Nevada County picayune., 1888-11-07
CARE OF FOOTWEAR.

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 In ne."',y all AJ.n .J. more particu- larly w.l.t3 ,h 'rc at children. there is generally an accumulation of shoes of all kinds, half worn, whole worn, and very little worn. In the majority of homes these are thrown promiscu- ousiy together in Il closet or some other receptacle, to be assorted when wanted. Some of these are of no earthly use to the possessors, but arc hoarded up with the idea that they may someday be found useful, yet rarely is this true, for if put away for any length of time they are when taken out z nerally unfit for use. There arc few things that will collect mold a5 quickly a4 old boots or shoes, more pa.'ticuidt,y if i'll a close re- ccptaclc. snch a5 ., dark closet Conse- qucntly, " hca thcy are laid away for any length of time. tn " should be taken out into the light and air occasionally, to keep them in fair condition. Musty shoes in the home will not tend to- ward the good health of the family, and the fewer of such things there are the better It is much the better way where there are more than one extra pair of cast off shoes to each person, to see that the superlluous shoes are given to some one in need of tn m. The housewife may think that they are not worth giving away, being worn so badly, yet the shoes she would think unfit for this purpose would be accepted with gratitude by many a poor unfortunate person. It is wonder ful how very much worn a shoe may be ere it is rejected by a needy person. Do not allow old boots and shoes to ac- cumulate. but c them where they will do the most good, and you will never regret it.
 Shoes that are worn regularly, if cared for will last much longer than if neglected, as is too often the case. A French kid shoe. if carelessly cared for, will not look as well nor last as long as one of an inferior quality that is looked after properly. When shoes are taken off they should be thorough ly brushed, to remove the dust that invariably collects in the creases, smoothed out with the hand and placed away in shoe bag or box away from the dust, and when wanted for use they can be taken out ready for wear. Where there is not box or bag for this purpose, closet is the next best | thing. Shoes will last much longer if, when new, they are rubbed with castor 1 oil Hold them in front of q fire and rub the oil well into the leather The oil makes the leather pliable, fills up 1 the pores, and prevents itfl'om cracking. 1 Where boots are worn every day, once fortnight is not too often to oil them. At first the oil after standing will give i them gray look, but when dressed it l gives them a nice soft finish. 1t is not advisable to use much of the dressings so fashionable for ladies and children's 5 shoes nowadays, and the most of them l in a short while crack the leather. 1 The box backing used for mems boots i is much to be preferred, although it IS little harder to apply. When using the dressing, apply very thin coat, and do so as seldom as possible. We have seen some very fine shoes ruined by using a poor dressing, therefore, unless you can find one that has been well tested, it is better for a fine grade of leather to depend on the box of blacking.
 There are many patent button fast eners in the market that are excellent for children's everyday shoes, more particularly where there are boys, as they are much stronger than thread. and the children learn very soon to adjust them, thereby sav- ing the mother some work, besides keeping their shoes ill good condition. For fine grade of leather we have never seen any fasteners that ought to be used, as in d short time they cut the leather, making an unsightly tear, and some of them, when the shoe is tight fitting, will tear the stocking. The fine shoestring, with needle attached, which may be purchased at any shoe store, is the best thing with which to fasten on shoe buttons. Fasten them quite tight at first, as they work loose, owing to the shoestring stretching Never wear shoe unbuttoned if you care at all to have it shapely. Never put q wet shoe close to d fire to dry, for when dry it will be so hard that it will be difficult to get on When taken off the foot wet, smooth into as good shape as possible. then put in a medium warm place and let dry To be sure, it will take longer time than if dried at the fire, but it will be in much better condition when wanted. Shoes hard ened by being dried at the fire can be wonderfully softencd by using little castor oil well rubbed in. When throw ing away old shoes, cut off all the good buttons and put away for future use. .