The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-01-07
Home Economies.

Every time you 20 out OF the room
and leave IL empty do You turn out the
lightY Probably not. And yet you won
der why the gas bills are so high, or how
it is possible to use as much electric
light as you have to pay for.
There is probably more extravaganza
in the average home in the way OF vast
ed light than any other one item in the
whole category Of household expenses.
Few women remember to turn out the
lights not in use. they keep two, or
even three, gas Jets burning in room,
leave it for half hour or so and neglect
to put out or turn down the lights. The
result is enormous bills and tremend.
GUS amount of wasted gas, says the
Memphis News Scimitar.
In lighting room place the lamps
where the light is most needed. An in
stance: If a table and comfortable chair
are in one corner of the room, and the
spot is a comfortable one in which to
read, see that lamp is placed on the
table so that the light is shed full on
the readers book. In this way the en-
tire room is given sufficient light as well
as the reader.
piano, and this is as rule absolutely
useless. 1t seldom sheds light on the
players music, and is remote from all
other comfortable spots in the room.
The best way to light the music is to
place small candles, with pretty shades,
on either side of the piano and to put
the large lamp which so often rests on
the instrument on a table, either in the
center or at one side OF the room. In
this way only one Jet will be needed to
light the entire room; in the other way
at least two will be needed.
Perhaps there is more waste of gas in
the kitchen than anywhere else. II
gas stove is used, of course il is neees-
sary to turn on several jets while the
dinner is in progress, but it is entirely
unnecessary to have all the jets turned
on full force. Once the water boils turn
down the gas to point where IT will
keep the pot boiling, and that is all. 1t
will be found that this can be done with
about half force. Also when one dish is
cooked it can be kept warm by placing
the pot on top of another kettle OF yege-
tables already cooking, thus making one
gas jet do the duty of two.
The woman who understands the art
Of dyeing is able to save many a dollar
which might go otherwise to a profess
sional II she can change the color OF a
gown, a rug or a pair OF curtains right
in her own home she can afford TO effect
many a pleasant transformation which
would cost considerable sum II she
called in the services of an expert at
this work. Dyeing can be done at home,
and done very successfully if one goes
about il in the right way.
To color rugs Of the rag woven variety
so popular at the present time, TO obtain
Just the right tone for the burlap couch
cover TO produce an interesting but in
imitable color for the couch pillows, to
color distinctive portieres or curtains
there is nothing that compares with
some Of the old-fashioned home-concocted
dyes.
OF all home made dyes there is none
50 easy 10 obtain or one that presents
50 many possibilities as walnut dye. To
get this color all that has TO be done Is
/ 20 boil walnut bark or the shell of fresh
walnuts in water until Il il thoroughly
I saturated with the color There are
many possibilities in this coloring mat
ter. II the nut is green when used the
color will be a golden brown. BY rs.
ing the bark and leaves a greenish shade
OF brown can be obtained and by using
the bark alone delightful brown Is the
result.
Those colors lend themselves to inter
I efting effects when used on natural-toned
Z fabrics. For instance, an uncolored bur
lap can be made into an interesting coll
or for q couch cover by boiling it in the
/ desired concOction Of walnut color. II
this color is 10 b. used IN making woven
{ rugs an interesting effect can be produced
I BY dying some Of the rags in one Of the
connections and another in the others
and weaving the different colors toeeth-
er.
AT dyes should BE- thoroughly boiled
into the fabrics and after the materials
have taken up All the dye that Il desired
they should b. gradually cooled and
when almost dry they should BE- rinsed
In cool water. carefully wrung out and
allowed 20 dry aeain.