Year: 1879

= uiciS - duy oHc piece OF household


work that we dislike to do more than an


other, it is to ''do up'' shirts. With twenty


years OF experience we are not perfect yet,


but we will give few hints that may help


some others out Of difficulties.


For half dozen shirts take two heapinc


tablespoontuls of best starch, add Just


enough cold water to dissolve it; add pint


OF boiling water, stirring it at the same time:


boil slowly for half an hour, stirring it oc-
casionally to keep it from scorching. Stir a


moment with spermaceti candle If this
Is not available use piece of mutton tallow


the size of chestnut; strain the starch
through strainer or a piece Of thin muslin.


Have the shirts turned wrong side out and
dip the bosons carefully in the starch and
squeeze out, repeating the operation until
the bosoms are thoroughly and evenly satu-
rated, then proceed to dry. Two hours be-
fore ironing dip the bosoms in weak solu-
ton of cold starch and roll up tightly.
First, iron the back by folding the shirt
lengthwise through the center; next the
wristbands and both sides OF the sleeves.
then the collar band; now place the bosom
board under the bosom, and with damp
ened napkin rub the bosom from the ton
downward, smoothing and arranging each
plait neatly. With smooth and moderate
ly hot iron, begin at the top Of the bosom
and iron downward, continuing the opera
ton until the bosom is perfectly dry and
glossy. Remove the board and iron the
front of the shirt. If the irons become
rough or smoky, lay little salt on fiat
surface and r0h them well; it will prevent
them from sticking and make them smooth.


Making Potato Bread.-Boil five or six
large potatoes, mash them smooth while
hot, add piece of butter the size of an egg.
tablespoonful of sugar, teaspoonful OF
salt, and pint of warm water. Beat three
teacups Of flour with another pint of warm
water, till tree from Jumps, and then mix
with the potatoes. Dissolve cake OF Yeast
and teaspoontul of soda, each in teacup
of warm water, and beat ali well together.
1t makes a thin batter and should be set in
q warm place over night. In the morning
sift three quarts of flour into the bread pan.
with little salt. Pour the sponge, which
will be full of bubbles if the Yeast was
good, into cavity in the middle and kneed
for five or ten minutes. Cover with a cloth
and set in warm place for an hour or
longer, or until it has risen to double its
usual size. Then divide into four loayes and
kneed thoroughly and put into tins; when
light again, bake in moderate oven, half
or three-qnarters OF an hour.


Baking Poaoder Buiscuits. .LSift two quarts
OF flour. three even tablespoonfuls OF bak-
ing powder and a little salt together. Mix
In one tablespoon OF butter or lard, or. bet
ter, half of each, and stir in nearly quart
Of sweet milk, carefully, SO as to get Just
enough. kneed as little as possible, roll
out, cut into biscuits. and bake in quick
oven. Little kneeding and quick baking
are essential.


Peast.-Take pint bowl of hops and two
quarts of water, boil down to one quart;
put seven or eight spoonsfull OF flour in q
pan and strain the hop water boiling upon
T.; when mixed it should be thick batter:
when 1t becomes milk-warm stir in break
asst cup of good yeast, then pour it into bot
lies tWo-thirds full, stopping them with pa
per. Set them in milk pan by the fire.
md rs soon as the contents rise to The top
,f the bottles put them on the cellar Fl 5or
ill the yeast ials; then cork and keep on
he cellar floor, in an ice-house, or refriger-
ltor. In very warm weather the corks
'nght to be removed every day to let the
l'r ont, and put in directly again, other
wise they are apt to burst.