The Washington times., 1907-07-14

TINE kitchen sink cannot be made 7
slightly by any device. 1t can
not be draped; and 10 draw a
screen before 1t is to subject the
priestess Of the domain TO countless in
conveniences when she must have light
and room for operations. The basin may
be of porcelain and the row of faucets
above it of shining nickel The whole
construction is Enthusiastically and ire
deemably ugly.
1t is, nevertheless, the criterion Of the
housewives or the cooks manage
ment."
SHOW me your sink. and 1 will de-
scribe your cook!" is a homely old say
ing.
IL il be Uttered with tea leaves and
coffee grounds; If it be "whisk-clean'
save for greasy gloss on bottom and
sides. while in the far corner the black
ened whisk conceals a disguting de-
posit OF refuse and of coagulated fats,
you need not inquire verbally into the
management Of that mistress house
wifery. or into that cooks fidelity TO
the duties of her calling.
Keep a sink sieve hanging above the
sink. and use it whenever anything that
contains sediment is poured out, The
stationary grating in the bottom of the
basin Is too coarse to keep back the
substances which clog the pipes.
Beware of Grease.
TIE viIest of these in all its works
and ways is OF course grease, invisible
I TO the careless eye when hot, but after
A.
Of neglect. 1t cOagulates upon the sides
OF the drain, and II not "cut," becomes
as hard and as impervious to water, as
wax. Nine-tenths of the disastrous
stoppages in the pipes that food the
kitchen floor with all manner of un-
; cieanness and involve the expense of
the costly plumber and his equally cost
~ assistant, are the direct result of
collection of oil matter that should
never have found its way into the sink
a ali-or, II this had happened ought
not to have been suffered to stiffen into
a mass.
In consideration of this truth. the
duty Of flushing the sink daily with
caustic alkalies cannot be too strongly
enforced upon cook and housewife
Have ever on hand chlorides-or, bet
ter still, and more easily procured
washing soda, which disintegrates the
accumulation. of grease Plain folk say
cuts ii, and the term is more en-
phatic than the polysyllable
Scald the sink every other day flush
ing the pipes by letting the hot water
run when at its hottest and for ten
minutes at a time. Before the flushing
begins, lay a lump of washing soda
over the grating and run the water di-
rectly upon il.
Summer Expedients.
In summer. substitute, twice a week.
a lump OF unslaked lime for the soda.
II handful of borax be thrown into
the sink at night directly over the
grating and left there until morning
il will tend to dissuade water bugs
from creeping through the pipe and
sWeeten the first dash OF water turn
ed out of the faucet on the morrow.
Beside the can of bOrax set above
the sink should stand the bottle Of
household ammonia. The combined
cost of an abundant stock of the two
would not equal in year what a
plumber "and man" would charge for
three hours work-"and time"
(By the way why must a plumber
invariably bring a helper along when
one man could do all the work? Must
the species always hunt in couples?)
1 mentioned water bugs" in a cas-
ual, airy manner just now, that was
altogether disproportioned TO the part
they play in bathroom, kitchen. and
rinS, not to speak Of pantry and re-
frigeratOr They are cOusin-german TO
the cockrOach
There Is a covert pun in that COM
pound word. For our water bug was
brought to our shores in the holds of
, German vessels. Ever since that I'M
happy hour he has been a .stoWawRy''
OF the most detestable type. To cap the
climax of odiousness, he and his Amer
lean kinsman infict upon the memory a
sesquipedalian title. The common cock
roach is "Blatta (or Periplaneta) ORR
entails" The imported variety is
"Blatta Germanicar
A naturalist thus describes the pest
OF sink and Harder;
Nocturnal in habits and very trouble
some in houses, where they multiply
-'-A great rapidity, infesting kitchens