Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1884-07-14
gaaies' Gplamn.
TABLE-FURNIsHING, ETC.

1t is said that ''most fashions come |
round again in certain number of |
years." and we find the saying holds |
good in regard to styles of dishes.
The old blue-fgured ware of our
grandmothers' and great-grandmoth-
ers' is quite as fashionable now as
then, subject of course to changes in
shapes. In an obscure village where
summer bearders were taken, and no
one gave the town credit for keeping
up with the times in any respect, so
that everything the old housekeepers
possessed was supposed to date back
to some remote period, an old lady,
telling us of some experiences, re-
marked: sit was so strange that the
rich city ladies were so crazy for her
blue dishes, that every summer they
offered her twice what she paid for
them, and she just had to 90 to the
store and buy more, and the next
summer somebody would want them
too, so she was always buying new
dishes"
With the revival of colored dishes
come some new colors and designs
that are very pretty. The colors are
mostly blues, browns, and q shade of
gray approaching lavender. Some
are merely bordered an inch deep,
others are completely covered with
decorations and there are some de-
signs so perfect that you might i'm
agine a delicate sprig of wild flowers
or grasses had dropped upon the
plates, not the bright gorgeous flow
ers that were in style years ago, but
soft tints with the faintest suggestion
of pink in the blossoms, or touched
here and there with bit of gliding
these are called illuminated designs.
Bands of gilt on the edges are seen
with some of the prettiest designs.
Porcelain is as much used as china,
There seems to be diversity of opin-
ion regarding the quality of English
and American ware, some dealers
claiming the superiority of one and
some the other. There is certainly
an advantage in selecting a ''stock
pattern" if one does not desire q
full set, and even then it is very con-
venient to be able to replace brok-
en- dish, for dealers assure us that
even covers can be duplicated. We
shall attempt no description of the
exquisite hand-painted china to be
appreciated it must be seen, and those
who have the means to indulge them
selves in such luxuries have also the
time and means to 60 about and IL
form themselves in regard to it.
Those already mentioned are such as
can be bought in full sets of about
128 pieces for almost any price be-
tween $50 and $125. AS regards
shapes, low, square styles are first
choice for vegetable dishes plates
are even seen square with the corners
cut off or turned up, put such fash.
ions are not lasting, and the corners
present too great a risk at the hands
of careless servants. A full set Of
hedium-priced porcelain or china
consists of six dozen plates, one doz
en- each of breakfast, dinner, soup
tea, sauce and little butter plates
two large and two small covered veg
etable dishes; two without covers
five platters, gravy and sauce boats
two fruit dishes with standards on
dozen medium sized cups to be uset
for either tea or coffee, and the daint.
little after-dinner cups, that are s.
much used at present. There ar
very good limitations of the fne-cu
glass at exceedingly low prices.
1t IS not in good taste to use tw
kinds of colored dishes at once, bu
the dishes for separate courses ca
be different, especially the dessert
dishes. If one has white china fe
odd pieces of colored china brighte
the table wonderfully, but glass an
silver are more appropriate with dee
grated ware. Flowers are arrange
on low dishes for the table. Castor
are quite out of use. There are beal
tiful little cut-glass vinegar jugs, ar
majolica and glass pepperboxes TIL
make quite as fine display as the di
carded castor did.
RAISED BISCUITS. Two quarts
sifted flour, two tablespoons of butte
two teaspoons of sugar, one sea
teaspoon of salt, one pint OF swe
milk, one-half cup of home-ma
yeast, or a half cake of compress
yeast dissolved in quarter of q G.
of tepid water. Mix the -four, sug
and salt, and rub the butter throu;
it. Scald the milk and when parti;
ly cool add the yeast. Make a he
in the flour and pour the milk into
stirring enough of the flour in to ma
q thin batter. Then cover and {
in warm place. 1t should be liz
in two hours, and the rest of the flo
can be kneaded in, without taking
from the bowl. Set it again in
warm place giving it about the sa
time TO rise as before. When it
thoroughly light take it out on
moulding board and mould. Flat
the lump with rolling-pin until il
the desired thickness, and then
out. 1t will make forty biscuits