Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-03-19
DOMESTIC ECONOMY.
MENDING KNIVES.


Knives with ivory handles, which
have become loosened or have fallen
out entirely, can be cemented at home,
and with small expense, by using this
cement: Take four parts of rosin, one
part OF beeswax, one part OF plaster OF
Paris; fill the hole in the handle with
the cement, then heat the steel of the
handle, and press it firmly into the
cement.
A PRETTY BASKET.
A pretty way to vary the baskets made
of seine Irvine is to crotchet them IN
stripes like the tides, so that ribbons
can be run Ill. IF you wish the basket
to be particularly ornamental and to put
it in the guest chamber, take three
round poles, paint them or gid them,
tie them together at the top with rib
bons, and hang the basket within after
the fashion of a gypsy kettle.
BEEF BALLS.
Chop cold roast beef or bits of beef
setak very fine, freeing them from bits
of gristle, but leaving in the fat. To
half pint of meat put in one small cup
full of crumbs, rolled and sifted, one tea
spoonful of salt, pepper to taste.
Moisten the whole with any soup or
stock you may have, add little Worces-
tershire sauce, heat all together, and
then stir in one egg well beaten. Set
the mixture away to cool. When cold,
form into balls, roll in egg and fine
crumbs, and fry in a frying basket for
two minutes.
AN UMBRELLA STAND,
A handsome umbrella stand can be
made from three feet Of terra-cetta pipe,
eight to twelve inches In diameter.
This should be set upon turned wood
en- stand, which is TO be painted the
same color, or on brass plate. The
latter would, perhaps, be more effective.
The stand should be painted with var
nish, in colors to suit the taste of the
decorator. A stork and palm tree, a
marsh or a water scene with a frog
leaping across, or duck flying through
| the reeds on q river bank, are sug-
gestions.
| TO WASH BRUSHES
No soap should ever be Hsed IN wash
ing brushes, whether ivory backed or
otherwise. They should be washed in
hot water with plenty of soda. The
vessel in which they are washed should
be a shallow one, fat at the bottom.
There should just be sufficient water in it
to cover the hair without coming over
the back of the brush; or, If a larger
quantity of water is used, great care
should be taken that it does not touch
the back. Hold the brush by the ham
die, and keep moving and shaking it IN
the water until the hair is quite clean;
then rub it fairly dry with towel, and
at once lay it in the air and sun, or be-
fore fire, to dry as quickly as possible.
To clean the ivory back, nothing more
will be necessary than to wash 1t with a
sponge dipped In warm water, and then
dry it well with soft cloth.
MANAGING STOVES.
Miss PszIoa, in q recent lecture In
New York, said one of the most FREE
quent mistakes people make is in put
| ting on too much coal. Never have the
COZ come above the lining of the stove.
u is waste of fuel, and the fire viii
mot be so bright and clear, because the
draught will not be so good. When not
using the fire, keep the hampers closed;
it will be ready when needed; then open
the draughts. For cooking either on the
top Of the stove or in the oven, no matter
how hot the fire desired, having the
coal come nearly to the top of the lin
ing, the fire ought to last four hours
without new coal or poking. The top of
the stove may be red hot, and the Goals
piled up to the lids, and yet the ovens
will not bake. It is because there is too
much coal, and the draught is stopped
by it. The practice of having the top OF
the stove or range red hot will soon de-
stroy it, warping it out of shape and
cracking the lids.