The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1881-07-29
TROUBLE WITH IRONING.

lars, look bright, and glossy. She is
sure she washes them clean, and hangs
them to dry turned wrong side out,
but when they are irOncd, they have a
dingy look. Perhaps she docs not
keep her irons clean. This fault is not
uncommon. 1t is we'll to wash the
irons all over carefully once in Il while,
before they arc quite cool and arc put
away. Starch that sticks to them
burns on, and soils the clothes. Bees
wax is often recommended for cleaning
the irons when starch sticks to them.
usually have a little salt on paper
on my ironing table, and rub my iron
on this whenever the starch sticks.
Various things put in tho starch, when
cooking, or while hot, as spermaceti,
starch gelatine, lard, taliow, butter,
and others, to prevent the starch from
sticking to the iron. At present l use
a very little powdered borax and bit
of nice beef tallOw. The borax seems
to add both stiffness and gloss, and
suits me with the tallow) as well as
anything have tried. A little clean
grease of some kind prevents sickness.
Ofcourse the starch must be we'll boiled.
In making 1t, the starch is first stirred
smooth in cold water, and then either
turned slowly into boiling water, or
boiling water turned slowly into it,
stirring briskly all the time in either
case, until the starch turns from dead
white color to a blush cteuy7sess. The
old rule for each shirt bosom, with
collar and wristbands, was two even
| teaspoonfuls of dry starch. A little less
] will do when gelatine, or borax, or
gum arabic water is added to the starch.
Rub the starch into the garment we'll,
and examine it before ironing. If
Jumps of starch are seen, rub them off
| with q damp cloth. There should be
| no Jumps in the starch when used, aud
| if you cannot make 1t and use it with
out lumplness, or Il thick scum over it,
strain it through a starch-bag before
using. 1t is always safest to lay a thin
cloth over bosom or collar when you
first put the iron upon it. Go over it
once SO, then remove it, and iron direc
tIy upon its linen. BY this precautiOn
you discover tho state of your irons,
whether too hot Or soiled, and some
times prevent disaster You should,
however, always test your iron on a
cloth used for the purpose. In ironing
garments with cold starch, 1l,Oays
begin with a clean cloth laid over the
linen. Ironing hard with an iron not
too hot, after tho linen is pressed
smooth, adds polish, but no common
iron can do this like 4 regular polish
ing irOn.-COr. american Ayricult,yist.
About fourteen miles from Live Oak,
Florida, there lives a woman with Il
strange family. One day she was out
walking, and had occasion to cross II
creek on a log, and while thus cross
ing, Il huge alligator attacked and pur-
| sued her for some distance, frightening
her very much. In about seven to
nine months she was confined with
twins, both males. They were perfect
children down to their waists, and
there tho human ended, and they are
complete aIligators on downward, tail
and all. There are short, Webbed feet
and legs Mt tho lower portion of the
abdomen like alligators. They crawl
with their hands, dragging themselves
| about just as an alligator does. They
make a squealing inarticulate noise.
Tho mother has had a large trough or
tank filled with water, in which she
keeps them, and they live pretty
nearly all the time in it. They are
fed and eat regularly, and seem TO be
doing well, and arc seemingly happy.
They are now about fourteen or fifteen
years old. Comparatively few outside
the Immediate neishborhood knows Of
IT,. me 10Otnef mas refused large
offers of money for their exhibition.
Our informant lives ut Gatesville,
Georgia. He seems to be truthful
man and vOuchcs for tho truth of the
story 1k7i0ittn Mercury.
In Colorado is Il ten-acro field which
is no more or less than n Subterrancan
lake, covered with Il soil about eigh
teen inches dccp. On the soil is cult
waited a field of corn which produces
thirty or forty bushels to the acre. If
any one will take the trouble to dig \
holo the depth of a spade handle he
will find it to fiji with water, and by
using II hook and line fish four or five
inches long can be caught. The
ground is black mari in nature, and in
all probability WAS ut one time an open
body of water, on which was accumu-
lated vegetable matter, which has been
increased from time to time, until now
it has crust sufficiently strong and
rich to produce fine corn, though it has
to be cultivated by hand, as it is not
strong enough to bear tho weight of II
horse. While harvesting the hands
catch great strings of fish by punching
n hole through the earth A person