Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-31
HOME MATTERS.

OxAL1c AcD will sometimes remove STAINS
frou, brass. which nothing else seems to affect
Great care must be observed in not allowing II
to remain on long. Apply 1t with hahhei
cloth, and then polish with channels skin.
ENAMELLED CLOTH makes a neat and usefui
covering for the wide lower shelf in the pantry
where bread and cakes are cut. 1t is useful also,
and looks well on the kitchen table, and can De
kept absolutely clean with little trouble.
NEW YEARS COOKIES are made Of five cups OF
-four. two and half cups of sugar. one cup OF
butter. one cup of sweet milk. one teaspoonfui
of soda: flavor with lemon vanilla. Make a
stiff dough. and roll and cut in fancy shapes.
or roll very thin and cut in strips; braid the
strips in thin strands: cut off pieces long enough
to form small rings, bake in q quick Oven.-E6to
York Post.
DISGUISED HAN.-DSguised ham NAV be lik
ened to good deed done in secret. its SAVIOR re-
naming always in remembrance. This delicate
breakfast dish is prepared by grating pound Of
cold boiled liam. twice much lean as fat.
Season it slightly with pepper. powdered mace,
and few claves. Beat the yoiks only of four or
five eggs, soft boiled and mix with the ham.
Spread it over slices of well-browned toast,
without crust, and battered while hot. Brush
it over the surface with the white Of an egg. and
brown it Germantown Telegraph.
CoRNSTARCH CAkE.-Take the whites of three
eggs. one cupful Of sugar two-thirds of cup
iui Oh sweet Hiik, IW0-tntTuS OF Il CuDlul OF
melted butter. one teaSpOontu of cream tartar.
half teaspoonfu of soda. half cu,,ful of corn
starch. one small teaspOonful of lemon extract
and one and One-half cuptuls of -four. Mix the
cornstarch. -four and cream tartar together and
slit all through sieve. For yellow cake. take
the yelks Of the eggs and make the same, with
these exceptions: Leave out the cOrnstarch. use
half cupiul of butter instead OF tw0-thirds and
butterInilk ahd soda instead of cream tartar and
sweet ilii.-Couatry Gentlemen.
TRANSFERRING DEsIGNs-The transferring of
designs is often troublesome to the unntiated.
but the following remarks will soon dispel the
difficulty. There are various methods. and it
may be well to remember that they apply to
nearly all surfaces to be Ornamented. The
design should be well considered and made upon
paper first mot too thick) when any corrections
that may be necessary should be made. The
operator may of course be sk!lfu enough to
sketch the panel lightly at once. If he is not,
| lie must use transfer paper (either light or dark
as occasion requresl. by placing the prepared
side next the surface to be worked upon. the
design upon the top of that and going over the
lines OF the drawing with pointed burnlSher or
ivory tracer, taking to get light but steady
line to work by. If on gold ground, no trans
fer paper is required, the impression from the
action of the Durnisher or pencil will be suf-
iicient; but care must be taken not to press the
paper design heavily upon the gold or an
seemly mark may be made. good plan for
working upon wood. or any other surface which
will admit Of it, is to secure the design with
small drawing-pins at the corners to prevent it
shifting. Another process is by bouncing. 1t is
done i'm the following manner The pattern is
pricked closely with needle fixed in a handle
called Sitter. or a tracing Wheel it is then
held firmly in its proper position and gently
rubbed over with pOunce, SO that the powder
passes through the holes and leaves the design
lightly impressed sufficient to guide the artist
in his painting. strip of cloth rolled up.
dipped in the powder and rolled over. is best.
The powder may be tied up in piece of muslin
| and busted over; but this is not so good, as the
color flies about. For dark grounds white
pounce is best, and for light grounds blue
pOunce.-Art Anadteur.
HOUSEHOLD PLANTs-WHY NOT PALM?-
The term ''household' in preference to
house" plants is used on purpose. We have
seen. and no doubt the reader can recall plants
which seemed as much part of the owners
household effects as any article of furniture.
Such a plant is kept in the family year after
year; it is among the earliest recOllectons OF the
children. and when the household is broken up
1t goes as an heirloom in the division of the
estate to son OF daughter, who cherishes it for
the associations connected with it. Formerly
laurestlnus or pttosporum was the tavorite
plant, or it may be an orange or lemon tree, of
which the mother had planted the seed when
girl. Sometimes an Oleander answered the ptlr
pose, which could be put in the cellar on the
approach of winter. to be brought out in spring
Tor its annual summer bloom. We do not now
see plants OF this permanent char
acter 80 often as formerly Ii NAV
be that the substitution OF coal stoves for
open fires has made it more difficult to keep
them. or it may be that the greater ease with
which more snowy plants Of brief duration can
be procured. has led to the neglect of those OF
more permanent character. The plants we have
mentioned are we'll suited for the purpose. and
as they occasionally bloom. are more interest
ing to many than those which do not flower.
To our notion elegance OF form in the plant
Itself is vastly to be preferred to brief yearly
towering. We know of nothing that We should
prefer as household plant. one that is to be
companion year after year. to One'of the haiIS
hardy palms. A graceful palm each leaf of
which is a study of the beautiful IN form, is
pleasing every day in the year. One adyana1 is
its slow growth, and its appropriateness where
ever 1t may be placed. 1t may stand at the
window or in corner of the room. Or it
may find its winter quarters in the hallway, or
on stair landing. Any place where it will not
freeze, and where 1t has a share OF light Will
answer. In summer it may ornament the YER
anda. or it may grace the lawn, either by itself
or as the center OF group. Those with fan
shaped leaves like the Southern Palmetto. or
the European Fan-Palm (ChanG7ops h,naitis)
are among the more hardy kinds, but they spread
and take up more room than some others. Palms
OF the genus PitCRaar, to which the Date Palm
belongs, are much used in Europe for home de-
corat!on: they are of exceedingly graceful habit
and do not spread SO widely as some Others The
true Date (P. dactytJero), makes
good house plant; we have known them to
be raised from the stone of the imported fruit
and after some years become quite elegant spec
linens. If one wishes palm. aud can afford to
wait it can not be had cheaper than to plant
some date stones. which we have known to
grow even in the open ground. Not many
florists keep stock of palms. though some,
foreseelng the growing taste for such plants.
are prepared to meet it. Small specimens of
desirable species may be had at Soc to 81:
really fine plants may be had for S. and up
ward. One, in purchasing palm, will do well
to rely upon the florist to select the kind best
suited to home culture, as it is not the rarest
and most costly that is best suited to the treat
ment it would receive.-American .4qric,,lturtst.