80 TELESCOPES INVENTED IN GERMANY A.D. 1590. the smoke may blow among the trees, you will destroy thousands; for the grubs have such an objection to smoke, that very little of it makes them roll themselves up and fall off: they must be swept up afterwards. be surrounded by the oiled cotton or wool, or the insects will climb up them to the blossoms and tender tops of the stems. 262. To free Plants from LeafLice.-M. Braun, of Vienna, gives the following as a cheap and easy mode of effecting it :-Mix one ounce of flowers of sulphur with one bushel of sawdust; scatter this over the plants infected with these insects, and they will soon be freed, though a second application may possibly be necessary. 258. Caterpillars and Aphides. -A garden syringe or engine, with a cap on the pipe full of very minute holes, will wash away these disagreeable visitors very quickly. You must bring the pipe close to the plant, and pump hard, so as to have considerable force on, and the plant, however badly infested, will soon be cleared, without receiving any injury. Every time that you use the syringe or garden engine, you must immediately rake the earth under the trees, and kill the insects you have dislodged, or many will recover and climb up the stems of the And thought of bowers, and blossoms fair, plants. 259. Butterflies and Moths, however pretty, are the worst enemies one can have in a garden; a single insect of this kind may deposit eggs enough to overrun a tree with caterpillars, therefore they should be destroyed at any cost of trouble. The only moth that you must spare is the common black and red one; the grubs of this feed exclusively on groundsel, and are therefore a valuable ally of the gardener. 260. Wasps destroy a good deal of fruit, but every pair of wasps killed in spring saves the trouble and annoyance of a swarm in autumn; it is necessary, however, to be very careful in any attempt upon a wasp, for its sting is painful and lasting. In case of being stung, get the blue-bag from the laundry, and rub it well into the wound as soon as possible. Later in the season, it is customary to hang vessels of beer, or water and sugar, in the fruit-trees, to entice them to drown themselves. 261. To protect Dahlias from Earwigs.-Dip a piece of wool or cotton in oil, and slightly tie it round the stalk, about a foot from the earth. The stakes which you will put into the ground to support your plants must also 263. A Moral. I HAD a little spot of ground, Where blade nor blossom grew, I mourned to see a spot so bare I frequently had seen. Some seeds of various kinds lay by— I strewed them thickly there; From out the fertile earth, Of beauty and of worth. But as I marked their leaves unfold I sighed to think that I had done, Unwittingly, a thing That, where a beauteous bower should thrive, And thus I mused: the things we do, With little heed or ken, May prove of worthless growth, and strew 264. Taking a House.-Before taking a house, be careful to calculate that the rent is not too high in proportion to your means; for remember that the rent is a claim that must be paid with but little delay, and that the landlord has greater power over your property than any other creditor. EGGS BADLY BOILED ARE GOOD THINGS SPOILED. 81 265. HAVING DETERMINED THE 269. If you are about to FurAMOUNT OF RENT which you can afford nish a House, do not spend all your to pay, be careful to select the best money, be it much or little. Do not house which can be obtained for that sum. let the beauty of this thing, and the And in making that selection let the fol- cheapness of that, tempt you to buy lowing matters be carefully considered: unnecessary articles. Dr. Franklin's 266. FIRST-CAREFULLY REGARD maxim was a wise one-"Nothing is THE HEALTHFULNESS OF THE SITUA- cheap that we do not want." Buy TION. Avoid the neighbourhood of merely enough to get along with at first. graveyards, and of factories giving forth It is only by experience that you can tell unhealthy vapours; avoid low and what will be the wants of your family. damp districts, the course of canals, and If you spend all your money, you will localities of reservoirs of water, gas find you have purchased many things works, &c.; make inquiries as to the you do not want, and have no means drainage of the neighbourhood, and left to get many things which you do inspect the drainage and water supply want. If you have enough, and more of the premises. A house standing on than enough, to get everything suitable an incline is likely to be better drained to your situation, do not think you than one standing upon the summit of a must spend it all, merely because you hill, or on a level below a hill. Endea- happen to have it. Begin humbly. vour to obtain a position where the riches increase, it is easy and pleasant direct sunlight falls upon the house, for to increase in comforts; but it is always this is absolutely essential to health; painful and inconvenient to decrease. and give preference to a house the After all, these things are viewed in openings of which are sheltered from their proper light by the truly judicious the north and east winds. and respectable. Neatness, tasteful267. SECOND-CONSIDER THE DIS-ness, and good sense may be shown in TANCE OF THE HOUSE from your place of occupation: and also its relation to provision markets, and shops in the neighbourhood. As the management of a small household, and the arrangement of a little furniture, as well as upon a larger scale; and these qualities are always praised, and always treated with respect and attention. The consideration which many purchase by living beyond their income, and, of course, living upon others, is not worth the trouble it costs. The glare there is about this false and wicked parade is deceptive; it does not, in fact, proeure a man valuable friends, or extensive influence. 268. HAVING CONSIDERED THESE MATERIAL AND LEADING FEATURES, examine the house in detail, carefully looking into its state of repair; notice the windows that are broken; whether the chimneys smoke; whether they have been recently swept; whether the paper on the walls is damaged, especially in the lower parts, and the corners, by the skirtings; whether the locks, 270. Carpets.-In buying carbolts, handles of doors, and window- pets, as in everything else, those of the fastenings are in proper condition; best quality are cheapest in the end. make a list of the fixtures; ascertain As it is extremely desirable that they whether all rent and taxes have been paid by the previous tenant, and whether the person from whom you take the house is the original landlord, or his agent or tenant. And do not commit yourself by the signing of any agreement until you are satisfied upon all these points, and see that all has been done which the landlord had undertaken. should look as clean as possible, avoid buying carpet that has any white in it. Even a very small portion of white interspersed through the pattern will in a short time give a dirty appearance to the whole; and certainly no carpet can be worse for use than one with a white ground. 271. A CARPET IN WHICH ALL THE 82 YOU MAY DEPEND THE DUSTMAN IS YOUR FRIEND. 279. IF YOU CANNOT OBTAIN A COLOURS ARE LIGHT never has a clean, bright effect, from the want of dark tints HEARTH-RUG that exactly corresponds to contrast and set off the light ones. with the carpet, get one entirely dif272. FOR A SIMILAR REASON, car-ferent; for a decided contrast looks pets whose colours are all of what artists better than a bad match. call middle tint (neither dark nor light), cannot fail to look dull and dingy, even when quite new. 273. THE CAPRICES OF FASHION at times bring these ill-coloured carpets into vogue; but in apartments where elegance is desirable, they always have a bad effect. 274. FOR A CARPET TO BE REALLY BEAUTIFUL and in good taste, there should be, as in a picture, a judicious disposal of light and shadow, with a gradation of very bright and of very dark tints; some almost white, and others almost or quite black. 275. THE MOST TRULY CHASTE, rich, and elegant carpets are those where the pattern is formed by one colour only, but arranged in every variety of shade. For instance, we have seen a Brussels carpet entirely red; the pattern formed by shades or tints varying from the deepest crimson (almost a black), to the palest pink (almost a white). Also one of green only, shaded from the darkest bottle-green, in some parts of the figure, to the lightest pea-green in others. Another, in which there was no colour but brown, in all its various gradations, some of the shades being nearly black, others of a light buff. All these carpets had much the look of rich cut velvet. 276. THE CURTAINS, SOFAS, &c., must be of corresponding colours, that the effect of the whole may be noble and elegant. 277. CARPETS of many gaudy colours are much less in demand than formerly. Two colours only, with the dark and light shades of each, will make a very handsome carpet. 278. A VERY LIGHT BLUE GROUND, with the figure of shaded crimson or purple, looks extremely well; so does a salmon colour or buff ground, with a deep green figure; or a light yellow ground, with a shaded blue figure. 280. WE HAVE SEEN VERY HANDSOME HEARTH-RUGS with a rich, black velvet-looking ground, and the figure of shaded blue, or of various tints of yellow and orange. 281. No CARPET decidedly lightcoloured throughout looks effective on the floor, or continues long clean. 282. In Choosing Paper for a Room, avoid that which has a variety of colours, or a large showy figure, as no furniture can appear to advantage with such. Large figured papering makes a small room look smaller. 283. The best Covering for a Kitchen Floor is a thick unfigured oil-cloth, of one colour. 284. Family Tool Chests.— Much inconvenience and considerable expense might be saved, if it were the general custom to keep in every house certain tools for the purpose of performing at home what are called small jobs, instead of being always obliged to send for a mechanic and pay him for executing little things that, in most cases, could be sufficiently well done by a man or boy belonging to the family, if the proper instruments were at hand. 285. THE COST OF THESE ARTICLES is very trifling, and the advantages of having them always in the house are far beyond the expense. 286. FOR INSTANCE, there should be an axe, a hatchet, a saw (a large woodsaw also, with a buck or stand, if wood is burned), a claw-hammer, a mallet, two gimlets of different sizes, two screw-drivers, a chisel, a small plane, one or two jack-knives, a pair of large scissors or shears, and a carpet fork or stretcher. 287. ALSO AN ASSORTMENT OF NAILS of various sizes, from large spikes down to small tacks, not forgetting brass-headed nails, some larger and some smaller. THE WINDOWS OPENED MORE WOULD KEEP DOCTORS FROM THE door. 288. SCREWS, likewise, will be found very convenient, and hooks on which to hang things. 289. THE NAILS and screws should be kept in a wooden box, made with divisions to separate the various sorts, for it is very troublesome to have them mixed. 290. AND LET CARE BE TAKEN to keep up the supply, lest it should run out unexpectedly, and the deficiency cause delay and inconvenience at a time when their use is wanted. 291. IT IS WELL to have somewhere, in the lower part of the house, a deep light closet, appropriated entirely to tools, and things of equal utility, for executing promptly such little repairs as convenience may require, without the delay or expense of procuring an artisan. This closet should have at least one large shelf, and that about three feet from the floor. 83 tools, is drawn with a small brush dipped in black paint or ink, an outline representation of the tool or instrument belonging to that particular place. 299. FOR INSTANCE, UNDER EACH SAW is sketched the outline of that saw, under each gimlet a sketch of that gimlet, under the screw-drivers are slight drawings of screw-drivers. 300. SO THAT WHEN BRINGING BACK ANY TOOL that has been taken away for use, the exact spot to which it belongs can be found in a moment; and all confusion in putting them up and finding them again is thus prevented. 301. WRAPPING PAPER may be piled on the floor under the large shelf. It can be bought very low by the ream, at the large paper warehouses; and every house should keep a supply of it in several varieties. For instance, coarse brown paper for common purposes, that denominated ironmonger's 292. BENEATH THIS SHELF may be paper, which is strong, thick, and in a deep drawer, divided into two com-large sheets, is useful for packing heavy partments. This drawer may contain cakes of glue, pieces of chalk, and balls of twine of different size and quality. 293. THERE MAY BE SHELVES at the sides of the closet for glue-pots, paste-pots and brushes, pots for black, white, green, and red paint, cans of painting oil, paint-brushes, &c. 294. AGAINST THE WALL, above the large shelf, let the tools be suspended, or laid across nails or hooks of proper size to support them. 295. THIS IS MUCH BETTER than keeping them in a box, where they may be injured by rubbing against each other, and the hand may be hurt in feeling among them to find the thing that is wanted. 296. BUT WHEN HUNG UP against the back wall of the closet, of course each tool can be seen at a glance. 297. WE HAVE BEEN SHOWN an excellent and simple contrivance for designating the exact places allotted to all these articles in a very complete tool closet. 298. ON THE CLOSET WALL, directly under the large nails that support the articles; and equally so for keeping silks, ribbons, blondes, &c., as it preserves their colours. 302. PRINTED PAPERS ARE UNFIT FOR WRAPPING anything, as the printing ink rubs off on the articles enclosed in them, and also soils the gloves of the person that carries the parcel. 303. WHEN SHOPPING, if the person at the counter proceeds to wrap up your purchase in a newspaper (a thing rarely attempted in a genteel shop), refuse to take it in such a cover. It is the business of every respectable shopkeeper to provide proper paper for this purpose, and printed paper is not proper. 304. WASTE NEWSPAPERS had bert be used for lighting fires and singeing poultry. 305. WASTE PAPER that has been written on, cut into slips, and creased and folded, makes very good allumettes or lamp-lighters. These matters may appear of trifling importance, but order and regularity are necessary to happiness. 306. Beds for the Poor. 84 A DIRTY GRATE MAKES DINNER LATE. Beech-tree leaves are recommended for berries, shut the windows, the chimney, filling the beds of poor persons. They and the door close; twenty-four hours should be gathered on a dry day in the afterwards, the room may be opened, autumn, and perfectly dried. It is said, when it will be found that the sickly, that they smell grateful, and will not unwholesome smell will be entirely harbour vermin. They are also very gone. The smoke of the juniper berry springy. possesses this advantage, that should anything be left in the room, such as tapestry, &c., none of it will be spoiled. 307. To Preserve Tables.-A piece of oil-cloth (about twenty inches long) is a useful appendage to a common sitting-room. Kept in the closet, it can be available at any time to place jars upon, &c., &c., which are likely to soil your table during the process of dispensing their contents: a wing and duster are harmonious accompaniments to the oil-clotu. 308. Gilt Frames may be protected from flies and dust by oiled tarlatan pinned over them. Tarlatan, already prepared, may be purchased at th upholsterer's. If it cannot be procured, it is easily made by brushing boiled oil over cheap tarlatan. It is an excellent material for keeping dust from books, vases, wool work, and every description of household ornament. 309. Damp Walls.-The following method is recommended to prevent the effect of damp walls on paper in rooms:-Line the damp part of the wall with sheet lead, rolled very thin, and fastened up with small copper nails. It may be immediately covered with paper. The lead is not to be thicker than that which lines tea-chests. 310. Bedrooms should not be scoured in the winter time, as colds and sickness may be produced thereby. Dry scouring, upon the French plan, which consists of scrubbing the floors with dry brushes, may be resorted to, and will be found more effective than can at first be imagined. If a bedroom is wet scoured, a dry day should be chosen the windows should be opened, the linen removed, and a fire should be lit when the operation is finished. 311. To get rid of a bad Smell in a Room newly painted.Place a vessel full of lighted charcoal in the middle of the room, and throw on it two or three handfuls of juniper 312. Paint.-To get rid of the smell of oil paint plunge a handful of hay into a pailful of water, and let it stand in the room newly painted. 813. If a Larder, by its Position, will not admit of opposite windows, then a current of air must be admitted by means of a flue from the outside. 314. For Keeping a Door open, place a brick covered neatly with a piece of carpeting against the door. 315. To Ascertain whether a Bed be Aired.-Introduce a glass goblet between the sheets for a minute or two, just when the warming-pan is taken out; if the bed be dry, there will only be a slight cloudy appearance on the glass, but if not, the damp of the bed will assume the more formidable appearance of drops, the warning of danger. 316. To prevent the Smoking of a Lamp.-Soak the wick in strong vinegar, and dry it well before you use it; it will then burn clear and bright, and give much satisfaction for the trifling trouble in preparing it. 317. Water of every kind, except rain water, will speedily cover the inside of a tea-kettle with an unpleasant crust; this may easily be guarded against by placing a clean oyster-shell in the tea-kettle, which will always keep it in good order, by attracting the particles of earth or of stone. 318. To Soften Hard Water, or purify river water, simply boil it, and then leave it exposed to the atmosphere. 319. Cabbage Water should be thrown away immediately it is done with, and the vessel rinsed with clean water, or it will cause unpleasant smells. |