Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, 13 September 1906, Page 33

Domestic

By 'Maureen'

, Giving Medicine to a Baby. , In giving medicine to a baby, place the. point, of a spoon against the roof of - his mouth .v - Administered in this w,ay, ,the child cannot choke or eject .the medicine. " / . • . \ Take a Walk. ' ' . , Out-of-door exerc)isc ; is a great preventive of disease, a great antidote, to ills physical and mental. In most cases a walk is the simplest beginning-. ' There is ntTone ;form of exercise .more beneficial. Never hurry, nor~ move in a nervous, jerky _,way, with - muscles., braced. Copy the long leisurely _ stride of the infantryman at ' route-step. The object is not more strain on certain -muscles, but operi.ajr,. a gentle acceleration of - the blood, vigorous brc.ath.ing, and muscular .arid nervous relaxation. All these come best with a long, firm, regular, unhurried stride. ' How the Japanese Cook Rice. ,The Japs excel in cooking rice, and their method is exceedingly simple. Put one cup of rice which has been /thoroughly washed, over the .fire, with five of fast-boil-ing, water; Add salt, and when it -has boiled- 'fast for . fifteen minutes set the saucepan uncovered in a moderate oven. In fifteen minutes the water will have com•—pletely evaporated and every graih.be, distinct and fluffy. Not a grain /will stick to the, bottom of the saucepan. Rice cooked this way is a revelation. Coffee at;, a Disinfectant. . The .use of coffee as a disinfectant is 'generally known, .but it is doubtful if the majority of people , are aware of its true value in this direction. It is one ,of the most powerful and effective agents known,- as has .been Shown by repeated experiments. • The merest pinch of coffee is usually suflicient to cleanse a sick room, even in aggravated .cases. . The best way to 'employ it is to freshly pound. the coffee in a mortar, if no milL is at hand, and sprinkle it -on a red-hot iron surface. y " Sulphur as a Cure for 'Diphtheria. . -_ Sulphur is one of the most efficacious and simple . cures for diphtheria.- All that is needed is flower of sijlphur and a quill, and with these, it iff said, one celebrated physician cured every patient without exception. -He put -a teaspoonful of flower of sulphur into a wineglass of water, and "stirred it with his finger- instead of t; a spoon, the sulphur not readily amalgamating with .water.. When the sulphur was well mixed, the physician gave it as.-a gargle, -and in ten. minutes patient-was out of danger. Sulphur kills every species of fungus in a man, beast, or plant in a few minutes. "*: : Squeaking Boots. : Assorts of devices have been suggested to stop the . noise, of- squeaking -boots. Thc/bes-f way -is to~ ' use * French chalk. You .can either bore a small hole through the inner sole, and filter into it as much chalk as possible,- When t<he powder will work in between the. inner "atid [outer soles,- which do iiot fit together properly, - owing- perhaps to . the uppers having been sewn in too tightly or some other defect in the work ; an alternative being to get your bootmaker to insert a layer of French chal^ between the soles for • you. Paraffin oil is also recommended as a cure, but the smell is unpleasant and clings a long time.,. Another idea is the-plen-tiful application of linseed oil— you must^ warm the oil and then steep the sales in it. " ' . - . Regarding Blankets. Blankets are a difficulty to many* people, mostly because they cannot make up their minds as s to how often they should be washed, nor how- they should be treated. In many houses they are only washed once a year; but somehow . this does seem rather too rare a proceeding. On the other hand, it is really not necessary to have them washed more than" twice a year; but they must , have proper care in t'hc interval in the shape of airing, - shaking, etc, A washing-machine is very good for ' the purpose, especially, as fry should never be" rubbed- by the hand. The water f-h.»uld be only lukewarm,- and a little soap well lalhcrrd in the water is all that will be required: Wring tlie blankets very dry through a wrih- •" ger, shake them out, aiul wash again in the same way, wringing each time, unHl they' are quite clean. Do not rinse them, but pull Ih>m into shape- and hang them out iji~lhc sun, which is a great help ttf*preserving a good color. — . .