The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-09-16

In the never-ending round of house
work we stumble sometimes inadvert-
emily upon ways of helping ourselves
over the hill of difficulty. They may
not always be mothers ways "-often-
times they are better ways, more in
keeping with the wide-awake, progress
sive ideas of the times in which I'VE
live. In this way l learned the true
value of the ordinary scrubbing. brush.
l stumbled upon it accidentally, and
now so varied are its uses in my Kitchen
that l am not sure but | would let it
head my list of household conveniences.
For five cents apiece you can buy
these little scrubbing- brushes without
handles; or for seven cents a good,
strong brush with a handle, similar in
shape 10 the ordinary backing brush,
except smaller, can be bought at any
notion or drugstore. "When you're
gettin', git plenty" was old Mrs.
Means advice to Mr.. Means about buy
ing up government land-lhree will be
none too many. Buy those with handles
if possible, but if not obtainable, the
others will answer very well, as you
can put small screw-eye into the end
of each brush, and hang it on brass
hook screwed into the side of the
kitchen cupboard. A row of brass
hooks with nice clean brushes ap-
pended will not mar the appearance of
the tidiest kitchen. The smallest
brush, which should not be over three
inches in length, can be made TO do
excellent service in washing Maiolica
ware, cut-glass tumblers, fruit bowls,
preserve dishes in fact, any kind of
ware with rough, corrugated surface
can be kept clean and shining in this
way. The same brush will work Won
ders in cleaning a crater, the rough
side of which has been used to CRATE
cocoanut, chocolate, lemon or orange
rinds upon. Every housekeeper knows
how impossible it is to clean this uten-
sill with dish cloth or mop. Perforated
pie-tins,. also, after an application of
soap and brush will undergo similar
transformation. The second-sized brush
should be used exclusively for clean
ing vegetables, and after having
used one short time you will
wonder how you ever kept house
without it. In the one item of
preparing potatoes to bake, it will be
worth to you ten times the price paid.
so thoroughly does it do its work. The
third brush should be little larger.
and will be found invaluable in keeping
clean the biscuit board, washing the
broiler and iron kettles. One of the
requisites of tidy kitchen is clean
white table. The vigorous use of hot
water, soap and scrubbing- brush, with
an occasional application of sand or
sapolio, will drive out every vestige of
dirt and grease, leaving the table in
spotless condition. One of the most
indispensable brushes for kitchen use
is sink brush. A broom-brush, such
as is used for brushing wearing apparel,
answers nicely for this purpose. Ali
brushes after being used should be
washed and hung in their proper places;
if carelessly left, bristle-side down, they
soon take on the musty smell of neg
lected dish-cloth. Another convenient
kitchen brush is bread brush. In
making Parker House rolls, for in
stance, 1t is necessary, after rolling out
the risen dough, to cut with biscuit
cutter, rub over with melted butter.
and fold; this process can be very
much expedited by the use of a good
new varnish brush kept for culinary
purposes alone. Do not attempt to
economize too closely; pay a price
sufficiently large to warrant a well-made
brush. A small round one is best. In
laundrying the flinged furnishings for
dlning-room and chambers, such as
lunch cloths, doiles, tides, and scarfs,
comb the fringe first, and then with a
stiff new nail or tooth brush continue
brushing until it is soft and fluffy. The
exchange of ideas relating to the home,
with improved methods in the WAYS of
doing. the daily routine of everyday
lie, is growing in favor constantly.
Many OF these ideas, when whitfield
down, are not practical, but, on the
other hand, many bristle with good
points, worthy in every way of imita-
tion.-Annd Curd, IN Exchange.