The midland journal., 1891-08-21
The household.
Practical Talks in the Kitchen.

BY MRS. D. A. LINCOLN.
| The pleasure Of living in a house
where flies and mosquitoes are efectual
! " barred out, suggests the subject for
the August "Practical Talk
! Housekeepers sometimes submit to
these summer annoyances because they
cannot afford the latest patent device
| for door and window screens; but this
is no reason for permitting your house
to be overrun with these disturbers Of
ones comfort.
| No doubt much can be done in the
way of prevention, by absolute cleanli-
nets, and avoiding everything that will
tend to attract the flies to our kitchens.
Shelves, tables and floors should be
thoroughly wiped every day that there
may be no crumbs, sugar, grease, etc.,
left to bait the flies.
Food should be covered and every
remnant that cannot be utalized should
be burned after each meal. No gar
bage or decaying animal or vegetable
substance should be allowed outside the
house or anywhere about the premises,
SO long as you have a shovelful Of earth
with which to cover it.
| But with the utmost care on your
part, the flies will come, and SO some
extra measures must be taken to keep
them from getting inside, for it is much
easier to keep them out than to drive
them out.
Many people urge as an objection
that screens keep out the air and that
they would rather have the flies than
breathe screened air. But have never
found that this objection had any real
weight.
Screens that are clogged with dust
and fluff may keep out some air, but if
properly brushedthey cannot lessen the
amount of air to any great degree.
Those who enjoy hearing the incessant
buzziug of these household pests, while
reading or studying, or who can bear
patiently their close proximity during
the morning nap, or WHO relish food
shared with them. or who prefer to ex-
clude light as we'll as air, need waste
no time by reading this article.
/ Neither will waste my time by
telling how delightful it is to have
every door and window, and sometimes
the veraDda or piazza, protected by
perfectly fitted wire screens, framed in
whatever style will best suit the house,
or show how to make these screens, for
those who can afford these luxuries can
easily learn this from the manufacturers.
1t would appear possible for any one
to buy mosquito netting by the piece.
1t is double width, measures eight
yards in length and costs about fifty
cents. Blue and pink will answer for
a bed canopy, but are not in good taste
for windows. Black looks we'll at first
but soon fades to a dingy gray. White
or green are the most satisfactory.
Select those with the finest meshes and
plain instead of cross-barred.
Measure the window and allow four
inches more in the width and eight or
ten in length. Cut it by the thread.
Turn down about two inches of the
netting at the top and crease it well;
turn the edge back to the crease and
then fold back again, till you have
narrow, half-inch fold of four thick
nesses. Fold over the edge at the
sides in the same way.
Lower the window at the top, hold
the folded edge toward you, and mount
the step ladder or a chair of suitable
height. Find the middle of the netting
at the top and tack il to the middle Of
THE upper outer casing, on the inside,
then tack across the top to each corner,
and half way down each side. Put the
tacks in about four inches apart and
always through this quadruple fold.
Drive them in just far enough to hold
firmly Be careful that the folds OF
netting do not project into the groove
where the sash runs.
Raise both sashes to the top and con-
tinue the tacking at the sides, and fast.
en- securely at each corner. Fold over
all the extra length and tack it loosely
at the bottom, using double pointed
timed tacks. which can be removed
easily when you wish to slip your arm
underneath to open or close the outside
blinds. Be particular to fold uniform
edge and to put the netting on straight
with the windows. After little prac-
tice you can easily turn the folds in as
you tack it. II the window cannot be