Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 April 1887 — THE HOUSEHOLD. [ARTICLE]

THE HOUSEHOLD.

JHah ir<u hlng awl Xruralgta. One last ■word as to the heallhfulness of dish washing. Therein no finch certain cure for a poor circulation; the constant and varied exercise with hauds in hot water sending the blood to the extremities swiftly and freely, and neuralgia will fly before it. A young lady, who is an enthusiastie pianist, tells me her fingers are never so supple as on Monday morning when she has a pan of hot water brought into the sunny breakfast room and “takes Katie’s place washing up the breakfast things.” Do not be afraid of it, only let

your dish washing be done decently and in order.— Trebor Uhl, in Good Honttckeeping. --- , £ How to Select Meats—Culinary Datntiis. In selecting beef, choose that which has a loose grain, easily yielding to pressure, of a clear red, with whitish fat. If the lean is purplish and the fat yellow, it is poor beef. Beef long kept tarns a darker color than fresh-killed. Stall-fed beef has a lighter color than grass-fed. Ox beef is the best, and next, that of a heifer. In cold weather it is economical to bay a a hind quarter; have it cat up, and what is not wanted immediately pack with snow in a barrel. All meats grow tender by keeping. Do not let meats freeze: if they do. thaw them in cold water, and do not cook it nntil fully thawed. A piece weighing ten pounds requires ten or twelve hours to thaw. In selecting veal, take that which is firm nnd dry tho joints stiff, having the lean a delicate red, the kidney covered with fat, nnd the fat very white. If you buy the head, see that the eyes are plump and lively, and not dull and snnk in the head. It you buy the legs get those which are not skinned, as the skin is good for jelly or soup. In choosing mntton, take that which is bright red and close-grained, with firm and while fat. The ment should feel tender nnd springy on pressure. Notice the vein in the neck of the fore quarter,whichshould be a fine bine. In selecting pork, if young, the lean can bo easily broken when pinched, end the skin can be indented by nipping with the fingers. The fat also will be white and soft. Thin rind is best. In selecting hams, ran n knife along the bone, and if it comes out clean, the ham is good; but if it comes out smeared, it is spoiled. Good bacon has white fat, and the lean adheres closely to the bone. If the bacon has yellow streaks, it is rusty, and not fit to ase. In selecting poultry, choose those that are full grown, hut not old. When yoyig and fresh killed, the skin is thin and tender, the joints not very stiff, and the eyes full and bright. The breastbone shows the age, as it easily yields to pressure if young, and is lough when old. If yOung, you cau with a pin, easily tear the skin. A goose when old, has red and hairy legs; but when young they are yellow', and have few hairs. The pin feathers are the roots of feathers, which break off and remain in the 6kiu, and always indicate a young bird. W’hen very neatly dressed they are pulled out. In selecting fish, take those that are firm and thick, having stiff fins and bright scales, the gills bright red, and the eyes fall and prominent. When fish are long out of water they grow soft, the fins bend easily, the scales are dim, the gills grow dark, the eyes sink and shrink away. Be sure and have them dressed immediately, sprinkle them with salt, and use them if possible the same day. In warm weather put them in ice, or corning for the next day. Shell-fish can be decided upon only by the smell. Lobsters are not good unless alive, or else boiled before offered for sale. They are black when alive and red when boiled. When to be boiled they are put into boiling water, which is the quickest and least cruel way to end life. In hot weather, if there is no refrigerator, then wipe meats dry, sprinkle on a little salt and pepper, and hang in the cellar. Or, still better, wrap it, thus prepared in a dry cloth, and cover it with charcoal or ashes. Mutton wrapped iu a cloth wet with vinegar, and laid on the ground in a dry cellar, keeps well and improves its tenderness. Hang meat a day -or two after it is killed before corning it. Frozen meat must be thawed in cold water, and not cooked until entirely thawed.

Making Good fiounekeepers. Miss Bentley gave an exhibition of her garden pupils. The class consisted of twenty-four little girls, ranging in age from twelve to fifteen, and representing almost every European country. Their long, white pinafores, Anted muslin caps, and prim little ties gave them an appearance that was very refreshing. They entered the room in single file to a military march, carrying minialnre tables and boxes. In the latter were linen, cutlery and small table furniture. Brought to a halt, Miss Bentley put the little housewives through a catechism of domestic literature, from which the following quotations were canght: “How often should a room be 6wept?” “Thoroughly once a week,” answoretj a wee bit of a Swede, with a voice bigger than himself. “What kind of a broom is best for the corners nnd edges of a room?” “Whisk broom,” sang out a mnid with yellow pigtails, who seemed to be having "her throat sawed by the well-laundered tie under her chin. “Why is a dust rag better than a feather duster?” “Becnuso the feathers scatter the dust instead of gathering it,” and such queries of similar practicality. After this part of the program the girls took out their little table cloths, the piano struck np a series of popular tunes and the board was spread in a manner that was calculated to charni v aii epfeurian. Before the little beds were made the class had an oral recitation, one question being: “What three things are necessary for nice bed making?” The answer being: “Level mattress, smooth clothes,and square corners.” Then the mattresses were whipped into shape, the pillows knocked in form, nnd in an incredibly short time every bed was as flat as the nap on a fifteen-dol-lar ulster, and the children retired under a murmur of applause. On their return they carried trays, with which they went through a series of pretty maneuvers, the werds being suggested by the trip in “Patience.” Dishes were washed, and after the place was ‘Tidied up,” brooms were used for an exercise in calisthenics. It is needless to say that the exhibition was enthusiastically received. The little girls have been under the instruction of Miss Bentley for the last two years, the school session being held Saturdays only. Ab soon as her pupils have completed the prescribed coarse it is the teacher’s intention to provide each graduate with a position in some first-class family, where the intelligence of tho girl will be appreciated. A feature in the course is compulsory education, no pupil being allowed to take a diploma who is not able to read, write, and understand enough arithmetic for practical economy. —Chicago Tribune.