Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

HOU SEHOLD ECONOMY. Keeping Ii a ms. —.»ir. A. (iriilith, of Greenville, Ala., informs us that ho keeps iiis hams from the fly in the fol lowing manner : The hams arc supported on two slats,-bo ing laid thereon flesh-side up. r i he upper or flesh side is then co\ ered thickly with pea meal, made from the , >m mon corn-field pea. It forms a sort of crust in a little time, and is a perfect protection from the fiv. V. T e trust ours to the protection of a perfectly dark house, in which tiic) are suspended by hooks from the cell wig. to k< op them secure from rats, and the flesh side is coated with Col. \\ ilkerson’s preparation of syrup, made thick with black pepper. Sieaks ;* ni. 11 PitKSERi iNGSolutiox.—W hen a sample bottle of bpear’s bruit Preserving Solution was sent us last autumn, there were, in regard to it, two points on which we wished to be satisfied, viz : whether it would preserve the fruit as claimed, and if so, whether its pre serving properties, if they existed, might not be owing to some ingredient detrimental to health. \\ e have tested the matter in our household, and are now ready to say that the solution will preserve h ut;,- per fectly, when used as directed, either with or without su gar, and that simply corking the jars, without sealing, is no that is necessary. It is equally useful in keeping v. ine and eider. Being also fully ponied as to its composition, we can state that it is quite tree trom objection on the score of healthlulncss. V* r e therefore autfise its use by all who intend to put up fruits this season. Its introduc tion will enable us to preserve and market thousands of bushels of perishable fruit now wasted, consumed by hogs or distilled. Pin ixo Clothes.— By observing the treatment which clothes receive after they have been washed and are ready to be rinsed, we are led to affirm that while few under stand the best method of making clothes clean, fewer st,ii! know how to rinse and dry them properlv. Abundance of water should be used, and the clothes moved about in it lieel), and lifted up and down, so that water may reach alike all portions of a garment, it is better to have the rinsing water warm, especially where a clothes wringer is not used, as warm water softens the fabric and makes it more pliable. If clothes have not been well washed, do not try to con ceal the tact under a cover of indigo. Half washed clothes, , mu< -' ll biued > have an intolerable look of falshood about t.iem ; we would rather see them hung up to tell their own * l ? x \y nf uncleanliness. If the weather is favorable, clothes Mill bleach in the process of diving. Pays when wc have sunshine vvpon snow, the light is most intense, and there fore clothes bleach the best on such days. Every woman accustomed to observe these things, knows that she need not expect clothes to look well, ifdiied in a strong wind ; it it is convenient to do so, leave them lvin rr in tb<» water until the air is quiet. If at any time it i'sfound necessary to hang them up when the wind is blowing, let them be taken from the line as soon as dry Nothing wears clothes more than the whipping and snapping they get on a windy day ; yet it is not uncommon to see clothes chafing away at the line and tearing away at the pins, after all the moisture has been taken away in exchange for loreign particles which the wind has brought, perhaps, trom some distant sand bank. Linen wristbands sunei particularly, and the housekeeper may expect to re place them oiten who leaves the si arts to be streamed hor izontal to the earth s surface, and fretted by a gab*.— Western Rural. SOUTH KRN C U LT f\ ’ AT< ML HINTS ON THIS VAT|O\ OF THIS PIANO FOBTB. The Now York Home Journal has the following valua ble hints on this subject.; ll.e piano should be closed when not in use, in order to prevent the collection of dust, pins, Ac., on the hoard, ■md also to prevent the strings and “action” from all the etieets of sudden changes of temperature. Nothing in jures a piano so much as extreme heat, whether arising h'otn a bright fire m front of it, or what is worse, the hot air from the furnaces in such general use; few pianos can resist the injurious action of the latter. Cure should bo taken to prevent any kind from getting be tween the Keys, particularly when cleaning them, as it will cause them to stick. Moths are very destructive to pian os, aid should be kept out of them by placing a lump of camphor, wrapped in a paper to prevent evaporation, in hue inside corner. Any hard substance placed on a piano, will cause a jarring noise, and if the top partis unprotec ted by a cloth cover, that also will often rattle. Young pianists would injure the piano less, if they would refrain from striking the keys with sueh force; a light touch, with a judicious use of the loud pedal, will yield a far better and equally as full atone, as if they exerted all the force at their command. Were this fact more generally attended to, fewer strings would he broken, one cause of the piano not, remaining in tune would be removed, and less injury would result to the “action'’ of the piano. These various annoyances are often attributed to inferior tuning or de tective make, when neither are the cause. t lew are aware ot the benefit to be derived from having their piano regularly tuned and kept in order; every new piano should be tuned at least once a month, and none should hi allowed to remain untuned over throe. When a piano is half a note below “concert pitch,” and it is re quired to be drawn up, it should be tuned twice; the sec ond tuning about a month after the first, or it will not stand well in tune. Always employ the same tuner, un ie.--j of course, he prove glaringly incompetent; but should his first .efforts fail to give satisfaction, give him another trial, as he may noi be in fault. As each music store has one or more tuners, it would save annoyance, if, when the order is left; the name of the person required be mention* cd ; and if the order is left two or three days before the tuner is actually wanted, it would insure more prompt at tention. Many act, in this respect, as if there were half a dozen tuners eagerly awaiting the first order that came; where as a good tuner always has as many ord< rs as he can well attend to. Jt would be well to remember that the tuning of a piano consists only of tightening and relaxing tho strings to the requisite degree, and does not include the regulation of tho “action,” the replacing of strings, and— as, many actually suppose—a general renovation of the in strument. ———* -<> «-SRw— Pastry. —You can make pie crust or pastry tender and flaky in the following manner. To a quart of flour add a third of a pound of lard, a fourth of a pound of butter, and a teaspoonful of salt. Mix lightly with a spoon—don’t think of kneading it, for the more you work it the tougher it will be—then add enough cold water to moisten it.— Take out what you require for one pie, and sprinkle enough flour over it to roll it, line and fill your dish; then for the top repeat the above process spreading on a piece of butter as large as a hickory nut, then dust on flour, and fold the dough togethe r before rolling it. This recipe never fails to make excellent piecrust. The secret lies in not kneadinrpil. Pastry should be manipulated as little as possible. Cisterns.— A correspondent of the Country Oentleman writes to that paper on the way to have pure cisterns, as fol lows : This spring my eist< ingot quite fdthv, and a great many angleworms in it, and we could i-carcely u.-e the water. 1 procured a couple ol nw fish and put them in the eis ern, hiid since that time it has been free from worms, and dirt, and smell. The fish will live and grow finely. 121