PART I. (continued 2)

A little pipe-clay dissolved in the water, or rubbed with the soap on the clothes, will give the dirtiest linen the appearance of having been bleached; it will also clean them with about half the labor, and a saving of full one-fourth of the soap. Pipe-clay will also render hard water nearly as soft as rain-water.

Carpets, moreen curtains, or other woollen goods, may be cleaned with the coarse pulp of potatoes, used as a kind of soap.

167. Horse-chestnut Soap.—It is not generally known that the horse-chestnut contains a soapy juice, not only useful in bleaching, but in washing linens and stuffs. The nuts must be peeled and ground, and the meal of twenty of them will be sufficient to mix with ten quarts of hot water, with which the clothes may be washed without soap; the clothes should then be rinsed in spring-water. The same meal being steeped in hot water, and mixed with an equal quantity of bran, will make a nutritious food for poultry.

168. To wash a Cotton Counterpane.—Slice a pound of mottled soap, dissolve it in a pailful of boiling water, and add a small lump of pearl-ash; next, put the counterpane into warm water, with a bowl of the soap-solution, beat it and turn it, wash it in a second liquor, and rinse it in cold water; then put three tea-spoonfuls of liquid blue into a thin liquor, stir together, and put in the counterpane; beat it a few minutes, and dry it in the air.

169. To wash Silk Stockings, White and Black.—Cut in thin bits some white soap, and boil it in soft water; pour a little of it among cold, soft water, and wash the stockings, first upon the inner side; repeat the washing with fresh suds and water, till they are washed quite clean; turn the outside, the last time of washing, and if the feet be very dirty, rub a little of the boiled soap upon them, but not upon the legs. If to be colored, mix the dye with a little clean suds, and dip in the white stockings; draw them out smooth, and lay them upon a sheet on a bed, with the window open, and when almost dry, lay them upon a piece of flannel, and with another bit rolled up, rub them hard and quick one way till they are dry.

170. To wash Thread Stockings and Gloves.—Fine thread-stockings and gloves should be well soaped, put into a lather of cold water, and boiled; they should then be put into a fresh, cold lather, and be boiled again; when, on taking them out, they will require little more than rinsing.

171. To wash Cotton Stockings.—Lay them in cold water at night; next day boil them in a copper with some soda and soap; stir them well about, and they will become quite clean without any rubbing; rinse them well in cold water, and bleach them; when nearly dry, draw them smooth, folding them straight over the instep. Place them under a heavy weight, or iron them.

172. To wash Cotton Bed-furniture, and printed Calicoes in general.—1. Get rid of as much dirt as possible, by brushing and shaking.

2. Do not let the dirty things lie about in a damp wash-house, or in any way become damp before they are fairly wetted.

3. On no account use a particle of soda, pearl-ash, or any thing of the kind.

4. Allow plenty of water, and plenty of room in the tub.

5. Use soft water, no hotter than would be pleasant for washing the hands.

6. Rub with soap in the ordinary way. Mottled soap is preferable to yellow. If a general wash is about, the liquor in which flannels have been washed the second time, does very well for the first washing of colored things; or that in which muslins have been washed a second time, provided no soda or anything else of the kind was used.

7. When the first washing is completed, have ready another tub with water of the same degree of warmth, into which put each piece immediately on wringing it out of the first liquor.

8. Repeat the process of washing in the second liquor, carefully observing that every part is clean.

9. On wringing out of the second liquor, immediately plunge each piece into cold spring water for rinsing.

10. On wringing each piece out of the rinsing water, immediately hang it out, and let it dry as quickly as possible.

11. In hanging up, put any thick double parts next the line, letting the thinner part hang down and blow about. When these are dry, the positions may be changed, and the thick parts hung downwards.

12. If, through unfavorable weather, or any other circumstance, the drying cannot proceed at once, the things had better remain all night in the rinsing water, than be laid about damp. If they are half-dry out-of-doors, when taken in for the night let them be hung or spread in a room, and again hung out early next day. If there is no chance of favorable drying abroad, they should be quickly dried before a fire, or round a stove.

13. If starching is required, a sufficient quantity of made starch may be stirred into the rinsing water.

173. How to wash Printed Dresses.—A very cool lather of white soap, of the best quality, should be used, as the inferior soaps contain rosin, and other pernicious ingredients most destructive to colors. Soda, pearl-ash, vinegar, alum, salt, washing-powder, &c., although they may not injure some colors, should never be used; for they will most certainly destroy others. Printed dresses should not be washed with household or body linen, or put into scalding water. It is desirable to wash colors with a light hand, so as not to subject them to hard rubbing, and to rinse with plenty of clean cold water, and to dry in the open air. Claret, chocolate, purple, lilac, red, pink, and black, are the most permanent; the cloth for these colors being prepared in a peculiar manner, and which process has the effect of better fixing them to it. Blue, green, drab, ruby, crimson, buff, dahlia, orange, and cinnamon, as they do not admit of the cloth being so prepared, of course require more careful treatment, or some of the surface color may possibly on the first washing scale off and tinge the white, especially if not well rinsed; but by a little discretion the most delicate colors may be effectually preserved.

174. To wash Chintz, so as to preserve its Gloss and Beauty.—Take two pounds of rice and boil it in two gallons of water, till soft; when done, pour the whole into a tub; let it stand till about the warmth you in general use for colored linens; put the chintz in, and use the rice instead of soap; wash it in this, till the dirt appears to be out; then boil the same quantity as above, but strain the rice from the water, and mix it in warm water. Wash it in this till quite clean; afterwards rinse it in the water the rice was boiled in; this will answer the end of starch, and no dew will affect it, as it will be stiff while it is worn. If a gown, it must be taken to pieces, and when dried, hang it as smooth as possible; after dry, rub it with a sleek stone, but use no iron.

175. To protect Children from Burning.—Add one ounce of alum to the last water used in rinsing children's dresses, and they will be rendered uninflammable, or so slightly combustible that they would take fire slowly, if at all, and would not flame.

176. Composition for Washing in Sea-water.—Mix a strong solution of potash with an equal weight of pipe-clay, and work them to a paste, one pound of which will soften four gallons of sea-water.

177. To bleach a Faded Dress.—Wash the dress in hot suds, boil it and rinse it, then dry it in the sun. Should it not be rendered perfectly white, lay the dress in the sun for several days.

178. To preserve the Color of a Print Dress.—Rip the skirt from the body, and wash them in cold rain water in which a handful of common salt has been thrown. Do not expose it to the sun to dry, but roll it tightly in a coarse cloth until dry enough to iron.

179. To wash White Lace.—A quarter of a cake of white wax, six lumps of sugar, and a dessert-spoonful of made starch, to be mixed with a quart of soft water. Tack the lace very slightly in a thin cloth dipped in cold water, then let it lie in a strong lather for one day. Change the water, and leave it in a second lather all night. Put the above materials into a saucepan, boil the lace in it for ten minutes, then throw it into cold water, and when nearly dry iron it.

180. Washing Kid Gloves.—Have ready a little new milk in one saucer, and a piece of brown soap in another, and a clean cloth or towel, folded three or four times. On the cloth, spread out the glove smooth and neat. Take a piece of flannel, dip it in the milk, then rub off a good quantity of soap to the wetted flannel, and commence to rub the glove downwards towards the fingers, holding it firmly with the left hand. Continue this process until the glove, if white, looks of a dingy yellow, though clean: if colored, till it looks dark and spoiled. Lay it to dry, and the operator will soon be gratified to see that her old gloves look nearly new. They will be soft, glossy, smooth, shapely, and elastic. Dark, and especially black mourning gloves, should be of the very best and high-priced.

181. To iron Shirt Fronts and Dresses.—Shirt-fronts are most conveniently ironed upon a deal board about 12 inches long and 8 wide, covered with fine flannel; to be placed between the back and front of the shirt, after the back is ironed. The skirts of dresses also may be ironed in a similar manner, using a board as long as the skirt, 26 inches wide at one end, and 12 inches at the other. The board should be covered with a blanket, and rest upon a thin block of wood at each end, to keep it from creasing the skirt beneath it.

182. To clean Hair Brushes and Combs.—Sub-carbonate of soda or potash sometimes called salt of tartar or salt of wormwood, is to be dissolved in boiling water—two heaped tea-spoonfuls will be sufficient for half a pint; into this mixture dip the hairs of the brush, and draw the comb through many times. The brush and comb, with the help of this solution, will quickly cleanse each other; dry quickly and they will be as white as new. Observe two things: the potass must be kept in a stopper bottle, or it will soon become liquid; when liquid it is not injured for use, but if left in paper would be wasted; also the mahogany or satin-wood back of the brush must be kept out of the solution, as it is apt to discolor wood.

183. To clean Sponge.—Put into two pints of hot water about three cents worth of Salts of lemon, and steep the sponge in it. After it is clean, rinse it in clean water.

Or, immerse it in cold buttermilk, and let it soak a few hours. Then rinse it in pure water.

184. To clean Ermine and Minivar.—Take a piece of soft flannel, dip it in common flour, and rub the fur with it, being careful to rub it against the grain. Shake it well and rub again with the flannel till all the flour is out of it.

185. To clean Swansdown.—White swansdown may be washed in soap and water; after washing, shake it out, and when the down is somewhat raised, shake it before a clear fire to dry.

186. To clean Leather Cases.—To clean hat cases, writing-desks, &c., dissolve in warm water a small quantity of oxalic acid, and wash the articles with a sponge wet in the solution. When dry they will look almost equal to new.

187. To take Stains out of Linen.—Stains caused by Acids can be removed by wetting the part, and laying on it some salt of wormwood; then rub it without diluting it with more water.

Or, let the cloth imbibe a little water without dipping, and hold the part over a lighted match, at a due distance. The spots will be removed by the sulphureous gas.

Or, tie up in the stained part some pearlash; then scrape some soap into cold soft water to make a lather, and boil the linen till the stain disappears.

188. Stains of Wine, Fruit, &c., after they have been long in the Linen.—Rub the part on each side with yellow soap; then lay on a mixture of starch in cold water very thick; rub it well in, and expose the linen to the sun and air till the stain comes out. If not removed in three or four days, rub that off and renew the process. When dry it may be sprinkled with a little water.

Recent Stains of Fruit may be removed by holding the linen tightly stretched over a tub and pouring hot water over the part. This must be done before any soap has been applied to it.

Obs. As soon as a stain is made on table-linen, &c., rub on it common table salt before it has time to dry; the salt will keep it damp till the cloth is washed, when the stain will disappear; or wash the stain lightly when the cloth is removed.

189. To restore Scorched Linen.—Peel and slice two onions, and extract the juice by squeezing or pounding. Cut up half an ounce of white soap and two ounces of fullers' earth; mix with them the onion juice and half a pint of vinegar. Boil this composition well, and spread it, when cool, over the scorched part of the linen, leaving it to dry thereon. Then wash out the linen.

190. To restore Linen that has long been Stained.—Rub the stains on each side with wet brown soap; mix some starch to a thick paste, with cold water, and spread it over the soaped places; then expose the linen to the air. If the stains do not disappear in three or four days, rub off the mixture, and repeat the process with fresh soap and starch. Then dry it, wet it with cold water, and wash it.

191. Grease or Wax Spots.—Grease-spots should be rubbed with strong pearlash and water. Spots of wax or oil paint should be rubbed with turpentine, and washed with soap and water: or, wax, if moistened repeatedly with spirits of wine, may be brushed off. Or, dissolve six ounces of alum in half a pint of water, warm it, wash the stained part with it, and leave it to dry.

Or, in a quart of warm water, dissolve a little white soap, and one ounce of pearlash; to which add two spoonsful of ox-gall, and a little essence of lavender or bergamot: mix the whole, strain it, and keep it in a bottle. In using it, put a small quantity on the spot, brush, and wash it with warm water, so as entirely to remove the liquor applied, which might injure the cloth if allowed to remain.

192. Other Stains.—Many other Stains may be taken out by dipping the linen in sour buttermilk, and drying it in a hot sun. Then wash it in cold water, and dry it, two or three times a-day.

193. Ironmoulds.—Ironmoulds should be wetted, then laid on a hot water-plate, and a little essential salt of lemons put on the part. If the linen becomes dry, wet it, and renew the process, observing that the plate is kept boiling hot. Much of the powder sold under the name of salt of lemons is a spurious preparation; and therefore it is necessary to dip the linen in a good deal of water, and wash it as soon as the stain is removed, to prevent the part from being worn into holes by the acid. Ink spots can be removed in the same way.

194. To take Mildew out of Linen.—Take soap, and rub it well; then scrape some fine chalk, and rub that also in the linen; lay it on the grass; as it dries wet it a little, and it will come out at twice doing.

195. Or, mix soft soap with starch powdered, half as much salt and the juice of a lemon; lay it on the part on both sides with a painter's brush. Let it lie on the grass day and night till the stain comes out.

196. To discharge all Stains which are not Metallic.—Mix two tea-spoonfuls of water with one of spirit of salt; let the stain lie in it for one or two minutes; then rinse the article in cold water. This will be found particularly useful in removing stains from white doilys.

197. Prepared Ox-gall for taking out Spots.—Boil together one pint of ox-gall and two ounces of powdered alum; to which add two ounces of common salt; let the liquor settle, add a few drops of essence of lemon, pour it off into a bottle, and cork tightly.

198. Salt of Lemons.—Mix one ounce of salt of sorrel in very fine powder, with an equal quantity of cream of tartar; this is the salt sold in the shops; but, as it is only recommended for removing ironmoulds or ink spots, it will be better to use only the salt of sorrel.

199. To bleach Linen.—Mix common bleaching powder, in the proportion of one pound to a gallon of water; stir it occasionally for three days, let it settle, and pour it off clear. Then make a ley of one pound of soda to a gallon of boiling soft water, in which soak the linen for twelve hours, and boil it half an hour; next, soak it in the bleaching liquor, made as above; and lastly, wash it in the usual manner.

Discolored linen or muslin may be restored, by putting a portion of bleaching liquor into the tub wherein the articles are soaking.

200. Use of Potatoes in Bleaching.—This method of bleaching consists in substituting for soap, an equal quantity of potatoes three-parts boiled. The linen is first boiled for nearly an hour; it is next put into a tub of boiling water, from which each piece is taken separately, and rubbed with the potatoes, as with soap. The linen is then boiled with the potatoes for half an hour, next taken out, rubbed, and rinsed two or three times in cold soft water, wrung, and hung up to dry. Kitchen linen, which has mostly the smell of tallow, loses it after having been bleached by this process.

201. To Remove fresh Ink Stains.—Let one person hold the part that is spotted between his two hands over a basin and rub it, while another pours water gradually from a decanter upon it, and let a whole pitcher-full be used if necessary; or if the ruffle, apron, &c. be at liberty, let it be dipped into a basin filled with water, and there squeezed and dipped in again, taking care to change the water every two or three squeezes. If the ink be spilled on a green table carpet, it may immediately be taken out with a tea-spoon so entirely, that scarcely any water at all shall be wanted afterwards, provided it was only that instant spilled, as the down of the cloth prevents the immediate soaking in of the ink, or of any other liquor (except oil); but if it have lain some time, be the time ever so long, provided the place be still wet, by pouring on it fresh clean water, by little and little at a time, and gathering it up again each time with a spoon, pressing hard to squeeze it out of the cloth into the spoon, you will at last bring it to its natural color, as if no such accident had happened.

202. To take out Spots of Ink.—As soon as the accident happens, wet the place with juice of sorrel or lemon, or with vinegar, and the best hard white soap.

203. To remove Ink Stains.—Get a pint cup, or narrow-topped jug, full of boiling water; place the stained part (of the linen, &c.) on the top of the cup; dip it in, draw it tight over the top of the cup, and, while wet and hot, with your finger rub in a little salt of sorrel. The acid should remain on the linen for half-an-hour before it is washed. As salt of sorrel is a powerful poison, the paper should be marked POISON, and kept carefully locked up, when not in use.

204. The fumes of brimstone useful in removing Spots or Stains in Linen, &c.—If a red rose be held in the fumes of a brimstone match, the color will soon begin to change, and, at length, the flower will become white. By the same process, fruit-stains or iron-moulds may be removed from linen or cotton cloths, if the spots be previously moistened with water. With iron-moulds, weak muriatic acid is preferable, assisted by heat; as by laying the cloth on a tea-pot or kettle, filled with boiling water.

205. To remove Stains from Black Bombazine, Crape or Cloth.—Boil a large handful of fig-leaves in two quarts of water until reduced to a pint; squeeze the leaves quite dry, and put the liquor into a bottle for use. The article should be rubbed with a sponge dipped in the liquor. The word POISON should be written on the bottle, to prevent any accident.

206. To clean Black Satin.—Boil three pounds of potatoes to a pulp in a quart of water; strain through a sieve, and brush the satin with it on a board or table. The satin must not be wrung, but folded down in cloths for three hours, and then ironed on the wrong side.

207. To restore Color taken out by Acids.—Sal-volatile or hartshorn will suffice for this purpose. It may be dropped on silk without doing any injury.

208. To take out Spots on Silk.—Rub the spots with spirit of turpentine; this spirit exhaling, carries off with it the oil that causes the spot.

209. To extract Grease from Silks.—Scrape French chalk, put it on a grease-spot, and hold it near the fire, or over a warm iron, or water-plate filled with boiling water. The grease will melt, and the French chalk absorb it. Brush or rub it off; repeat if necessary.

210. Another way.—To remove a grease spot from silk, scrape some French chalk on the wrong side; let it remain some time, and then brush off. Magnesia is also a good remedy.

211. To extract Grease from Silks or Stuffs (another way).—Take a lump of magnesia, and rub it wet over the spot; let it dry; then brush the powder off, and the spot will disappear.

Or, take a visiting or other card; separate it, and rub the spot with the soft internal part, and it will disappear without taking the gloss off the silk.

212. To take Spots out of Cloths, Stuffs, Silk, Cotton, and Linen.—Take two quarts of spring water, put in it a little fine white potash, about the quantity of a walnut, and a lemon cut in slices; mix these well together, and let it stand for twenty-four hours in the sun; then strain it off, and put the clear liquid up for use. This water takes out all spots, whether pitch, grease, or oil, as well in hats, as cloths and stuffs, silk or cotton, and linen. As soon as the spot is taken out, wash the place with fair water; for cloths of a deep color, add to a spoonful of the mixture as much fair water as to weaken it.

Grease spots in cloth may be removed by using soap and water with a tooth or nail brush, and afterwards wiping off the lather with the wet corner of a towel. Essence of lemon, or pure spirit of turpentine, will remove pitch from cloth, &c.

In woollen cloth, an easier method is to scrape off the hard tallow with the edge of a tea-spoon, then rub the part briskly with a clean woollen rag, shifting the rag as the part becomes dirty; or, place some blotting paper on the spot, and press it with a hot iron, occasionally moving the paper.

213. To clean Silks or Merinoes, &c.—Grate two or three large potatoes, add to them a pint of cold water, let them stand a short time, and pour off the liquid clear, or strain it through a sieve, when it will be fit for use. Lay the silk on a flat surface, and apply the liquid with a clean sponge, till the dirt is well separated, dip each piece in a pail of clean water, and hang up to dry without wringing. Iron whilst damp on the wrong side. Should the silk be of more than one color, it is desirable to wet a small piece first, lest the dress should be spoiled, by moisture causing the colors to run; but for self-colored silks, the direction is an excellent one; and satinettes, even of light colors, if not greased or stained, make up again nearly equal to new.

214. To clean Silks.—If of any other color than black, wash them in a hot lather of soft soap and water, and rinse them in plain warm water, to which a small quantity of dye may be added, according to the color: a few drops of vitriol added to the water will freshen crimson, scarlet, maroon, or bright yellow; lemon-juice for pink, rose, or carnation; pearlash for blue and purple; and for olive-green, a pinch of verdigris; but acid must not be used for fawn, brown, or orange. Then squeeze the liquid from the silk, roll it in a coarse sheet, and wring it: spread it out, and rub it on the wrong side with gum-water, with a little pearlash in it; dry it in a warm room, and finish with calendering or mangling it.

Black silk should be sponged with hot ox-gall on both sides, then rinsed, and dried smooth on a board. Or, spread black plain silks upon a board, soap the dirty place, and brush the silk on both sides with a fine soap lather; put it into hot water, rinse it through cold water, and, having squeezed and dried it, smooth it on the right side with an iron, moderately heated.

215. To make Old Silk look as well as New.—Unpick the dress, put it into a tub and cover it with cold water; let it remain an hour; dip it up and down, but do not wring it; hang it up to drain. Iron it very damp, and it will look well.

216. To clean Silks.—A quarter-pound of soft soap, a teaspoonful of brandy, a pint of gin. Mix all well together. With a sponge or flannel spread the mixture on each side of the silk without creasing it. Wash it in two or three pails of cold water, and iron on the wrong side when rather wet.

217. To remove Stains from Silks.—Stains produced by vinegar, lemon-juice, oil of vitriol, or other sharp corrosives, may often be removed from silks by mixing a little pearlash with soap-lather and passing the silk through them. Spirits of hartshorn will also often restore the color.

218. To dip Rusty Black Silk.—Boil logwood and water half an hour, in which simmer the silk for the same time; then take it out, and put into the dye a little blue vitriol, or green copperas; cool it, and simmer the silk in it for half an hour. Or, boil a handful of fig-leaves in two quarts of water until it be reduced to one pint; squeeze the leaves, and bottle the liquor for use. When wanted, sponge the silk with it.

The word Poison should be written on the bottle.

219. Black Reviver.—Upon two ounces of powdered logwood, and half an ounce of green copperas, pour three pints of boiling water: let it stand till cold, when strain for use, by sponging the faded stuff with it.

To revive black cloth, boil it with logwood in water for half an hour, the cloth having been previously cleaned, dipped in warm water, and squeezed dry; next, take out the cloth, add a small piece of green copperas, and boil it another half hour; then hang it in the air an hour or two, rinse it twice or thrice in cold water, dry it, and finish it with a soft brush, over which two or three drops of olive oil have been rubbed.

220. White Satin.—Stone blue and flannel will make white satin look nearly new, especially if rubbed afterwards with crumbs of bread.

221. Blond Lace.—When blond lace gets tumbled, breathing upon it, and afterwards shaking it, will be found to answer the purpose of an iron, without chance of making the lace look yellow, as it probably would be by the use of an iron. There is no necessity for unpicking the lace.

222. To raise the Surface or Pile of Velvet when pressed down.—Warm a smoothing-iron moderately, and cover it with a wet cloth, and hold it under the velvet; the vapor arising from the heated cloth will raise the pile of the velvet, with the assistance of a rush whisk.

223. To remove Grease or Oil Paint from Cloth.—Moisten them with a few drops of concentrated solution of subcarbonate of potash; rub the spot between the fingers, and then wash the spot with a little warm water.

224. Another way.—To remove oil paint, rub the part with a bit of flannel dipped in spirits of wine or turpentine.

225. Spots from Woollen Cloths.—Fullers' earth, or tobacco pipe-clay, being put wet on an oil spot, absorbs the oil as the water evaporates, and leaves the vegetable or animal fibres of cloth clean, on being beaten or brushed out. When the spot is occasioned by tallow or wax, it is necessary to heat the part cautiously by an iron or the fire, while the cloth is drying. In some kinds of goods, blotting paper, bran, or raw starch, may be used with advantage.

226. To clean a White or Drab Coat.—If the coat be much soiled, brush well into the cloth, the way of the nap some of the following: mix pounded pipe-clay and whiting, some fullers' earth, and a little stone blue dissolved in vinegar enough to form the whole into a paste. When the coat is quite dry, rub it well, beat it to get out the dust, and brush it well.

227. To clean Cashmere Stuff.—If common soap be employed, these valuable fabrics will be injured, and rendered less pliant and velvety than before. The proper method is to use a soapy root common in Russia and the East, in the Greek islands, and in Italy. Its original name is ishkar, and it affords an ash-colored powder, which, mixed with water into a paste, will free the stuff from any greasy stains, and leave them the yellow tint so much prized.

228. To make Portable Balls for removing Spots from Clothes in general.—Take fullers'-earth perfectly dried, so that it crumbles into powder, moisten it with the clear juice of lemons, and add a small quantity of pure pearl-ashes; then work and knead the whole carefully together, till it acquires the consistence of a thick elastic paste; form it into convenient small balls, and expose them to the heat of the sun, in which they ought to be completely dried. In this state they are fit for use in the manner following:—First, moisten the spot on your clothes with water, then rub it with the ball just described, and suffer it again to dry in the sun: after having washed the spot with pure water, it will entirely disappear.

229. To make Breeches Balls.—Mix half a pound of Bath brick in fine powder, one pound of pipe-clay, two ounces of pumice-stone in fine powder, and three ounces of ox-gall; color the mixture with yellow ochre, umber, or Irish slate, to the desired shade, and shape into balls.

230. Scouring Drops.—Mix with one ounce of pyroligneous ether, three drachms of essence of lemon. These will remove oil or grease from woollen cloth, silk, &c., by rubbing the spot with a piece of the same article, moistened with the drops.

231. To take out Wax or Spermaceti from Cloth.—Hold a red-hot iron steadily within about an inch of the cloth, and in a few minutes the wax will evaporate; then rub the cloth with whitish paper, to remove any mark that may remain.

232. To take Wax out of Velvet of all Colors except Crimson.—Take a crummy wheaten loaf, cut it in two, toast it before the fire, and, while very hot, apply it to the part spotted with wax. Then apply another piece of toasted bread hot as before, and continue the application till the wax is entirely taken out.

233. For taking Grease out of the Leaves of Books.—Fold up, in two small bags made of fine open muslin, some ashes of burnt bones, finely powdered, or of calcined hartshorn, which is always ready prepared at the shops of the druggists. Lay the bags of muslin containing the powder, one on each side of the greasy leaf; and, having heated a pair of fire-tongs, or hair-dresser's pinching-tongs, of a moderate warmth, press with them the two bags against the greasy spot, and hold them some time in that situation. Repeat the process, if necessary.

When the irons cannot be conveniently used, the powder may be heated over the fire, in a clean earthen vessel; and, whilst hot, applied, without any muslins, on each side of the grease spot, and a weight laid on it to assist its effect.

234. To remove Spots of Grease from Paper.—Take an equal quantity of roach alum, burnt, and flour of brimstone, finely powdered together; wet the paper a little, and put a small quantity of the powder on the place, rubbing it gently with your finger, and the spot will disappear.

235. To discharge Grease from Leather.—Apply the white of an egg to the spot, and dry it in the sun; or, mix two table-spoonfuls of spirit of turpentine, half an ounce of mealy potatoes, and some of the best Durham mustard. Apply this mixture to the spot, and rub it off when dry. A little vinegar added, renders it more efficacious.

236. For cleaning light Kid Gloves.—If the gloves are not so much soiled as to require wetting, they may be cleaned thus:—Scrape fine as much as a tea-spoonful of French chalk. Put on the gloves as for wear, taking care that the hands be not only clean, but cool and dry. Put some of the powdered chalk into the palm of one glove, and rub the hands and fingers together, just as if the chalk were soap employed in washing the hands. In this way rub in all the chalk. Then take off the gloves, without shaking them, and lay them aside for an hour or two, or a night, if it suit. Again put them on, and clap the hands together till all the chalk is shaken out. Fullers' earth, powdered and sifted, may be used in the same manner as French chalk, and will answer nearly as well. Or, gloves slightly soiled, may be cleaned by rubbing with a very clean and dry bit of India-rubber. White kid gloves, or very light stone-color, or lilac, (not darker than what is called a French white,) may be stained of a bright and delicate yellow, just the color of cowslips, by rubbing them with the petals of the common white rose. The roses must be fresh gathered for this purpose; and the best method of applying the leaves, is by putting the glove on its proper hand, and then rubbing. If not convenient to do the whole at one time, the effect is not injured by laying them aside, and taking up again. When done, they look quite equal to new, and keep clean longer than gloves of the same color stained in the ordinary way.

237. Another way to clean Kid Gloves.—First see that your hands are clean; then put on the gloves and wash them, as though you were washing your hands, in a basin of turpentine. Burning fluid will do equally well. Then hang them up in a warm place, or where there is a good current of air, which will carry off all smell of turpentine. This method was brought from Paris, and thousands of dollars have been made by it. The spirits of hartshorn may be substituted for the turpentine.

238. Washing Gloves.—If the gloves are so much soiled as to require washing, the best application is a strong lather made of curd soap with new milk; or water will do. A very small quantity of liquid will suffice. Before wetting the glove, run a strong thread through the opposite sides, close to the wrist binding. Leave it about a quarter of a yard long, and make a large knot at each end. This is to form a loop or handle by which to hang up the glove to dry, and hold it open. Having prepared the lather, put one glove on the hand, and apply the lather by means of a shaving brush or a piece of fine flannel, carrying the strokes downwards—that is, from the wrist or arm to the tips of the fingers. Continue this process till the dirt disappears, though the glove appears of a dingy, ill-looking color. Then take a clean soft towel, and dab it till the soap is removed. Take off the glove, blow into it to open all the fingers, and, by means of the aforesaid loop, hang it to dry in a shady but airy place. The loop should be fixed to two pegs, or by two pegs or strings, fastened to a line in such a manner as to keep the sides of the glove apart while drying. When dry, they will have regained their original color, and be smooth, glossy, soft, and shapable. Or, the gloves when cleaned as above, may be laid to dry on several folds of clean linen above and below. Limerick gloves should be washed clean with a strong lather of soap and water, applied with a brush as above. The lather must not be warmer than new milk. When dry from the lather, apply a solution of saffron, stronger or weaker, according to the color desired. A very small quantity of saffron will suffice. Pour boiling water to it, and let it steep at least twelve hours before using. Those who are frequently cleaning this kind of gloves, may steep a drachm of saffron in half-a-pint of boiling water, and when cold, put the whole into a bottle, without straining. Cork it close, and it will keep a long time for use as required.

239. To clean Straw Bonnets.—Put a chafing-dish, with some lighted charcoal, into a close room or large box; then strew on the coals an ounce or two of powdered brimstone, and let the bonnets hang in the room or box for some hours, when they remain to be blocked.

240. To bleach Straw Hats, &c.—Straw hats and bonnets are bleached by putting them, previously washed in pure water, into a box with burning sulphur; the fumes which arise, unite with the water on the bonnets, and the sulphurous acid thus formed, bleaches them.

241. Method of Bleaching Straw.—Dip the straw in a solution of oxygenated muriatic acid, saturated with potash. (Oxygenated muriate of lime is much cheaper.) The straw is thus rendered very white, and its flexibility is increased.

242. Varnish for Straw or Chip Hats.—Powder half-an-ounce of black sealing-wax, put it into a bottle with two ounces of spirits of wine, and set it in a warm place. Lay it on warm with a soft hair-brush, before the fire or sun.

243. Straw Bonnets.—If a straw bonnet is not worth the expense of properly cleaning, it may be greatly improved both in comfort and appearance, by washing it with soap and water, applied by means of a bit of flannel or sponge. Afterwards rinse with clean water, and dry quickly in the air. When dry, wash over with the white of an egg, finely beaten. The wire had better be removed before washing, and put on afresh. There is no great art in reducing a straw bonnet for a child. Take off all the ribs of straw that form a sort of border by going round the edge; as many also of the straight ribs as will leave the front nearly of the depth required. From the remaining front ribs cut off a little at each end; fasten the ends securely, and again set on the border ribs. Unpick the sewing of the head-piece, till two, three, or more of the top rounds are taken off, so as to bring it to the size required. Then sew again as many as will bring it to a proper depth. It is not intended to say, that a person who never learned the art of straw bonnet-making, and has not the proper blocks, &c., will do it as well as one who has; but any notionable needle-woman may do it, so as to look much better than a large bonnet on the small head of a child. A bonnet-shape of pasteboard or buckram may be renewed by laying it between two sheets of damp paper, and ironing with a hot iron. The wire must be previously removed and afterwards put on afresh. To clean silk and ribbons, wash in cold rain water with a very little soap. Avoid squeezing and wringing. If very dirty, two waters may be requisite; the second may be slightly blued, unless the color of the silk forbids it (as yellow or red). Spread on a clean towel, and while damp, iron with a piece of clean paper placed between the silk or ribbon and the iron.

244. Paste.—Take two table-spoonfuls of flour and stir it into a half pint of cold water until the lumps are all broken, then pour this into a pint of boiling water, stirring while doing so; afterwards let it boil up once or twice, and take off.

245. Superior Paste.—Mix flour and water, with a little brown sugar, and a very small quantity of corrosive sublimate in powder, and boil it until sufficiently thick and smooth. The sugar will keep the paste flexible, and prevent it scaling off from smooth surfaces, and the corrosive sublimate will check its fermentation: a drop or two of oil of anise-seed, lavender, or bergamot will prevent the paste turning mouldy.

246. Bookbinders' Paste.—Mix wheaten flour first in cold water, then boil it till it be of a glutinous consistence; this method makes common paste. Mix a fourth, fifth, or sixth of the weight of the flour of powdered alum, and if required stronger, add a little powdered resin.

247. Rice Glue.—Mix rice flour smoothly with cold water, and simmer it over a slow fire, when it will form a delicate and durable cement, not only answering all the purposes of common paste, but well adapted for joining paper and card-board ornamental work.

248. A most excellent Glue.—Beat an ounce of isinglass to shreds: dissolve it gradually in a pint of brandy, by means of gentle heat, and then strain the solution through a piece of fine muslin. The glue thus obtained should be kept in glass closely stopped. When required for use, it should be dissolved with moderate heat, when it will appear thin, transparent, and almost limpid. When applied in the manner of common glue, its effect is so powerful as to join together the parts of wood stronger than the wood itself is united. This glue dries into a very strong, tough, and transparent substance, not easily damaged by anything but aqueous moisture, which renders it unfit for any use where it would be much exposed to wet or damp air.

249. Parchment Glue.—Take one pound of parchment, and boil it in six quarts of water till the quantity be reduced to one, then strain off the dregs, and boil it again till it be of the consistence of glue.

The same may be done with glovers' cuttings of leather, which make a colorless glue, if not burnt in the evaporation of the water.

250. To make Lip Glue, for joining Paper, Silk, or thin Leather, &c.—Take of isinglass and parchment glues, of each one ounce; sugar-candy and gum-tragacanth, each two drachms; add to them an ounce of water, and boil the whole together till the mixture, when cold, is of the consistence of glue; then form the same into small rolls, or any other figure that may be most convenient, and it will be fit for use.

This glue may be wet with the tongue, and rubbed on the edges of the paper, silk, or leather, that are to be joined; and on being laid together, and suffered to dry, they will be united as firmly as any other part of the substance.

251. Liquid Glue.—Pour naphtha upon shellac until of a creamy consistence, and keep it closely corked. This glue will unite iron, wood, glass, &c. It is water-proof, and dries quickly.

252. Glue to hold against Fire or Water.—Mix a handful of quick-lime in four ounces of linseed-oil, boil them to a good thickness, then spread it on tin plates in the shade, and it will become exceedingly hard; but may be easily dissolved over the fire, as glue.

253. To mend China.—Mix together equal parts of fine glue, white of eggs, and white of lead, and with it anoint the edges of the article to be mended; press them together, and when hard and dry scrape off as much of the cement as sticks about the joint. The juice of garlic is another good cement, and leaves no mark where it has been used.

254. Cement and Ground Glass Imitation.—In half-a-pint spirits of wine steep one ounce of isinglass twenty-four hours, then dissolve it over a slow fire, keeping the vessel covered that the spirit may not evaporate (for this purpose a double saucepan should be used, the outer one containing water, after the manner of a glue-pot; or the solution may be made in a jar with a lid, tied over also with bladder, and placed in a saucepan of water—the water should surround the jar to the height of two inches or more, but not so high as to float it). When the isinglass is completely dissolved, add the juice of garlic, obtained by pounding in a mortar six cloves of the root, and straining through linen. Mix well, and cork close for a short time. The mixture will then cement either glass or crystal.

254a. Cement to resist Fire and Water.—Half-a-pint each of vinegar and milk, simmer them together till the curd separates. Strain, and with the whey mix the whites of five eggs well beaten up. The mixture of these two substances being complete, add sifted quick-lime, and make the whole into the consistence of putty. Let it be carefully applied—that is, to lay it on every part of the broken edges, and to make the edges fit exactly; as soon as it is perfectly dry, it will be found to resist both heat and moisture. Whatever the article was originally calculated to bear, it is again fitted to bear as much as if it had never been broken.

255. To imitate Ground Glass.—Rub the glass over with a lump of glaziers' putty, carefully and uniformly until the surface is equally covered. This is an excellent imitation of ground glass, and is not injured by rain or damp. It is useful for kitchen windows, &c.

256. To cement Broken China.—Mix some oyster-shell powder with the white of a fresh egg, to the thickness of white paint, lay it on thick at the two edges and join them as exact and quick as possible, then put it before the fire till the china is quite hot, and it will cement in about two minutes. Pour boiling water into it directly, wipe it dry, scrape it clean on both sides with a penknife, and it will appear only as a crack. Mix no more than you can use for one or two things at a time; for if the cement grows hard, it will be spoiled. The powder may be bought at the apothecaries'; but it is best prepared at home, which is done as follows:—Choose a large, deep oyster-shell; put it in the middle of a clear fire till red-hot, then take it out and scrape away the black parts; pound the rest in a mortar as fine as possible; sift and beat it a second time, till quite smooth and fine.

257. Obs.—In cementing china and glass, first heat the portions, and when the cement is applied, press them closely together, as the thinner the cement is, the more firmly it holds.

258. To cement Broken China or Glass.—Beat lime to the finest powder, and sift it through fine muslin; then tie some into a thin muslin; put on the edges of the broken china some white of egg; dust some lime quickly on the same, and unite them exactly.

259. Chinese method of mending China.—Take a piece of flint-glass, beat it to a fine powder, and grind it well with the white of an egg, and it joins china without riveting, so that no art can break it in the same place. You are to observe, that the composition is to be ground extremely fine.

260. Improved Corks for preserving Wine or Chemical Liquors.—Melt together two parts of white wax and one part of beef suet; dip your corks in this mixture, and immediately dry them in a stove upon an iron plate; repeat this operation twice, and the corks thus prepared will preserve any liquor well without imparting any ill-flavor thereto.

261. Bottle Cement.—Common red and black sealing-wax, of each half-a-pound; bees'-wax, quarter of an ounce. Melt them in an earthen pipkin or brass kettle. The former is preferable, because the cement may be kept in it, and again melted whenever it is wanted for use. When the mixture begins to froth, and seems likely to boil over, stir with a tallow candle, which will settle the froth. As soon as the whole is melted, it is ready for use.

262. Bottle Cement.—Melt in an iron ladle some rosin, and a quarter as much bees'-wax; add a little Venetian red, stir with a piece of candle, and, when smoothly melted, dip in the top of the bottles, so as completely to cover them. In making this cement, be careful not to leave it a moment while it is on the fire.

263. Blood Cement.—Blood Cement, for repairing copper boilers, &c., is made by pounded quick-lime and ox-blood mixed together: it must be applied fresh made, as it soon becomes so hard as to be unfit for use.

264. Diamond Cement.—Diamond Cement, for glass or china, is made by dissolving a quarter of an ounce of isinglass in water, by boiling it to the consistence of cream. Add a table-spoonful of spirits of wine. Use warm.

265. Cement for attaching Metal to Glass or Porcelain.—Take two ounces of a thick solution of glue, and mix with one ounce of linseed oil varnish, or three-quarters of an ounce of Venice turpentine. Boil together, agitating them until thoroughly mixed. The pieces to be cemented should be left untouched, after having been united, for forty-eight or sixty hours.

266. To mend Tortoise-Shell.—To mend tortoise-shell, bring the edges of the pieces to fit each other, observing to give the same inclination of grain to each; then secure them in a piece of paper, and place them between hot irons or pincers; apply pressure, and let them cool. Take care that the heat is not too great, or it will burn the shell.

267. To clean Gold Chains, &c.—Make a lather of soap and water; boil the chain in it for a few minutes, and immediately on taking it out, lay it in magnesia powder which has been heated by the fire; when dry, rub it with flannel; if embossed, use a brush.

Or:—Wash it well in soap and water, and put it while wet into a bag with some fresh, clean bran; shake it well, and in a few minutes it will be found perfectly clean.

268. To restore Pearls.—Soak them in hot water in which bran has been boiled, with a little salt of tartar and alum, and rub them gently between the hands; rinse them in lukewarm water, and lay them out to dry.

To preserve the color of pearls, keep them in dry common magnesia, instead of the cotton-wool used in jewel-cases, and they will never lose their brilliance.

269. To clean Gold or Silver Lace.—Rub it gently with cotton wool, or a soft brush dipped in spirits of wine, taking care not to injure the silk beneath.

270. To clean Gold and Silver Lace.—Sew the lace in linen cloth, and boil it in a pint of water, and two ounces of soap; and then wash the lace in water.

271. To improve Gilding.—Mix one gill of water, two ounces of purified nitre, one ounce of alum and one ounce of common salt. Lay this over gilt articles with a brush, and their color will be much improved.

272. Incombustible Varnish for Wood.—Equal parts of alum and isinglass, dissolved and mixed, applied to wood, prevents it from burning. Liquids can be boiled in a wooden vessel on a common fire, if this varnish be applied to it. The wood chars sometimes, but does not flame.

273. Cement for Iron Flues.—Common salt and sifted wood-ashes in equal parts, made into a paste with water, is a very good cement for iron flues, and may be applied when the flue is hot or cold. Iron filings and vinegar will do almost as well, or rather iron filings moistened with diluted muriatic acid. These are generally used for filling up the space between cylinders.

274. Preparation of common Cement for joining Alabaster, Marble, Porphyry, or other Stones.—Take of bees'-wax two pounds, and of rosin one pound; melt them, and add one pound and a half of the same kind of matter, (powdered,) as the body to be cemented is composed of, strewing it into the melted mixture, and stirring them well together, and afterwards kneading the mass in water, that the powder may be thoroughly incorporated with wax and rosin. The proportion of the powdered matter may be varied, where required, in order to bring the cement nearer to the color of the body on which it is employed.

This cement must be heated when applied; as must also the parts of the subject to be cemented together; and care must be taken likewise, that they be thoroughly dry.

When this composition is properly managed, it forms an extremely strong cement, which will even suspend a projecting body of considerable weight, after it is thoroughly dry and set, and is therefore of great use to all carvers in stone, or others who may have occasion to join together the parts of bodies of this nature.

Melted sulphur, applied to fragments of stones previously heated (by placing them before a fire) to at least the melting point of sulphur, and then joined with the sulphur between, makes a pretty firm and durable joining.

Chips out of corners, and similar little deficiencies in the stone, may also be filled up with melted sulphur, in which some of the powder of the stone has been mixed: but the stone should be previously heated.

275. Strong Cement.—To prevent the escape of the vapors of water, spirit, and liquors not corrosive, the simple application of slips of moistened bladder will answer very well for glass, and paper with good paste for metal. Bladder, to be very adhesive, should be soaked some time in water moderately warm, till it feels clammy, it then sticks very well; if smeared with white of eggs instead of water, it adheres still closer.

276. To scour a Hat.—Rub yellow soap on a hard brush, dip it into boiling water, and brush the hat round with the nap; if the nap be clotted, continue to brush it till it is smooth, and free from soap; then, if requisite, scrape out the dirt, by passing round the hat an edged piece of wood, or the back of a knife; next, beat the nap with a cane, hang the hat to dry, and pass a heated flat iron two or three times gently over it; brush it afterwards.

277. Management of Razor Strops.—Most razor strops are spoiled by being left too dry; a drop or two of sweet oil, frequently added to the strop, would remedy this; and, after using the strop, passing the razor on the inside of a warm hand, gives the smoothest and finest edge; putting the razor in warm water makes it cut very keen, and perhaps nothing makes a better razor strop than crocus martis, with a little sweet oil, rubbed well on leather with a glass bottle.

278. To prevent Gentlemen's Hats from being injured by Rain.—Shake off the water as much as possible; then with a clean linen cloth or silk handkerchief wipe the hat carefully, keeping the beaver flat and smooth, in the same direction as it was first placed; then with hands fix it in the original shape, and hang it at a distance from the fire to dry. A few hours after, or the next morning, lay the hat on the table, and brush it round and round several times with a soft brush in the proper direction, and you will find your hat not in the least injured by the rain.

If the gloss is not quite so high as you wish, take a flat iron, moderately heated, and pass the same two or three times gently over the hat; brush it afterwards; and it will be nearly as handsome as when first sent home from the shop.

279. Dyeing.—Occasionally, when colored articles of silk, wool, or cotton have been cleaned, their color requires to be made deeper; at other times, it maybe desirable to change the color altogether, when that already in the stuff must be discharged, and the article dyed anew.

Articles of any color may be dyed black, and black may easily be re-dyed. Blues can be made green or black; green may be made brown, and brown, green; and any color on re-dyeing, will take a darker tint than at first. A black may be dyed maroon, claret, or dark-brown; but green is the best color into which black can be changed.

Most colors can be discharged by boiling the articles in water, with a small quantity of spirits of salts in it. Yellows, browns, and blues, are not easily discharged; maroons, reds of some kinds, and olives, may be easily discharged, by boiling them in water, with a small quantity of the following articles: roche-alum, for maroons; oil of vitriol—a very small quantity—for olives and grays; alum, pearlash, or soap, will discharge green to a yellow, which may be boiled off with soap.

280. To Alum Silks.—Silk should be alumed cold, for when it is alumed hot, it is deprived of a great part of its lustre. The alum liquor should always be strong for silks, as they take the dye more readily afterwards.

281. Various Dyes.—The following are the articles employed for the colors most in use, the proportions depending upon the depth or the shade required.

Lilac and Purple.—Boil archil in water; or, boil logwood in water; and, when cold, dip the article to be dyed into it, having previously passed it through a weak solution of alum in water. From logwood also may be obtained different shades of Violet.

Effective Lilac dyes may be produced from the berries of the Portugal laurel; and from the black currant, after the juice has been expressed.

Red is obtained from madder, and Brazil wood; the article being first dipped in weak alum and water, then in the dye, and lastly in a decoction of archil and water, to give it a bloom.

Rose, Flesh-color, Poppy, and Cherry-red, are obtained from a decoction of carthamus in water, with a little soda and lemon juice. For a poppy-color, the article should first be dipped in a weak solution of arnatto in water; and for a pale carnation, a little soap should be added to the carthamus.

Pink Bloom.—Archil is employed to give a bloom to pinks, whites, &c., as for silk stockings; for which purpose, also, pink saucers are used.

Scarlet is obtained from cochineal; but, for cotton and wool, the color derived from it is little superior to that given by madder.

Nankeen is obtained from Spanish arnatto dissolved in hot water, with a small portion of pearlash in it.

Blue is prepared from indigo; but, as this dye is not easily made, it will be better to purchase a bottle of "Blue Dye."

Yellow may be obtained from the juice of the tops of potato-flowers, fustic chips, weld or dyers' weed, turmeric, and Dutch pink.

Green consists of blue and yellow dyes, mixed.

Orange is extracted from carthamus. Cinnamon from logwood, Brazil wood, and fustic, mixed; or from a strong decoction made from the green tops and flowers of the common heath.

Black is formed by logwood and green copperas boiled in water; the color being improved by first boiling the article with galls, or alder-bark, in water; or by first dyeing it with walnut-peels.

Gray is produced by diluting black dye.

Brown is obtained from walnut-peels, or the bark of birch.

Olives are made from blue, red, and brown.

The pericarp of the Scotch rose contains a fine purple juice which, diluted with water, dyes silk and muslin Peach-color; the addition of alum will make it a deep Violet dye.

In all cases, except otherwise specified, the article to be dyed should be first steeped in a weak solution of alum in water.

282. To dye the Linings of Curtains, Furniture Covers, &c.—Wash the articles clean, and, having prepared the dye according to either of the previous recipes, dip them, rinse them in pump water, then in water-starch; dry them quickly, and mangle or calender them.

283. To dye Silk Stockings.—Wash and boil the stockings, if requisite, in soap and water, and rinse them in clear hot water. Put three table-spoonfuls of archil into a wash-hand basin of hot water, in which soak the stockings until they become of a lilac shade, when rinse them lightly in cold water. Dry them in fumes of brimstone, and when they are bleached to the required flesh-color, rub the right side with clean flannel or glass, and iron them. If the pink saucer-color be used instead of archil, the stockings will not require bleaching with brimstone.

For Black Stockings.—Having dyed them, finish them on wooden legs, by rubbing them with flannel moistened with olive oil. Rub each pair half an hour.

284. To dye Gloves to look like York Tan.—Put some saffron into one pint of soft water boiling hot, and let it infuse all night; next morning wet the leather with a brush. The tops should be sewn close to prevent the color from getting in.

To dye White Gloves a beautiful Purple.—Boil 4 ozs. of logwood and 2 ozs. of roche-alum in 3 pints of soft water till half-wasted. Let it stand to be cold after straining. Let the gloves be nicely mended; then do them over with a brush, and when dry repeat it. Twice is sufficient, unless the color is to be very dark. When dry, rub off the loose dye with a coarse cloth. Beat up the white of an egg, and with a sponge rub it over the leather. The dye will stain the hands, but wetting them with vinegar before they are washed will take it off.

285. To dye Straw and Chip Bonnets Black.—Boil them in strong logwood liquor three or four hours, occasionally adding green copperas, and taking the bonnets out to cool in the air, and this must be continued for some hours. Let the bonnets remain in the liquor all night, and the next morning take them out, dry them in the air, and brush them with a soft brush. Lastly, rub them inside and out with a sponge moistened with oil, and then send them to be blocked.

286. To make Nankeen Dye.—Boil equal parts of arnatto and common potash in water, till the whole are dissolved. This will produce the pale reddish buff so much in use, and sold under the name of Nankeen Dye.

287. To dye Cotton a fine Buff Color.—Let the twist or yarn be boiled in pure water, to cleanse it; then wring it, run it through a dilute solution of iron in the vegetable acid, which printers call iron liquor; wring, and run it through lime-water, to raise it; wring it again, and run it through a solution of starch and water; then wring it once more, and dry, wind, warp, and weave it for use.

288. To dye Worsted or Woollen Black.—Put in half a gallon of water a piece of bi-chromate of potash, the size of a horse-bean. Boil the articles in this seven or eight minutes. Take them out and wash them. Then in another half-gallon of water put in one table-spoonful and a half of ground logwood; boil the articles in this the same length of time as before. Then wash them in cold water.

289. To dye Hair and Feathers Green.—Take of verdigris or verditer 1 oz., gum water, 1 pint; mix them well, and dip the hair or feathers into the mixture, shaking them well about.

290. Waterproof Clothing.—First make the cloak, coat, or trowsers of linen; then soak them well for a day or two in boiled oil; then hang them up in a dry place till perfectly dry, without wringing the oil out; then paint them, without turpentine or dryers being in the paint, black, or any other color you like, and lay the paint on thinly, and let it dry. (This is the method practised by seamen.)

Waterproof Clothing.—Make the garment of strong unbleached calico; hang it up in a dry place, and, with a brush, give it two coats of boiled linseed oil. Buy the oil ready-boiled; a pint will be sufficient for a cape or pair of overalls. Canvas may be prepared in the same way for rick-cloths, or other roofing purposes.

Another way.—Get some weak size, such as is used by paper-makers; make it hot, and stir a small lump of alum, and a small quantity of soap lather into it. Then with a brush apply it to the garment equally all over, as recommended above with the oil. If the garment be of good cloth, the size may be laid on inside.

291. Chinese Method of rendering Cloth Waterproof.—To one ounce of white wax, melted, add one quart of spirits of turpentine, which, when thoroughly mixed and cold, dip the cloth in and hang it up to dry. By this cheap and easy method, muslin, as well as the strongest cloths, will be rendered impenetrable to the hardest rains, without the pores being filled up, or any injury done, when the cloth is colored.

292. To preserve Furs and Woollens from Moths.—Let the former be occasionally combed while in use, and the latter be brushed and shaken. When not wanted, dry them first, let them be cool; then mix among them bitter apples from the apothecary's in small muslin bags, sew the articles in several folds of linen, carefully turned in at the edges, and keep them from damp.

Or, lay amongst them the cuttings of Russia leather.

293. Or—Leaves from the tobacco plant are very effectual in keeping off moths. Lay them between the folds of the blankets, carpets, &c. Air furs, occasionally.

294. To prevent Moths.—In the month of April beat your fur garments well with a small cane or elastic stick, then lap them up in linen without pressing the fur too hard, and put between the folds some camphor in small lumps; then put your furs in this state in boxes well closed.

When the furs are wanted for use, beat them well as before, and expose them for twenty-four hours to the air, which will take away the smell of the camphor.

295. Easy Method of preventing Moths in Furs or Woollens.—Sprinkle the furs or woollen stuffs, as well as the drawers or boxes in which they are kept, with spirits of turpentine; the unpleasant scent of which will speedily evaporate, on exposure of the stuffs to the air. Some persons place sheets of paper, moistened with spirits of turpentine, over, under, or between pieces of cloth, &c., and find it a very effectual method.

296. To preserve Furs, Woollens, &c.—many woollen-drapers put bits of camphor, the size of a nutmeg, in papers, on different parts of the shelves in their shops; and as they brush their cloths every two, three, or four months, this keeps them free from moths; and this should be done in boxes where furs, &c., are put. A tallow candle is frequently put within each muff when laid by.

297. To keep Moths, Beetles, etc., from Clothes.—Put a piece of camphor in a linen bag, or some aromatic herbs, in the drawers, among linen or woollen clothes, and neither moth nor worm will come near them.

298. A celebrated Blacking Cake for Boots and Shoes.—Take one part of gum tragacanth, four parts of river water, two parts of neat's-foot, or some other softening, lubricating oil, two parts of superfine ivory-black, one part of Prussian blue in fine powder, or indigo, four parts of brown sugar-candy; boil the mixture; and when the composition is of a proper consistence, let it be formed into cakes of such a size that each cake may make a pint of liquid blacking.

299. Good Blacking for Boots and Shoes.—Take of ivory black, one pound; lamp-black, half an ounce; treacle, one pound; sweet oil, one ounce and a half; coarse gum Arabic, half an ounce; green copperas, three-quarters of an ounce; and stale vinegar, three pints and a half. Mix all well together, having first dissolved the gum in a little water; then add gradually, briskly stirring the mixture, half an ounce of oil of vitriol; let it stand two days, occasionally stirring it, and it will be fit for use.

Or, two ounces of ivory-black, one tea-spoonful of oil of vitriol, a table-spoonful of sweet-oil, and two ounces of sugar-candy, to be mixed with half a pint of vinegar.

300. Liquid Blacking.—Ivory-black, quarter of a pound; treacle, half a pound, well mixed; to which add sweet oil, one pennyworth, and small beer three pints; add after, oil of vitriol, one pennyworth, which will cause it to boil. Fit for use in three days.

301. French Polish for Boots and Shoes.—Logwood chips, half a pound; glue, quarter of a pound; indigo, pounded very fine, quarter of an ounce; soft soap, quarter of an ounce; isinglass, quarter of an ounce; boil these ingredients in two pints of vinegar and one of water, during ten minutes after ebullition, then strain the liquid. When cold it is fit for use. To apply the French polish, the dirt must be washed from the boots and shoes; when these are quite dry, the liquid polish is put on with a bit of sponge.

302. To clean White Satin Shoes.—Rub them lengthways of the satin, with a piece of new white flannel dipped in spirits of wine. If slightly soiled, you may clean them by rubbing with stale bread.

White satin shoes should be kept in blue paper closely wrapped, with coarse brown paper outside.

To keep your thin, light slippers in shape, when you put them away, fold them ever lengthways or sideways, and tie the strings round them. You should have a covered box purposely for your shoes.

303. To clean Boot-tops Brown.—Mix, in the same quantity of water, one ounce of oxalic acid, half an ounce of muriatic acid, a small vial of spirits of lavender, and two tea-spoonfuls of salt of lemon. Each bottle should be carefully labeled and marked "Poison."

304. Directions for using the Liquid.—For the white tops: to be scrubbed well with a clean hard brush, then sponged well with cold water, all one way; and allowed to dry gradually in the sun, or by the fire.

Brown tops are not to be scrubbed with a brush, but sponged all over with the mixture, till all stains be removed; then sponged well with cold water, and rubbed with flannel till they be highly polished.

305. Shoes.—When about being measured for shoes, place the foot firmly on the ground, as the foot is larger in a standing than in a sitting posture.

306. Shoes.—One hint about shoes—a most essential and expensive article of family wear. However worn and full of holes the soles may be, if the upper leathers are whole, or soundly mended, and the stitching firm, the soles may be covered with the newly adopted article gutta percha, and at a very small expense the shoes will be rendered as good as new. We have seen shoes which even the eldest daughter of the Smith family despised as not worth carrying home, made quite sound and respectable in appearance, and to serve many months in constant wear, by being thus soled at the cost of only a few pence. Thin shoes that have been worn only in-doors, and which are laid aside on account of the tops becoming shabby, perhaps worn out, while the sewing is sound, may be made very tidy by covering with woollen cloth, or with a bit of thick knitting, or platted list, stitched on as close as possible to the regular seam.

307. To prevent Snow-water from penetrating Boots and Shoes.—Take equal quantities of bees'-wax and mutton-suet, and melt them in an earthen pipkin over a slow fire. Lay the mixture, while hot, over the boots and shoes, which ought also to be made warm. Let them stand before the fire a short time, and set them aside till they are cold; then rub them with dry woollen stuff, so that you may not grease the blacking-brushes. If you black the shoes before the mixture be put on, they will afterwards take the blacking much better.

Or, boil together for half an hour, a quart of linseed oil, two ounces of resin, and half an ounce of white vitriol, and incorporate with them a quarter of a pint of spirit of turpentine, and two ounces of well-dried oak sawdust. Lay the mixture on the soles of the boots.

308. Water-proof Boots.—A pint of boiled linseed oil, half a pound of mutton suet, six ounces of clean bees'-wax, and four ounces of resin, are to be melted and well mixed over a fire. Of this, while warm, but not hot enough to shrink the leather, with a brush lay on plentifully over new boots or shoes, when quite dry and clean. The leather remains pliant. The New England fishermen preserve their boots water-tight by this method, which, it is said, has been in use among them above one hundred years. They can thus stand in water hour after hour without inconvenience.

309. Water-proof Boots.—I have had three pairs of boots for the last six years (no shoes), and I think I shall not require any more for the next six years to come. The reason is, that I treat them in the following manner: I put a pound of tallow and half a pound of rosin in a pot on the fire; when melted and mixed, I warm the boots and apply the hot stuff with a painter's brush, until neither the sole or the upper-leather will suck in any more. If it is desired that the boots should immediately take a polish, melt an ounce of wax with a tea-spoonful of lamp-black. A day after the boots have been treated with tallow and rosin, rub over them this wax in turpentine, but not before the fire. The exterior will then have a coat of wax alone, and will shine like a mirror. Tallow, or any other grease, becomes rancid, and rots the stitching as well as the leather; but the rosin gives it an antiseptic quality, which preserves the whole. Boots and shoes should be so large as to admit of wearing cork soles.—Correspondent of Mechanics' Magazine.

310. To make Cloth or Outer Clothing of any description Water-proof.—Take a quarter of an ounce of yellow or Castile soap, and one gallon of rain water; boil for twenty minutes; skim, and when cold, put in the cloth or garment; let it remain soaking twenty-four hours; take it out, and hang to drain; when half-dry, put it into the following solution:—Alum, half a pound; sugar of lead, quarter of a pound; dissolved in four gallons of rain water. Let the cloth be thoroughly soaked, and then hang to dry. This process entirely destroys the capillary attraction in the fibres and threads of the cloth, and the rain or wet pours off the surface without lodging or penetrating through the cloth. The solution has no effect in altering the texture or appearance of the cloth or article immersed. Great care must be taken as regards the sugar of lead, not to leave it where children or any persons ignorant of its qualities can get access to it, as it is a powerful poison.

311. To make an Oil-skin Coat or Wrapper.—If a stout coat or wrapper is wanted, let the material be strong unbleached or brown calico. If a light one is preferred, make use of brown holland. Soak it (when made) in hot water, and hang to dry; then boil ten ounces of India-rubber in one quart of raw linseed oil, until dissolved; (this will require about three hours' boiling,) when cold, mix with the oil so prepared about half a pint of paint of any color which may be preferred, and of the same consistency as that used for painting wood. With a paint-brush lay a thin coat over the outside of the wrapper, brushing it well into the seams. Hang it to dry in a current of air, but sheltered from a powerful sun. When thoroughly dry, give it another coat; dry as before, and then give a third and last coat. The wrapper, when well dried, will be ready for use.

312. To make Gutta Percha Soles.—The gutta percha possesses properties which render it invaluable for winter shoes. It is, compared with leather, a slow conductor of heat; the effect of this is, that the warmth of the feet is retained, however cold the surface may be on which the person stands, and that clammy dampness, so objectionable in the wear of India rubber shoes, is entirely prevented. On first using gutta percha shoes, the wearer is forcibly struck with the superior warmth and comfort which is produced by this non-conducting property; and I confidently predict, that all those who try gutta percha, will be steady consumers.

We shall now give the method of fixing the gutta percha soles. Make the sole of the boot perfectly clean and dry, scratch it with an awl or a fork until it becomes rough, warm it before the fire, and spread over it with a hot iron or poker some of the "solution" sold for this purpose, or in the absence of this, place some of the thin parings of the gutta percha on the sole, holding it to the fire, and spreading it as before. When this has been repeated two or three times, and all is well covered, warm the gutta percha sole, and the sole of the boot at the same time, until both become soft and sticky, place the sole on the boot, and press it down carefully, beginning at the toe, so as to press out the air and make it adhere closely; nothing more remains to be done, than as soon as it becomes hard to pare the edges with a sharp knife, and trim off as may be necessary. All the parings and old pieces should be saved, as gutta percha is not injured by use, and may be sold to the manufacturer in order to be restored and made up again.

313. Fly Water.—Most of the fly-waters, and other preparations commonly sold for the destruction of flies, are variously disguised poisons, dangerous and even fatal to the human species: such as solutions of mercury, arsenic, &c., mixed with honey or syrup. The following preparation, however, without endangering the lives of children, or other incautious persons, is not less fatal to flies than even a solution of arsenic. Dissolve two drachms of the extract of quassia in half a pint of boiling water; and adding a little sugar or syrup, pour the mixture on plates. To this enticing food the flies are extremely partial, and it never fails to destroy them.

A strong infusion of green tea, sweetened, is as effectual in poisoning flies, as the solution of arsenic generally sold for that purpose.

314. To destroy Flies.—Ground black pepper and moist sugar, intimately mixed in equal quantities, and diluted with milk, placed in saucers, adding fresh milk, and stirring the mixture as often as necessary, succeeds admirably in occasioning their death.

315. Another way to destroy Flies.—Pour a little simple oxymel (an article sold by druggists) into a common tumbler glass, and place in the glass a piece of cap paper, made into the shape of the upper part of a funnel, with a hole at the bottom to admit the flies. Attracted by the smell, they readily enter the trap in swarms, and by the thousands soon collected prove that they have not the wit or the disposition to return.

316. To remove Flies.—Flies and other insects may be kept from attacking meat, by dusting it over with pepper, powdered ginger, or any other spice, or by skewering a piece of paper to it on which a drop of creosote has been poured. The spices may be readily washed off with water before dressing the meat.

317. To keep off Flies.—Place camphor on or near what you wish to protect from them.

318. Wasps and Flies.—These insects may be killed immediately by dipping a feather in a little sweet oil, and touching their backs with it. When intent on fruit this can easily be done. Insects of different kinds are readily killed by oil; it closes up the lateral pores by which they breathe.

319. To destroy Ants and Wasps.—Ants are destroyed by opening the nest and putting in quick-lime, and throwing water on it.

Wasps may be destroyed in the same way; only it will be requisite that the person who does it should be covered with muslin, or something over the face, hands, &c., so that the wasps shall not be able to sting them.

320. To destroy Ants.—Ants that frequent houses or gardens may be destroyed by taking flour of brimstone, half a pound, and potash, four ounces: set them in an iron or earthen pan over the fire till dissolved and united; afterwards beat them to a powder, and infuse a little of this powder in water; and wherever you sprinkle it the ants will die, or fly the place.

321. Another Method.—Corrosive sublimate, mixed well with sugar, has proved a mortal poison to them, and is the most effectual way of destroying these insects.

322. To destroy Cockroaches, &c.—Stir a small quantity of arsenic with some bread-crumbs, which lay near the insects' haunts; meantime, be careful to keep dogs and cats out of the way. Poisoned wafers are also made for killing cockroaches: a trap is made with a glass well, for the same purpose; but a more simple contrivance is to half-fill a glazed basin, or pie-dish, with sweetened beer or linseed oil, and set in places frequented by cockroaches. They will attack the red wax of sealed bottles, but will not touch black wax.

323. To destroy Crickets.—To destroy crickets at night, set dishes or saucers filled with the grounds of beer or tea, on the kitchen-floor, and, in the morning, the crickets will be found dead from excess of drinking.

324. To drive away Fleas.—Sprinkle about the bed a few drops of oil of lavender, and the fleas will soon disappear.

Fumigation with brimstone, or fresh leaves of penny-royal sewed in a bag, and laid in the bed, will have the desired effect.

325. Liquor for destroying Caterpillars, Ants, and other Insects.—Take a pound and three-quarters of soap, the same quantity of flower of sulphur, two pounds of champignons, or puff-balls, and fifteen gallons of water. When the whole has been well mixed, by the aid of a gentle heat, sprinkle the insects with the liquor, and it will instantly kill them.

326. To destroy Rats.—Cut a number of corks or a piece of sponge as thin as sixpences; stew them in grease, and place them in the way of the rats. They will greedily devour this delicacy, and will die of indigestion.

327. To kill Rats, another way.—There are two objections to the common mode of killing rats, by laying poison for them; first, the danger to which it exposes other animals and even human beings; second, the possibility that the rats may cause an intolerable stench, by dying in their holes. The following method is free from these objections, and has proved effectual in clearing houses infested with these vermin.

Oil of amber and ox-gall in equal parts, add to them oatmeal or flour sufficient to form a paste, which divide into little balls and lay them in the middle of a room which rats are supposed or known to visit. Surround the balls with a number of vessels filled with water. The smell of the oil will be sure to attract the rats, they will greedily devour the balls, and becoming intolerably thirsty, will drink till they die on the spot.

328. To expel Rats.—Catch one in a trap; muzzle it, with the assistance of a fellow-servant, and slightly singe some of the hair; then smear the part with turpentine, and set the animal loose; if again caught, leave it still at liberty, as the other rats will shun the place which it inhabits. It is said to be a fact that a toad placed in a cellar will free it from rats.

Rats may be expelled from cellars and granaries simply by scattering a few stalks and leaves of mullen in their paths. There is something very annoying in this plant to the rat. It affords, therefore, a very easy method of getting rid of a most perplexing evil, and much more economical and less troublesome than gunpowder, "rat exterminator," cats, or traps.

329. To destroy Fleas and other Vermin on Animals.—To destroy them on dogs, rub the animal, when out of the house, with the common Scotch snuff, except the nose and eyes. Rub the powder well into the roots of the hair. Clear lime-water destroys the flea-worm without injuring the skin or hair.

Oil of turpentine, when applied to animals, which were covered with insects, destroyed the insects, without hurting the animal.

330. To destroy Bugs.—Mix half a pint of spirits of turpentine and half a pint of best rectified spirits of wine, in a strong bottle, and add in small pieces about half an ounce of camphor, which will dissolve in a few minutes. Shake the mixture well together; and, with a sponge or brush dipped in it, well wet the bed and furniture where the vermin breed. This will infallibly destroy both them and their nits, though they swarm. The dust, however, should be well brushed from the bedstead and furniture, to prevent, from such carelessness, any stain. If that precaution is attended to, there will be no danger of soiling the richest silk or damask. On touching a live bug with only the tip of a pin put into the mixture, the insect will be instantly deprived of existence, and should any bugs happen to appear after using the mixture, it will only be from not wetting the linen, &c., of the bed, the foldings and linings of the curtains near the rings or the joints, or holes in and about the bed or head-board, in which places the vermin nestle and breed; so that those parts being well wetted with more of the mixture, which dries as fast as it is used, and pouring it into the joints and holes, where the sponge and brush cannot reach, it will never fail totally to destroy them. The smell of this mixture, though powerful, is extremely wholesome, and to many persons very agreeable. It exhales, however, in two or three days. Only one caution is necessary; but that is important. The mixture must be well shaken when used; but never applied by candle light, lest the spirits, being attracted by the flare of the candle, might cause a conflagration.

331. Kitchen Cloths.—The four kinds of cloths requisite for the kitchen, are knife-cloths, dusters, tea and glass-cloths. Knife-cloths should be made of coarse sheeting. Dusters are generally made of mixed cotton and linen. The best material for tea and glass-cloths, is a sheet which has begun to wear thin.

Besides the above cloths, are knife-tray-cloths, house-cloths for cleaning, pudding and cheese-cloths, and towels.

332. Clothes' Posts soon decay at the bottom, if left standing in the ground; but, if fitted into sockets so as to be removable, they will last for years. The sockets should be made of one-inch elm, eighteen inches in length, tapering downwards. When finished, they ought to be about three inches square inside, at the upper end. They are to be driven firmly into the earth till just level with the surface. The posts are then made to drop in and stand firm, and can be taken out, and put under shelter when not in use. A cover should be fitted to each socket, to keep litter from falling in when the post is removed. A drying-ground should not be too much exposed to the wind, as the violent flapping tears the corners of table-cloths, sheets, &c., and overblown linen feels flabby after mangling.

333. Out-houses and Cellars.—If these have not been recently cleansed, have them thoroughly cleaned out and white-washed. A dirty cellar is an abomination, and the fruitful source of many diseases. Let all your out-buildings have a thorough overhauling and repairing.

334. To purify Houses.—An able chemist recommends a mixture of one pound of chloride of lime in ten gallons of water. Throw a quart of this daily down the sink or water-closet. It will not cost five cents a week.

One of the best and most pleasant disinfectants is coffee. Pound well-dried raw coffee-beans in a mortar, and strew the powder over a moderately heated iron plate. The simple traversing of the house with a roaster containing freshly roasted coffee will clear it of offensive smells.