Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-01-24
Answer to Correspondents.

ter; when dissolved and settled pour off,
and add 6 pounds of fat and boil until
thick, and pour into tub that water has
stood in f; when cold cut, and put where it
can dry. It is first class soap. Another
To pals of soft soap add quarts OF salt
and half pound of resin; boil two hours !;
let stand till cold pour off the fluid and
add quart more salt and boil hour, and
do as above. One pound sal-soda added to
this makes it better, and the I've that sepa-
rates, when it is cold, is splendid for clean
ing floors.
WASHING MKTURE.-Will you please
publish in the Household a receipt for
washing mixture? JANE &. h.
Ans,cer. -Borax, / ounce bar SOAP l
pound water, / quart; heat slowly, not
boil, till all is mixed. Soak the clothes
awhile in cold or tepid water then rub
this soap on the soiled parts, using pint
or more, according to the size OF washing.
In the morning put the suds and clothes IN
the boiler on top of the stove, pushing
| them up and down as you get breakfast,
then take them into the tub with some OF
the suds, cooling it, if need be, and rub
out putting, meanwhile, the more solled
garments into the boiler. When all are
rubbed through this suds, empty the boiler
onto socks or what not that have been
soaked in cold water, and fill it up with
clear water, and put the clothes IN and stir
till scalding hot In cold winter weather
they will only need one good rinsing in
water little blue Washing can be made
the same way with soft soap.
SILK.-Dear Household So much has
recently been said about spurious silk
being sold, can you tell us how to detect
it, or rather how to tell the quality of good
silk? E. and 5.
AnS,cer.-Take ten fibers of the filling
in any silk, and if on breaking they show
feathery, dry and lack-luster condition,
discoloring the fingers in handling, you
may at once be sure of the presence of
dye and artificial weighing. OR take
small portion of tibers between the thumb
and forelinger and gently roll them over
and over, and you will readily detect in
the one the gum, mineral, soap and other
ingredients and the absence of them in
the other. A simple but effective test of
purity is to burn small quantity of the
tibers pure silk will instantly crisp, leav-
ing only a pure charcoal heavily-dyed
silk will smolder, leaving yellow, greasy
ash. If, on the contrary, you break the
ten strands, and they are of natural lus-
ter and brilliancy, and fail to discolor the
fingers at the point of contact, you may be
well assured that you have pure silk, that
is honest in its make, durable in its wear
SKELETON LEAVES will the Household
give some simple directions for preparing
skeleton leaves, and much oblige
OLD FRIENDS.
AnsCer.-The following is from a good
Eastern authority Much care is required
to select the leaves when they are just in
the fit condition to macerate. If too soft
and delicate the maceration will reduce
them to pulpy mass; if too old and hard
they resist the process. When the young
leaves, as a general rule, have just har-
dened, their venation appears TO be the
best time, although some, and especially
ferns, can be done at all times. Leaves
containing similar chemical constituents
require to be done together, and not to be
mixed with other leaves. For instance,
the leaves of the oak, chestnut, birch, wal
nut and hickory contain 50 much tannin
that, if mixed with other leaves, they will
almost entirely prevent decomposition, act
ing, indeed, as a preservative. The leaves
must be carefully examined, to see that
they are not injured by the attacks of in
sects-in short, none but perfect leaves
should be used From the middle OF
June until the middle of July the
leaves of elms, magnolias, poplars,
sycamores, deutzlas, pears and naples
may be selected to commence with, as they
are the first to become fit for maceratlon !;
none but the firmest leaves should be taken
The leaves are to be placed in open earth
enware or glass vessels, covered with soft
water, and placed in warm, sunny situa-
ton. In about two weeks they should be
examined. by taking out few leaves and
placing them in basin of clean warm
water; then, immersing the hand IN the
water, take a leaf between the thumb and
finger, and rub the leaf gently, but firmly,
and if the leaf is sufficiently macerated the
loose cellular matter will part freely from
the network, which will be exposed to
view. Those that are only partially soft.
ened should be thrown into vessel OF clean
water, and allowed to macerate for some
time longer but care must be had, by ire
quent examination, not to allow the leaves
to remain i'll the macerating vessel after the
epidermis of the leaf can be readily re-
moved, otherwise the network will be IN
jured This is an important point. As the
network of many species is very delicate,
and the pulp cannot be removed with
out tearing or injuring the net
work, it is advisable to use a
soft tooth brush, or, better, puma
brush, such as is used in making wax
flowers, and then placing the leaf on the
palm of the hand or on a plate, gently
brush away the pulp, keeping it contin-
ually moist. After the leaves are thor
oughly cleansed, they are to be thoroughly
dried by carefully pressing them between
the folds of soft towel; and then the
skeletons may be laid away in box to
await the bleaching process, which may be
done at any convenient time. Care must
be taken, in the drying process, not to
press the leaves so firmly as to make them
adhere to the towel, as it is almost Impos-
sible to remove them without tearing them
If any of the leaf-stems should separate or
break from the leaves, they are to be pre-,
served, as they can be fastened to the leaves
as hereafter directed. Fern leaves should
not be macerated, but dried between leaves
of blotting- paper, as in the bleaching pro-
cess the epdermis will be completely eaten
away by the bleaching liquid For bleach
ing, take one-quarter pound chloride OF lime
and dissolve 1t in one quart OF water IN an
earthen or glass vessel let it dissolve and
precipitate; filter through tiltering paper
to be had of any druggist), and bottle for
use Of this solution add one spoonful to
nineteen spoonfuls of water, or one-twen-
tieth part of whatever quantity may be
needed to cover the leaves. Immerse the
skeletons in this solution until they are
perfectly white, using an earthen or glass
jar, covering it, and putting it in a warm
place. Leaves and seed-vessels should not
be put into the same jar, and the coarse
skeletons should be kept separate from the
more delicate. If left too long in the
bleaching solution they will become too
tender to cleanse. When taken from it
they are to be thoroughly cleansed by
washing them several times in fresh water;
then dry in the folds of a soft towel, and
keep them between the leaves of book
until wanted for mounting. Some of
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