultry of any sort, pro
vided the fragments are so small that
the birds can swallow them. Once
in the crop of fowl, bits of bone
will soon be changed into soft and
palatable food. Our own practice is
to have dish in the kitchen special
ly to receive the bones that are pur-
chased with the beet-steak, mutton
and other meat. Then every day
these pieces are taken to Il chopping
block, and with an old axe, having a
sharp, cutting edge, they are crushed
with the head Of the axe and cut into
pieces not larger than kernels of In
dian corn. The fowls devour them
with raven Jus appetite. Bones are
worth more to feed fowls than the
same number Of pounds of prime
grain. For II chopping-block, small
log about two feet long, with square
ends, is placed on one end, as the
end of Il log is far better for such a
purpose than the side of a log
Bones are usually cast out Of the
back door or in a garbage barrel to
feed worthless dogs. But if prefer
red tor fowls as suggested, every
pound is worth two or three cents,
which will be returned generously i'll
the form of luscious eggs and Juicy