The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-10-02
HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Black walnut sawdust is now mixed
with linseed gum and nodded into or
namentation for furniture. When
vanished, it is handsome and more
durable than carved wood.
Turpentine in small quantities may
be used with advantage in the laundry,
but rosin, which is usually found in
soap, is injurious, discoloring some
goods and shrinking woolens.
When knob comes off door han
die, you can fasten it on again by fill
ing the cavity in the knob with sui
phur, then heat the iron end of the
handle which goes in the knob just
hot enough to melt the sulphur, put
the knob in and let it cool. 1t will be
firmly fixed in place.
A novel way of mending a woolen
dress, in which round hole has been
torn, and where only patch could
remedy matters, is as follows: The
frayed portions around the tear were
carefully smoothed, and piece of the
material. :moistened with very thin
mucilage, was placed under the hole.
A heavy weight was put upon it until
it was dry, when it was only possible
to discover the mended place by care
full observation.
A solution of oxalic acid has been
used for removing ink stains from
cotton, linen, or the fingers, but it is
attended with the danger of injuring
textiles and the skin. A much safer
and better treatment of ink or rust
stains consists in the application of
two parts of powdered cream of tar
tar and one part of finely powdered
oxalic acid. Shake up the ingredients
well together and apply the powder
with dry rag to the dampened stain.
When the spot has disappeared the
part should be very well washed.
To boil rice properly you must first
wash out all the dried starch from
among the grains, not by soaking it in
bowl of water as is usually done, but
by letting water run over and through
it, in seive. To half pint of rice
put pint of cold water and heaped
teaspoonful of salt into the saucepan.
The moment it begins to boil take the
lid off the saucepan; let it boil very
fast but do not stir it. When holes be-
gin to appear in the top it is done.
Turn out in buttered dish and keep
hot in the oven. Every grain should
be distinct by this process.
After tea has been STEPPED in boiling
water over five-sixths of the valuable
constituents are extracted. At the
end of ten minutes the leaves are al
most entirely exhausted. Prolonged
infusion gives no additional strength
to the liquid, but it does cause the loss,
by volatilization, of the fiavoring prin-
ciples. Hard waters are to be pre-
ferred to soft waters in the teapot, as
the hard waters dissolve less of the
tannin out of the leaves. The bearing
of these laboratory results on the art
of making a good cup of tea is OBJ
Eious.
A serviceable article of a mother s
nursury outfit is an apron made of a
straight piece of goods-muslin, ging-
ham, or any suitable material that is
alike on both sides-turned upward at
the bottom to the depth of about ten
inches, and stitched vertically at inter
walls, SO that pockets are formed, into
which scissors, thimble. cotton, OF
whatever one has in hand can be drop
ped at moments notice, when it is
necessary suddenly to cast ones work
aside. This will not only prevent
dangerous playthings from falling into
paby's hands, but save the trouble OF
collecting scattered work materials.
Cut a piece of pasteboard eight
inches SQUARE and four triangular
pieces, one side of each being eight
inches long. Cut also the same mum.
ber of pieces of thin cardboard. Cover
the pasteboard neatly with olive satin.
and the cardboard with bright rose
color, and sew together. Take strip
of olive satin. one and one-half yards
dong and three inches wide, and one
of pink sew on each edge, trim and
shirr. Sew one edge of the puff to
the edge of the square board and the
other triangular pieces paint or en-
broider little spray of flowers or an
initial, and bows of ribbon at the cor.
'ners.
To make very handsome cover for
a parlor or library table procure suff-
isciently large square of dark felt, and
border it with old geld plush half the
width of the material, which will be
about eleven inches. Cut large leaves
i,from three sides of eelive-green plush
and apply upon the old gold plush, ar
ranging them without much apparent
method, to look as if carelessly scat
tered upon the fabric. Sew the leaves
on with common sewing-silk in but
tonhole stitch. The long nap of the
material will readily lend itself to the
concealment of the stitches used in ap-
plying. No fringe will be neees-
| sary, but three plush balls can
be added to each corner of the
cloth.
Lit is not sufficiently known that
when coffee beans are placed upon hot
Goals or on hot plate the flavor aris-
ing is one'of the most effective, and at
the same time agreeable disinfectants.
If no heat is disposable, even the
spreading'of ground coffee on the OBJ
ject to be disinfected, even if it be a
cadaver, is most satisfactory. Some
journals announce this as a newly dis
covered fact, but it appears by inyes-
tigation that it was well known by
nurses andhousewives forty years ago,
while some members of the medical
profession became only convinced of
its value some twenty years ago, while
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