Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 June 1877 — USEFUL AND SUGGESTIVE. [ARTICLE]

USEFUL AND SUGGESTIVE.

To mu liquid glue which will be always ready for use, melt the glue as usual, and add a few dropn of nitric acid. Put into a bottle and keep corked; it is very handy. Do rot pot flowers into straight rows anywhere! Do qot crowd your flowers, and especially not crowd a large number in the front yard. A very few and very choice is the best taate.-r-Xcwa- SUM Register. Varnishing. —Before any article is varnished, it should be thoroughly cleansed from all grease spots with plenty of not water, soap and soda, which must bf. well washed off. It is also essential that the article to be operated upon should be perfectly dry. • TrvjSweeping Carpets. Tea leaves, moistened, are often used for sweeping and cleansing carpets; but bits of newspaper, nicely wetted and thrown over the floor, are equally effective, and generally more easily to be had when desired. They keep down dust and are cleansing. The Lewiston (Me.) Journal says: In sowing dower seeds great difficulty is often experienced in getting them to come up well, especially is this i the case if it continues dry after they are sown. The seeds are so small that they must not be covered deeply, and if the weather is dry the surface soil quickly dries and the seeds fail to germinate. The difficulty may be easily remedied by spreading newspapers over the beds as soon as the seeds are sown, and allowing them to remain till the young plants begin to break through the ground. The paper keeps the ground moist and warm, by preventing the evaporation of moisture, and the plants come up much sooner than they would in the mostfavorable weather when uncovered. Seeds sown in freshly-spaded earth and covered in this manner will readily germinate in the driest weather. Strawberry Jam Allow three-fourths of a pound of sugar to each pound of fruit. Braise the berries slightly, and put them into a preserving kettle to cook. Stir frequently to prevent burning and let boil for half an hour. Add the sugar and boil for twenty minutes or half an hour. Skim thoroughly and put, while boiling hot, into jars—self-sealing, if you have them, or if not, put branched papers on the top of the jam; dip soft paper into the white of egg, and with it cover the tops of the jars, pressing It down thoroughly, so that the air cturnot penetrate. If the jars are glass, set them in a cool, dark place, or wrap two or three thicknesses of paper around them to exclude the light, as the action of it affects fruit, especially strawberries, causing them to ferment and lose color. The addition of a little red-currant juice to the jam improves the flavor. Roil it with the berries before addiag the su gar.—Exchange.