The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-05-31
WASHINGTON THURSDAY, 81

and painted roughly, but most effectively, with
pink and white foxgloves and leaves, or with
| red peppies. Ia u
A good substitute for mating, carpet, oil
cloths, and other like covering, and one at the
same time durable and cheap and easily
washed, is the new papier-mache, which may
be made by the following process: The
| floor is thoroughly cleaned. The holes
| and cracks are then filed with paper putty,
| made by soaking newspapers in paste made
| as follows: To one pound of flour add three
| quarts of water and a tablespoonful of ground
alum, and mix thoroughly. The floor is coated
with this PASTE and then thickness of manila
| or hardware paper is put on. This is allowed
to dry thoroughly. The manila paper is then
covered with paste, and layer of wallpaper
of any style or design is put on. After allow
ing this to dry thoroughly, it is covered with
| two or more coats of sizing made by dissolvlng
half pound of white glue in two quarts OF hot
water. After this is allowed to dry, the sur
| face is given one coat of " hard oil finish var
nish," which can be bought already prepared.
This is allowed to dry thoroughly, when the
floor is ready for use.
If your windows are not supplied with wire
screens, an excellent protection against flies and
mosquitoes is to tack mosquito netting on the
| outside of the window casing allowing the ma
| terial to be loose at the bottom and to hang
over the window sill, to the extent OF half
yard, on the inside. This will enable you to
open or close outside blinds when you choose.
| Now that it is so desirable to have painted
| floor with rug in the center, the following
recipe for an economical paint, easily laid on,
will be found useful: Dissolve two and one
| eighth ounces of good clear joiner's glue. Slack
/ one pound of quick lime until it is like milk.
Mix the two, little by little, stirring constantly.
To this add, still stirring, much linseed oil
about half pound to the above-as will mix
| with the lime. When cool add your color, and,
| if too thick, dilute with water For the yellow
ish and redish browns, so desirable add a solu-
| tion of boiling shellac and borax.
/ A writer in the Household says, and it worth
trying that to give plaster casts the appearance
| of marble dissolve one ounce of white soap and
one ounce of white wax in two quarts OF water.
Place it before the fire. and when the whole is
incorporated the mixture is fit for use. Having
well dried the figure, suspend it by some twine,
| and dip it into the varnish. In quarter of an
hours time dip it in again. These two dips
will generally be found sufficient Put the
| figure carefully aside, covered from the dust
for week, and then with soft rag rub it
gently, when a brilliant gloss will be produced
HOW TO SWEEP.
In vigorous discourse on sweeping, the
HouSekeeper says " You should not scrub your
broom into your carpet as if you were saving
a pine board, but sweep lightly and gently, and
you will get the dust together just as WELL
save making half the dust, besides saving a
great deal IN the wear of the carpets. Many
housekeepers wonder why their carpets do not
last as well as their neighbor's which were
/ put down at about the same time or why this
carpet does not wear as well as previous one
of the same kind, and the weaver gets the
blame, when nine times out of ten it is the
sweeper who is to blame. We don't care how
smart our help is in other ways, if she digs
her broom into the carpet in that pitching
scrubbing way which so many do we begin to
feel nervous, and wish the help was some
where else, for we know how soon the carpet
will begin to show it, Nothing in the world
sooner spoils good pictures, &C., than dust. 1t
gets into the cracks and corners, where it can
not be got out SO that we think it best to
| always dampen the broom before sweeping.
Some people wear out the broom all on one
side. Nothing is more suggestive of careless
ness than this When sweeping, hold the
broom nearly straight up and down, and brush
rather than sweep, being careful to keep the
longest side next the carpet broom kept
straight will last three times as long as one
allowed to wear out all on one side."
SPRING DISHES WORTH TRYING.
Try sweet cream, sugar. and vinegar for
your lettuce, as change from oil and mustard.
Try boiling your spinach and then chopping
fine, after which warm in frying pan with
butter, pepper, and salt. Serve with hard
boiled eggs sliced and vinegar.
Try mncing cold fish, season with butter,
pepper salt, and "a little cream, and turn over
buttered toast, If you want nice dish for break
fast or tea.
Try taking the bits of boiled ham after the
nice pieces have all been used chop fne and
season well with butter, pepper, salt, and little
milk cream, and turn over buttered toast.
Delicious and good way to use scraps.
Try Yankee dinner of boiled Goldfish, fried
bacon, boiled beets, and boiled potatoes. Chop
up together on your plate and eat with or
without vinegar.
Try slicing oranges and pineapples in the
morning. Sugar and serve for tea, when the
juices will have united with the sugar. forming
a delicious syrup.
Try boiling asparagus in salt water, place on
buttered toast and turn over dressing made
of milk, thickened with -four and well seasoned
with butter, pepper, and salt.
Try three pounds of chopped veal to one
pound of chopped salt pork; mix with a beaten
egg or two, some crumbs of bread, pepper salt
and little summer sayory. Bake, and when
! cold slice thin for tea
Try adding some lemon peel and Juice to your
Elephant pie, and always sweeten with brown
sugar, if you would have it rich and sirupy.
Try orange shortcake with cream, which
many prefer to strawberry shortcake. If you
want it extra nice make puff paste instead OF
baking powder pastry.
Try making puff paste for orange or straw
berry short cake, as follows To one cup OF
lard take two cups of -four; mix lightly with ice
water, using the tips of the fingers or a knife,
to keep the pastry cool. Roll and spread with
soft butter. Repeat this twice Bake in a
} quick oven; split and put your sliced oranges
or Strawberries between the layers, we'll sugared
The Ctltiuator gives the following recipe for
/ serving early vegetables, which the writer has
l tested and knows to be good: "Take new po-
tatoes and young beets, boil until done, in sep
, arate kettles, and slice into the dish in which
f they are TO be sent to the table. First put a
layer of potatoes, sprinkled with pepper and salt
and little Jumps of butter; then layer of beets
prepared in the same way, and so on until the
dish is full then pour over little sweet cream
or rich milk. This, with tender beefsteak
broiled nicely, tempting salad, good bread
and butter and iced tea, with a boiled wheat
9 pudding, makes very appetizing dinner, foI
which we may be truly thankful"
; Strawberry cake, so luscious that it will melt
in your mouth, may be made as follows: To
+ two scant teacups of pulverzed sugar add the
4 yolks of five eggs. Beat together to a cream
Then stir in, slowly, one heaped teacup of flour
and the whites of the eggs beaten to a froth
Bake in two layers IN quick oven to pale