Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-05-15

This is the time to put away the
heavy furs, for the moth millers are
already beginning to fly. People rush
about buying all sorts of expensive
moth preventives, when they are not
of the least use. If furs and clothing
are put away with the moth egg in
them, all the odors in the world, good,
bad, or Indifferent, would not keep
them from Matching. The time when
the eggs are laid and the fatal damage
done is usually before housekeepers
think of putting them away at all.
When the warm spring days come the
heavy fur coat or jacket is hung up in
the closet lest it may be needed again,
and perhaps it is worn once or twice
and then hung up again, and in the
hurry of spring work forgotten until
somebody sees moth millers flying
about frequently. Then the furs are
taken out, perhaps brushed little,
and put away smothered in camphor
or in something else that is as useless
as it is expensive.
In the fall, when the clothes and
furs come out, there is weeping and
wailing, for the hair flies from the furs,
and holes, always in the very worst
places to mend, are found in the
clothes. Then there is any amount of
wondering, and 81 can't imagine how
it happened, for put them away SO
carefully and used such lot OF moth
stuff" The proper way is to lay the
heavy clothing in chest as soon as
the use is not daily, and then it can be
taken out and worn when the cold
days come and extra wraps are needed
When the cold weather has fairly
gone, then every separate article
should be taken out and hung on the
clothes line on clear day; if there is a
wind, so much the better, as the dust
will blow away from you as you beat 1t
out. After beating with light switch
of some kind--it should be both tough
and elastic-brush the clothes careful
ly. Never put clothes away with soil
ed spots upon them; scour them all out
first. 1t is a very good plan to have
them all thoroughly mended, for the
children's clothes are always needed in
a hurry in the fall, and if put away in
order it is great gain in every way
When all the clothes are thoroughly
beaten and brushed and cleansed, fold
each article separately, and with care
as to the folding. Do not leave them
on the line to air, for that is the very
time that the moth miller takes to lay
her eggs. They are very plentiful out
doors just as soon as the weather be
comes mild, and are waiting for a
chance to get into the house, and no
article of woollen is safe if left out half
an hour. Then see that your chests
are absolutely tight, that there are no
cracks in them anywhere. If there
are, paste newspaper over the cracks,
wherever they are, and see that there
is not even the most infinitesimal
crevice for the moth miller to enter,
for if there is one she will find it. Wrap
up each article separately, either in
old sheets or in old towels or in papers.
See that all are scrupulously and alb
solutely clean. Pack them in with
care, so that they will not be crushed
or wrinkled, and spread sheet over
the top, and tuck it in closely all over
the things. Close your chest, and if
you are sure that you will not need to
open it during the warm season, paste
paper over the edge of the cover. But
if it closes tightly there will be no dan
ger from moths.-HarpeT's BazGr.