Democratic Sentinel, Volume 6, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 June 1882 — USEFUL HINTS. [ARTICLE]

USEFUL HINTS.

Starch paste, a little thicker than for clothes, is the best for fastening paper loosened from the walls. When vou begin cleaning house take the upper rooms first. Take things easy—a room a day. The work will last longer, to be sure, and so will you. In frying cakes when yott take them out of the fat lay them on a Clean piece of coarse brown paper. The paper will absorb much of the lard. To Hang Brooms.- —A large picturering screwed into the top of the handle, is the nicest thing made by which to hang up a broom. A strong screw with a small head should be place! in the wall at a proper height to receive iU • To Remove Stains. —A little saleratus rubbed on, with the finger or a bit of linen, will remove stains from cups and other articles of table ware. It will also remove spots from marbleized oilcloths, and many stains-from tinware. ■For pin-cushions in daily use the heip-stitched and fringed doyleys of momie cloth, either white or gray, embroidered in outline stitch in English silks are used; the designs are usually humorous, and, if original, so much the better. The desirability of such covers lies, of course, in the fact that they can often be washed. Have You a Scrap-Book?—Every farmer should keep a book in which to paste agricultural scraps. Every one in reading a paper will see a number of things he will wish to remember, lie will perhaps see suggestions of value which he will desire to test, or hints which he will desire to be governed by in future operations, and yet, after reading the paper he will throw it down and probably never see it again. In such a case all the valuable articles will be lost. To prevent such a loss, every reader should clip from the papers such articles as he desires to preserve and remember, aud paste them in a scrap-book. Such a book at t|je end of a year or two will be very interesting and valuable. Counterpane and Shams in (>razy Stitch. —To work in “ Crazy stitch” tne stitches must be an inch in length and of different colors, no two stitches of the same shade being allowed to touch. Use as many needles as you have colors, do not fasten your stitches, but leave halfinch ends to each thread on the under side where they must be touched with thick gum to secure them. It is not absolutely necessary that your pillow covers and sheet overlay should be made of new material. The corners of linen sheets, that have become worn in the middle, will last a very long time, as they do not need frequent washing. If you like colors on your bed you can make a border of colored stripes edged with lace and put in around the center of linen, taking off the border when the center is washed. Cleaning Black Silk.—The Parisian method of cleaning black silk is a great improvement over any other known. It is as follows : The silk must be thoroughly brushed and wiped with a cloth, then laid flat on a board or table, and well sponged with hot coffee, thoroughly freed from sediments by being strained through muslin. The silk is sponged on the side intended to show; it is allowed to become partially dry, aud then ironed on the wrong side. The coffee removes every particle of grease, and restores the brilliancy of silk without imparting to it either the shiny appearance or crackly or paper stiffness obtained by beer, or indeed any other The silk really appears thickened by the process, ana Inin gooff effect is permanent. Our readers who will experiment on an apron or a cravat will never again try any other method.