Household.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1037, 15 January 1892, Page 5

Household.

The liquor off the boiled leaves and stems of the tomato plants is deadly to lice and caterpillars on plants’.

Horseradish grated and mixed with vinegar and applied to the temple when the face or head is affected with neuralgia will give relief.

Never neglect to geo that garbage pails and all vessels for refuse are kept scrupulously clean. It takes only a few moments to throw in a solution of lye, or of strong suda and water, as soon as they are emptied. Scrub them round with a little whisk, touching every portion of: the vessel with this disinfecting solution. Rinse them with water, and set: them where the hot sun will purify There is no more certain source on which; the bacilli of all foul diseases may feed than uncleansed garbage pails, and yefc it is not an uncommon practice for otherwise neat housekeepers to neglect to keep them clean.

A kind of chair which ia now an accepted feature of drawing rooms is a corner seat. This may be made entirely of wood in hugh pattern, enamelled in cream white or somo other colour, and upholstered at the seat with a piece of brocaded silk, patterned with fleurettes in the Empire style, or in a tangle of large roses and vines. These chairs date back to the old Puritan times, and are seen in pictures of the day 3of Cromwell. The corner chair, being a somewhat austere shape, seems more appropriate, whenmade in old oak and upholstered intapestry or leather, for the library than. for a dainty chair of the drawing-room.

In general, family prosperity depends more upon the housewife’s frugality than upon the father’s earnings. Many homes’ are happier and more prosperous on L2 a week than others aro on LS and the difference is usually, dependent on the housekeeper. More than most of us imagine it dopends on & careful and intelligent use of fragments, the working up for one purpose of those things that have ceased to be. of use fur another. This is doubtless a matter partly of natural ingenuity (for some people seem as though thc\y can’c acquire it) and partly the result of proper training. You will see some housewives who think that food that has once appeared upon the table has served its only purpose, whether eaten or not ; others will gather up the broken bits and from them prepare any one of a dozen dishes 1 dainty enough to be set before a king.’

By the way, the art of frying an onion.so that it will be delicate and crisp is not generally understood. The fried onions* usually servod in families where the cooking in other ways is unexceptionable are a brownish black mass, so permeated with grease that they are neither wholesome to eat nor good to view ; nor are they half cooked. There is but one way to fry this vegetable which will give the right result—that is to cut it in slices, and soak it in milk for at least ten minutes. Then dip the slices in flour and immerse them in boiiing fat, hot enough, to brown instantly a bit of bread thrown in it. You cannot keep the onions in slices, so it-is not worth while to try and do so. After they have fried six or seven minutes they may be lifted up with a skimmer on to brown paper, and will be found firm and thoroughly delicious.. Cooked in this way they may be served as a garnish to a daintily broiled beefsteak, to a dish of fried chops croquettes.. There is no way of frying an onion in apan with a little butter, as commonlyrecommended, which will produce a satisfactory result. The onion softens and' absorbs the butter, because of the natural law Qf QapUlarj' attraction.