OCTOBER 20, 1905
11
The Commoner.
vrscd in lritchen chemistry, it might
,of be so bad; but-if is not safe, and
ifldom satisfactory, to alter recipes
j .jorantly, just because of "looks."
Pi'W cooks know the difference be
i '.eon pastry flour ana bread flour,
.ind it is of no use in many cases to
!-' one that pastry flour, having less
jj.iton than bread flour, will make
tho cake or pie crust shorter with a
qivcn amount of butter than the
broad flour will do! The majority of
women know little or nothing about
tho different kinds of flour, and fewer
null have any idea of accuracy in
measuring or weighing of ingredients,
or of methods of testing heat in cook
Pi v, or facilities for doing it.
A Word With Our Querists
I frequently receive letters from
omi readers asking for information
regarding special treatments for
something which is troubling them,
and many of them ask that, in case
I do not know anything, I use the
Query Box through which to bring
out the desired information. In sev
eral instances I have done this; but
have decided that it is an unwise
thins to do, from the fact that it is
an easy matter ror unprincipled
quacks and irresponsible venders of
"cure-all" nostrums to write letters
io me. commendatory of themselves
and their methods, signing names of
alleged beneficiaries (supposably
readers of The Commoner-) to these
letters, and thus getting the benefit
of the confidence one might give to a
disinterested friend. This matter
has been pointed' out to me in a way
that carries weight, and hereafter T
must not play into the hands of such
persons.
If I can give you some simple, tried
home treatment, approved ;by a re
sponsible physician, I shall be glad to
do so. A great many times, such
treatment will relieve or benefit
where the costlier physician's pre
scription may fail, and in any case,
it should do no harm. But the bet
ter way for you would be, in diseases
of a complicated or uncertain char
acter, not to depend on "correspond
ence" treatment, but take advice per
sonally of the best physician you
know; one who can, from personal ob
servation, diagnose your case more
correctly and prescribe suitable rem
edies. Meantime, I am always "keep
ing my eyes open" for means by
which I may be useful to you, and
I shall be glad to help you, in any
way I con, and you shall send your
Queries, in full confidence that I have
our interests at heart. It is best, at
all times, to depend more on hygienic
habits than upon drugs, but drugs
often have their place, though they
should be of the least harmful nature
and used very sparingly.
Query Box
Worried. A lemon, cut in halves
and dipped frequently in salt is an
excellent scourer for brass articles.
M. C. To remove the lime deposit
from the tea kettle, boil vinegar in
1he kettle; this will loosen the crust
ho it may be removed.
Anxious. Do not worry about the
jewelry. If your hosiery, shoes,
gloves ana neckwear are neat and
dean, the shabby gown will not be
B" noticeable.
Francis. For the hardened shoes,
Tub them well with castor oil before
i fire, and set aside for twelve hours
before using. The oiling may be' done
night, and the shoes ivill be ready
at
ioi wear in the morning.
(t. S. For the gummed machine,
oil every place with the best coal oil,
run the machine rapidly for a few
minutes, or until it rims easily, then
rii-an every part of it with a soft
cloth, give it a good oiling with the
best machine oil, and you will have
no further trouble. You must not
use poor oil on a sewing machine.
Irma. Marshmallow candy is so
called from a decoction of the marsh
mallow root formerly used in its prep
aration; but as this Imparts a pecu
liar, bitter taste to the candy, it is
not now used by most confectioners.
B. M. Onion juice is obtained by
peeling a" large, juicy onion, cutting
in pieces and squeezing hard in a
wooden lemon squeezer. A good
sized onion should give two table
spoonfuls of juice. Or, the onion may
be shredded and the juice pressed out
of the shreds.
Mysie. Spots of iron rust should
be wet with lemon juice, then covered
with table salt and laid out in the
sunshine. It is better to prevent the
spots by wrapping the hooks in your
wardiobe with cloth, or pieces of old
kid gloves.
Emma S.--The cold cream was evi
dently spoiled by having been kept
too long. Almond oil, whicji enters
largely into ' its make-up, becomes
rancid more quickly than any other
oil, and if only slightly rancid, it will
irritate a delicate skin. Rose water
is also an ingredient, and this sours
and becomes musty very quickly.
The cream should be fresh.
Laundry. To make rice water for
starching delicate fabrics, boil one
cupful of rice in three quarts of water
until the rice is tender; drain and
use Ug water the same as starch;
the rice may be used for the table.
Wet the fabric in the rice water,
wring or squeeze as dry as possible,
roll in a dry cloth for an hour or so,
and iron.
Housewife. Tjjere is no better
cleansing agent for the porcelain
fittings and nickel fixtures of the
bath room than coal oil. If allowed
to get very dirty, a slight scouring
soap should be used, but it is not ad
visable, as the daily use of coal oil
will leave no call for it. For the
sfains on the marble use pulverized
rotten-stone, or a weak solution of
oxalic acid, such as is used by marble
cutters.
Disgusted. One of the most effect
ual remedies for vermin in the, hair
is cocculus indicus. It is poisonous
to small insects and fishes, but not
to the higher order of animals. Have
the druggist fill a pint bottle half full
of the berries and then fill up with
whisky. Moisten the scalp thorough
ly at night, and in the morning wash
the hair in tepid water. This will
kill both lice and nits; it will not
harm the hair, and two or three ap
plications are enough. One can not
help getting such tilings at school,
sometimes; but to keep them gra
cious! D. A. W. There is but one kind of
cream tartar, unless the pure article
is adulterated then there are two.
The soda used in cookery is the bi
carbonate. Tariar is a deposit formed
on the sides of casks from wine, and
when white is called cream tartar.
Emory. For the invalid with "cold
feet, take three thicknesses of heavy
unbleached cotton and make into a
liberal sized bag; stitch twice around
the edces. and this will hold any kind
of salt without sifting. A covering
to slip over may be made of any
bright cloth. Fill the bog with salt,
sWoh up the opening, heat the bag
whout scorching and apply to the
cold feet, or wherever neeueu anout
the body.
Old-fashioned lyo hominy may bo
made by using 'one lablospoonful of
cooking soda (salcratus) to oach
quart of corn, using the same as lyo,
and washing through several waters
when done. It will not be so hard
on the hands as tho old-fashioned
wood ashes lye.
Grape Catsup from Wild Grapes.
To five pounds of grapes allow two
and one-half pounds of granulated
sugar, a pint of good vinegar, one
tablcspoonful each or ground cinna
mon, alsplce, pepper and one tea
spoonful of ground cloves, with a
half teaspoonful of salt. Mash tho
grapes, and if not too dry, add no
water, but boil in their own juice uiu
til soft and pulpy; then strain
through a colander or coarse sieve to
take out skins and seeds. To the
strained pulp add the ground spices,
sugar and vinegar and boil, constant
ly stirring, until quite thick; then
put into small bottles, seal and set
away. Any small nottlos that are
handy may be used by corking and
dipping the corked mouth into bees
wax, or sealing wax.
Baked Onions. Peel nice sized
onions and boil for ten minute. This
will take out the strong flavor. Drain
and arrange in a greased pudding
dish, sprinkle with pepper and salt,
and pour over all n white sauce to
which a beaten egg has been added.
Sprinkle with fine bread crumbs, set
in the oven and batte, covered, for
twenty minutes, then uncover and
brown. To make- tho white sauce,
beat three tablespoonfuls of flour in
to a cupful of melted butter; stir un
til it is creamy, then stir the mass
slowly into one quart of boiling hot
cream, stirring until thick and well
cooked.
For Cracked Hands
This suggestion, although rather
early in the season to be offered,
should be preserved for time of need.
Those who have worked with bleed
ing cracks on the inside of their ling
ers, extending in some instances near
ly to the bone, know that few. things
bring greater suffering to the one so
afflicted. One of the most effective
remedies ever tried is to wash the
hands in water just as hot as can
be borne without real scalding, using
no soap. The water must be very
hot, and the hands may be thrust in
to the water and instantly withdrawn
until they can be kept there for an
increasing time. As the water cools,
the hands should be soaked and well
cleaned. Corn meal, or oatmeal may
be used to scour with, as either is
healing as well as cleansing. The
water should be kept as hot as can
bo borne during the washing process,
and the hands should be rinsed in
clean, very hot water, wiped on a
soft, warm towel, and either held be
fore the fire, or rubbed with hot corn
meal until no more moisture remains.
After this washing, if preferred, the
hands may be well rubbed with hon
ey, working it well in by wringing
and rubbing as though washing them,
and then drying with the soft, hot
towel. Many add a little glycerine
to the hot rinse water, and it is found
very beneficial. This plan should be
tried only at night, after the day's"
work is done, as, ir so washed in
the morning, the skin of the hands
is left in a condition ror the cold to
crack it worse than ever. On such
hands, common laundry soap, with its
abundance of free alkali, should never
be used.
AN 01.1) AND WELL T1UKD 11KMKDY
t ?l!!lw'NRI;ow'S Soothing .SYUimfor children
i,M SKhlonW always Ijo used for children -wlillo
w mi ,s' IUoftn tho gums, allays nil nain.uurei
lwi?ntvic nudl&o bust remedy for diarrhoea.
went) -live cents a bottle.
Requested Recipes
Baked Milk. Put new, rich
n stone iar and cover, either
sone cover or a greased paper tied
down over the mouth, and set lor
several hours in a moderately hot
oven, with steady heat. The milk
must not boil simply bake. It is
like good cream when .done, and may
be used as any thick cream sauce.
milk in
with a
For the Laundry
if. is claimed that starch made
bic starch; whon dissolved, It should
be strained and bottiod for uso. A
tablospoonful of this solution added
to the Ktaich for thin dromon, skirts,
laco curtains, etc., will koop them
atiftland clean longer than ordinary
clear starch.
To wash white silk of every de
scription, make a strong suds by
shredding and boiling puro castilo
soap in soft water; allow' tho watdr
to become cool or cold, and wash tho
silk in it by swishing It about, pat
ting and squeezing it with the hands,
but not rubbing. Squeeze tho suds
out carefully and dip the goods Into
another suds of the same kind, stir
ring as before, and squeeze out again.
Then rinse in clear, cool water until
all soap Is out, squeezo out and hang
In an airy, sunless place until par
tially dry, pulling the wrinkles out
from time to tlmu. Roll the silk
carefully over a clean, muslin
wrapped board, wrap In a dry cloth
and let He for awhile, then Iron under
a fine white cloth wnllo damp, using
a moderately hot Iron. If a clear
white is wanted, a few drops of blu
ing should be added to the rinse wat
er, but if an ivory shade is desired,
use cloar water. A fancy silk waist
should bo ironed on the wrong side.
An excellent way to clean any kind
of silk is to wash it In gasoline, being
careful not to uso the gasoline any
where near fire or cVon tho tinlost
flame. If the goods Is very much
soiled, It should be rinsed In clean
gasoline.
from
laim-
lace
corn starch, Instead of ordinary
.i,. ofovr.lv l much better for
curtains and other laces. Laundres
ses claim that hot starch turns deli
cate colors dark, ana ruins them in
time Two ounces of powdered gum
arable to a duart of boiling water
is the right proportion for gum ara-
A Fair Booth Free
to Any Church
THE church people of America
have done much for Tim Lawks'
Home Journal. The magazine i.s
glad to do for them when it can. To
any church which expects to hold a
fair this fall or winter Tub Ladies'
Home Journal will send, without
charge, a beautiful booth measuring
eight feet square and eleven feet high.
Accompanying it will be sent, also
without charge, twenty large repro
ductions of some of the most famous
pictures which have appeared in the
magazine. The pictures should bring
Twenty-Five Dollars easily, and on
every new subscription and renewal
for the magazine taken at the fair a
liberal cash allowance will be made.
Almost four thousand churches took
advantage of a similar offer made lat
fall. One church made over Two
Hundred Dolbra, another One Hun
dred and Eighty Dolbra, and to on.
All of them made money.
If you ai intcrosted Ua church fair t be jjiven
this fall or winter write mow. We ihali pre only
One thousand of these booths this fall. 'Tint
come, first served."
The Curtis Publishing Company
E 72 Arch Street, Fhiladelphic
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