The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-06-28
HOME, FARM AND GARDEN.


To give good oak color TO Pine
floor, wash in solution OF one pound
of copperas dissolved in one gallon OF
strong I've.
One Of the cheapest and best modes
Of destroying insects in pot plants il to
lnvcrt the pot and dip the plants for a
lew seconds in water warmed to 100
degrees.
The queen bee usually lays from
February to October, but early in the
spring she lays sparingly. When flow
ers bloom and the bees are gathering
honey and pollen she lays more rap
idly.
-Currant Pudding. One pound Of
ripe ctlrrants, a pinch Of salt, ten table
spoonsful Of sugar, cup Of -four, four
eggs, tablespoonful Of soda and a la
blespoonful of butter. Boil and eat
with foaming sauce.
To take rust out of steel, rub the
steel with sweet oil; in a day or two
rub with finely-powdered unslaked lime
until the rust all disappears; then oil
again. roll in wooden and put in a dry
place, especially if it be table cutlery.
A very cheap way to fence poultry
from the garden il to stretch three No.
II wires quite tightly, and then weave
in common swamp willow. sharpening
the ends and sticking them in the
ground couple Of inches. This fence
does not cost over six cents rod, and
is very effective.
Every time crop is removed the
soil loses the amount of fertility re-
luired to grow the crop. No soil can
therefore produce crops unless it is
provided with food, which should be in
the shape OF manure or fertilizers.
Keeping UP the fertility Of the soil is
simply feeding the future crop.
Make mixture of hydraulic cement
and skim milk for painting farm build
ings and fences by putting the cement
in a bucket and sweet skim milk stirred
in until the mixture is Of the consis-
tency of cream. The proportions arc
about one quart Of cement to gallon
Of milk. Color may be added ii de-
sired. This paint is cheap and durable.
| When linen has turned yellow cut
up a pound Of fine white soap into q
gallon of milk and hang ii over 4 fire
i'm a wash kettle or boiler. When the
soap has completely melted put IN the
linen and boil it half an hour. have
ready lather of soap and water. wash
the linen in il. after which rinse il in
two cold waters with a very little blue
in the last.
Raisin Tarts. After seeding one
and one-half cups Of raisins. chop fine.
add one-half cup OF sugar, the juice
and rind Of one lemon, a pinch Of salt
and one-half teaspoonful of cinnamon.
Make puff paste, roll thin, cut out with
biscuit-cutter, add one teaspoonful Of
the mixture, roll out the top crlists i,
little thicker. make three thimble holes
near the center, and press the edges
with fluted roller.
Tho currant and gooschcrry worms
hatch out about as soon as the leaves
begin to put out. They can be found
at first ON the other side of the leaves,
and very little hellchore powdered
and sifted on them will save snbse-
quent trouble. II the fruit grower
waits until they begin their rayages he
can not destroy them without subject-
ing his currant bushes to damage that
Il little forethought will prevent.
| Where manure is not available. a
very good fertilizer, for asparagus may
be made by mixing twenty pounds Of
nitrate of soda with one hundred
pounds of superphosphate of lime.
This quantity will be sufficient for a
plot of fifty feet square, and it should
be spread over the whole ground when
it is mellow -immediately after the
ground is worked. Frequent hoeing
around the stools or working between
the rows is needed for full crop.