HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, 23 January 1907, Page 1

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

— Flower Cushions. — Nowadays everyone likes an abundance of soft cushions in drawingrooms. It is pleasant to have a good supply of soft and cosy cushions, and though they are expensive to buy there is no reason why anyone living in the country should not make herself as many as sha chooses, at no cost except that of the coverings. The flowers in the garden and fields will supply the sweetest of stuffing. Rose petals, sweet-scented geranium leaves, clover blossoms, thistlo down, and the seed vessel of the common niilk weed, and a variety of other sweet and soft things from garden and hedgerow will, if carefully dried, make charming filling for pillows. As the drying takes a little time, and it is rather untidy work, it ought to be done in some garret or unused room, so as not to make an unnecessary litter. Fir needles alone make a deliriously fragrant stuffj ing for a cushion, and, for one of this 'kind a brown stain sheeting cover with ! a branch of pine, and scattered pine needles embroidered upon it, would be very appropriate. Tho work should be done, in 3eep green silk. A cushion stuffed with clover blossoms might have a green satin sheeting-case, .em-, broidered with clover in natural colours, and finished off with a silken cord, in which are blended the various colours of the embroidery, —To 0031 a Bed in Hot Weather.— Place a strip- of matting under the ; sheet, This will be found very cooling and refreshing. —A Substitute for Ice.-r- --( Fill a box with clean sand, and place the things to be cooled inside it. Keep the box in a shady place and . damp the sand. —To Keep Ice.— Wrap the ice in two sheets of nowapaper, then in a blanket,, and keep in a cool place. Or wrap in a thickness of clean flannel and place between two feather pillows or cushions, and roll in an old carpet. —To Keep Fish Fresh.— To keep fish fresh, clean, wipe dry and spread open skin side down upena dish. Mix together a tablespoon brown , sugar, teaspoon cayenne pepper, and sarr.a of fine salt. Rub this mixture evenly j over tho inside of tho fish. Cover tightly and- keep in cool place. Wipe ' off tho seasoning before cooking. . —To Kill Slugs.— Take a quantity of cabbage loaves and either put them in a warm oven, or heat them before the Ere till they get quite soft ; then rub them with unsalted butter, or any kind of fresh dripping, and lay them in places infested with slugs. In a few hours the leaves will befound covered with snails and slugs, which may then, of course, be destroyed in any way the gardener ... may think fit. — Pure Water.— • Place in a large funnel, tin or wooden, a few pieces of broken glass at tho bottom of the pipe. Then let the- funnel be about two-thirds filled with charcoal, broken very small, but not reduced to powder. Put a little more broken glass at the top to prevent the charcoal from risjne; pour the water over, and, even if it be putrid, it will pass through in I a few minutes perfectly clear and sweet. The glass is merely for the purpose of keeping the charmnl in it* place, and to prevent the funnel ' from choking. I —To Iron Ribbons.— I Ribbons will becorao creased in spite of the best care, and a hot flat iron removes but few of these, marks of uso. A better plan is this : Take a smooth quart bottle, and fill with boiling hot water. Then wrap a single paper round the bottle, wrap tho ribbon round the paper perfectly smooth and tight, and then wrap another paper around this and pin in place. Set it aside a day and night and the ribbon will be perfectly smooth and new to appearance. ] Soiled ribbons may be soake^*-. and squeeed in a few weak suds and when rinsed and deried, ironed in this way. It is a very satisfactory method. — Indian Syrup. — — A' Delicious Summer Drink. — Five pounds of lump sugar, 2oz. of citric acid, lgal. of boiling water. When cold add half a drachm of essence of lemon and haH a drachm of spirits of wine. Stir it well and bottle it, about two tablespoonsf ul to .a glass of water. It will be found a good drink for the hot weather. — An Excellent Salad Dressing. — Break an egg in an enamelled saucepan and whisk it well. Add half a teaspoonful salt, rather less pepper and 1 mustard, ono teaspoonfiil sugar, a few drops of salad oil or a small piece of j butter, four tablespoonsful of milk, and 1 mix all well together and stir over a gantls heat until it thickens a little (it : must not boil). Remove from the fire and add two tablespoonsful of vinegar , and let it cool.

I In 1891 the most powerful marine tngincs wore those of the Empress of India. They were 30,000 h.p., c- only iialf the power of the new Cunarders, ;he Mauretania and Lusitania.