Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, 30 July 1908, Page 33

Domestic

By MAUREEN

To Extinguish a Candle. When an extinguisher is not used in putting out a candle, the best way is to blow it upwards. It will then neither smoke nor smoulder. To Destroy Cockroaches. Try .wet tea-leaves as a means of destroying cockroaches. Just squeeze the leaves with the hands, and lay on sheets of paper near the hearth, when shutting "up for the' night. The cockroaches go to the leaves and the ,tannin kills them. ' _ The Coal Cellar. Coal that is kept in a dry and airy, place will burn much longer than that which is stored in a_close cellar with no ventilation. When coal is kept in an airless place it gets rid of its gas, and the absence of this renders it less powerful and more " wasteful when burnt. Washing Lemons. Before grating lemons it is well to wash them in a basin of lukewarm water, for on examination it will be found that the outside of a lemon is anything but clean, and if put under a microscope will be seen to have tiny black specks on it, which should always be removed.. When Buying Fish. Remember when buying fish that it should be firm to ;the touch ; if pressed by the finger the flesh should rise again instantly — there should be no impression left. If fish i» fresh the eyes arc bright", the gills red, and the scales not easily rubbed off. In choosing lobster, by the bye, take the tail and pull it away from the body. If it is elastic and springs back, the lobster is fresh. In the Sickroom. Good cheer is better than medicine. The jest .has an important part to play as a remedy for irritability. Don't tell long stories. Don't talk over other people's trials. Don't think up unpleasant possibilities. Don't, if you are a caller, tarry, but a few moments. Don't be tactless, .if you are a nurse, the want of which causes many a bad half hour in the sickroom. To Stop Nose Bleeding in Little Children. Nose bleeding is not, as a rule, a thing that need cause the slightest anxiety. Yet in extreme cases, where bleeding continues even after .applying usual remedies, the servics of a physician should be called, because, by the aid of certain .appliances, he can discover the exact spot in the nasal passages - where the trouble originates, - and can treat it accordingly. Naturally, if a person is allowed to lose much blood, the effect will be decidedly weakening. Frequency of this- trouble does not necessarily indicate a serious condition, for sometimes it comes from a sensitive membrane that is easily broken. The nose bleeds then as the finger would were it cut. This, and adenoids, a growth back of the nose and throat, are the common causes of such trouble with children. If loss of blood comes from the latter growths, they should be removed. * Certainly, a physician should be consulted on the matter, arid, indeed, an operation should be performed. In stout persons, excessive heat, sending a surplus quantity of blood to the head, may frequently cause the nose to bleed. It is curious that the instinct of persons, when attacked by bleeding from the nose, seems to be to bend the head. This is entirely wrong, because it permits the blood to flow out instead of forcing if into natural channels. When so afflicted the patient should sit. erect, or stand, thus permitting the circulation to act naturally, and letting the blood go to the lower extremities. Cold applications constrict the blood, and in winter to stand by- an open window breathing the cold air will frequently be sufficient to stop the bleeding. A small piece of ice, or a cloth wet with very cold water, placed at the back of the head, with another at the spine, just below-lthe head, has checked more than one serious bleeding.