USEFUL HINTS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 329, 16 October 1908, Page 3

USEFUL HINTS.

Shirt Ironing.—When ironing a white shirt, the main part is the starching. Tho following way is excellent:—Dissolve the starch in a little cold water, then pour hot (not boiling) water, say, half a pint, to two teaspoonfuls of starch. Wet the cuffs and bosoms in this, roll them up, let them lie two or three hours, and iron in the usual way. Handkerchief Pillowcase. —A simple and neat cover for baby's pillow can be made from two 18in. men's handkorchiefs by stitching them together around threo sides just far enough in to fit the littlo pillow, and then tacking tapes to the fourth side at the same distance to. tie. Fancy stitches or lace on the hem will'make them as ornamental as one may wish. Common Salt. —For removing egg, stains from silvery salt applied to a soft cloth will, act like magic'. Greens used for salads should be thoroughly rinsed in salt water to dislodge insects, too small to be seen. To kill weeds, . apply boiling-hot salt water liberally. To romovo grass from between bricks, apply salt, and lot it stand for one. week. A pinch.of salt added to ground coffee before cooking -will give natural flavour of tho,berry, and gives ''body" to tho drink. ' When Cleaning Rooms.—lf the carpets look very bad have them well beaten, and then treat them with the following:—Two ounces salts of tartar, one square of good scrubbing soap. Pour over this two quarts of boiling water. Then brush over the carpet with this mixture, and wash over wit!) a cloth wrung out of clean cold water. It makes a 'wonderful' difference in its appearance.. , • . A New Way to Cook a Ham.—Place a ham, say thirty pounds weight, iti a- copper, and cover with cold wator. Light a fire under and let it- come, slowly to boiling point'; let boil quickly for fifteen, minutes, then cover the ham in the water with bags, so that no steani can escape. Remove tho •fire at bnco and leave till quite cold, when it will bo found that the ham will be beautifully .cooked and very mucli better flavoured than when cooked in tho. old-fashioned way. A smaller , ham will require" a few - minutes' less boiling. a ■ v . Keep the Ricowa-ter .for Washing Day — Reboil, add a' small pieco of borax, and tho waste-of. sjjerm candle ; strain; and; you Will have a much nicer. starch for tablo linen than -the starch usually purchased. It is a good idea to liave boiled rice for a breakfast dish on washing-day. lticewater, when quito fresh, with tho addition of lemon juice and usgar, makes a very pleasant and nourishing drink. A Hint to Pastry-makors.—Beforo placing pastry in the oven, sprinkle lightly with cold water. By doing this you will find that the pastry risos better, and moro quickly. The modern Turkish woman of the upper classes is perhaps tho,-most highly educated woman in'the world.. It.is not an uncommon thing, the " Bystandor " says, to meet Turkish ladies, who can speak not only half tho of Europe, out know, in addition, ancient Greek, Persian, >and Arabic. Schopen-. hauer and'.Herbert Spencer are favourite authors,'and the latest English and French novels are the principal subjects' of their aftornoon small-talk. It is announced that tweuty-five .women havo been returned to the Diet in Finland as compared with nineteen in the last Parliament. Of the new deputies thirteen belong to the Social Democratic party, three to tho Swedish, six to the Old Finnish; two to the Young Finnish,. and ono. to. the Agrarian party. Women voted in large numbers at the elections. . Englishwomen have recently been reminded that they do not- understand tho .art of laughter, and certainly, tho majority of.,us have little ambition above the involuntary cachin- ■ natory cacklo of which wo are held guilty. The "musical laugh," the "silvery . peal," and all other fascinating varieties of the fominine laugh,' which, must' once have charmed the car, are rarely recognised now.