Connecticut western news., 1877-06-29
DOMESTIC.

MY NE1aHBoRs AND I'-When I went over to Mrs Billingwoods, the other day, of an errand, I found the dear little woman making tallow candles she was moulding up good many for summer use, 80 she wouldn't be bothered when she was very busy with her garden, spring cleaning, &c. They use oil for lights, but being economical she makes her own candles stto carry round." She said the tallow was so soft that she was afraid that when summer time came she couldn't use them. Great big over grown Joel Brunner was there, and as he awk- wardly and ill-manneredly tilted his chair on two legs, and locked his hands over his head, he said in his usual drawl, "Marm alters puts nitric acid in hern, that will harden elm, and she don't alters use boughten wick nuther sometimes 'tis the strings offen the things she gets in town, and when she hasn't got no strings she takes an old stocking and cut it fine and uses that, it makes prime candles" When make candles shall try Joel's recipe.
 On my way home, saw Mrs. Parker out in the yard making up her spring soap-she had her leach set up over her kettle, so the lye would drip into it, and all she would have to do would be to make fire and watch it boil. This saves handling the lye so muchs They burn coal but she sends to the brick kiln and gets ashes.
 Mrs. Kennedy too was making soap but she wouldn't be bothered running off Iye in the old-fashioned way-so she told me when I stopped to get setting of eggs. This is the way she makes her soap; soda ash or sal soda two and half pounds, unslacked lime one and 8 half pounds, grease five pounds, soft the soda and lime, and boil half an the kettle, put in the lye and grease, and boil slowly four hours. If you want hard soap, add six handfuls of salt and 8 lump Of alum about the size of a hens egg. s&a@ ssIEv -
 Her soap was very pretty looking, she says it is good, and will not get wormy as some soap will.
 I expect in these hard times the last summers linen suits will be pressed into service as s'second best" dresses crops poor, cattle low, hogs sold, and grasshoppers in expectation, perhaps some of us will have to wear old clothes a good deal. If you wash your linen dresses in hot soap suds, not let parti- cle of soap come in contact with the dress, which has been wet thoroughly in strong salt or alum water, then starch ip gum arabic starch they will look almost as good as new. There is an old recipe used by old black Aunt Jenny who made her living by wash ing, or, she would tell you, ssmade washing her profession, {" and she made it a success; for doing up sun bonnets, shirt bosoms, lawn, calico and muslin goods it can't be beat.
 Take two ounces of fine white gum arabic powder, put it in a pitcher and pour on pint or more of boiling water, cover up tight, and let it stand over night, in the morning strain and bottle and cork; 8 table spoonful of gum water stirred into a pint of starch made in the usual way will give clothes a new look which nothing else will.
 Kitty Johnson tells me that felt skirts can be washed like tlannels-do not wiring them, hang lengthwise and evenly on the line, press when half dry, hang out again, and when nearly dry press on both sides, and they are good for another years service.