Household Hints.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 139, 15 March 1909, Page 3

Household Hints.

The Latest Health Craze. Get a spade, or better still, a four pronged fork, and dig. Thus the medical profession decrees. Says a well ; known doctor: "There is no finer exercise, and I am recommending it to my lady patients." What would be the result were the whole medical profession to follow my example? Where you now see a pale, sickly complexion, you wouid see bright, ro/y. youthful checks; The dust | bins would be choked v»*:lh rouge pots and pov.tii r pufifa: the soft, flabby muscle of to-day wciid be as copper ! wire: the swelling bottle would instantly lose its charm; consumption I wouid receive a severe blow; and headache?, ciizzir.es, drowsiness and all the rest of th« petty complaints would banish as though by magic. Half a woman's illnesses arise from over-cating, irregular meals, or tight lacing, but, above all, from her persis tent refusal to indulge in suitable exercise, and by this I do not mean exercie of that spasmodic nature which is obtained on III" tennis court, the hockey ' field, and the golf link?, but that kind |of exercise precisSy. that digging I gives ; What to wear. There Is r.ot a mu»- ; c'.r in lln* i»ndy thai does not bring into play from the minutest in the f<ct to the significant in the back, clu-.:t, ar.-l si<«;na«:li. Hire a piece of land and dig.dig.dig. ; Trantp it down, and dig it over again and again. Dig for an hour every i day, before breakfast, and you will be | on the high road to live for a century, j Wear old, easy, flexible boots, and no i stockings. Again, don't dally. Dig ! for all you an: worth for an hour, then | give it up, come into the house, have j a little more than a lukewarm bath, and then a good breakfast of plain, I wholesome food, and if you don't feel as fit as a fiddler, for the rest of th; day. I shall be amazed. Says one of society's chief ornaments who bat fallen a victim to the exhilarating exercise. The appetite comes by eating. Once take seriously to digging, and you will remain an ardent devotee of the spade for the rest of y»ur life. This is nothing at which to express the least surprise; for digging has an irresistible fascination. Epsom .Salts for Burns and Scalds. Dr AI N. Stowe has read a paper on the load use of magnesium sulphate as a first dressing/or burns and scalds. | Magr.e?ium sulphate, he tolls us, gives j instant reilef. and the inflammation is much deduced, while there is no risk 1 of poisonous effects from absorption, j Epsom Falts, the same thing as mag- ! sulphate, are m;.riy always J available, and the dressing is very inexpensive, and it is also easily re--1 moved. In many cases no firiher dressing is required, but, even when it is thought desirable to employ any ( other form ol dressing later, the magj nesium sulphate is valuable as a primi ary dressing. Dr Stowe uses the salts j as follows: Where burnt part can be | immersed a saturated solution (i.e., a | solution holding as much of the 3a'.ts 1 as it v, ill) if the salts should be used, : and the part should be kept in it until ino pain is felt on withdrawal. The I "Lancet," mentions that water at 62 deg. F. dissolves more than its own weight of magnesium suiphate. If it is not oenvenient to use the solution, the dry salts may be applied and covj ered with a wet cloth,or a thick paste | may be made and placed on the affected I part, sueh as the eyes or nose.

Sweet Short Crust for Pies.-- Rub aquatrerof a pound of butter into half a pound of flour, add an ounce of castor sugar, and make into a stiff dough with the yolk of an egg mixed with a tablespoonful of water.

French Polish. Used for shoes and is made by mixing halt a pound of logwood chips, quarter of a bound of powdered "glue, quarter of an ounce each of isinglass, soft soap, and powdered indigo, with one pint and ahalf of water and the same of vin«agr. Boil for ten minutes, then strain and bottle for use. Apply with a piece of sponge.

To Clean a Kettle from"Rock." - Boil a piece of carbonate of ammonia the size of a walnut in it for an hour, empty the kettle, dry on stove, without burning it, then with the hand remove all the rock from the inside. The ammonia water can be used for cleaning plated articles or for washing flannels, but for the latter it must bo much diluted.

Corpulence. When corpulence reaches a certain extent it becomes an absolute disease. Persons predisposed to this state of body who are enabled to indulge in good feeding and much sleep, and lead a calm indolent life, free from mental inquietude, are sure to be visited by it. As corpulence depends upon too great an accumulation of fat, the patient should endeavour to get rid of it gradually, without injury the constitution, by diminishing his usual quantity of nourishment, and substituting lcS3 nutritious substances. He should abstain from drink, particularly fermented liquors.eat no suppers, use much exericse by day, take short rest, and rise early every morning. By these and suchlike means corpulence may be reduced in a gradual manner, without injuring the general health. Corpulence is often caused by some defect in the digestive system, whereby the fat instead of being properly assimilated and consumed in the general wear and tear of the body is deposited One of the consequencse of this is to choke op all the organs of the body, producing fatty infiltration and perhaps fatty degeneration.

Chalk Mixture for Children.— A parent who has been recommended to use this remedy for the diarrhoea of infancy asks whether it contains any dangerous drug. It does not, for it consists merely of chalk, gum, tragacanth, sugar, and cinnamon water. It is a quite innocent thing. The dose for a year old child is from one to two teaspoon*ful.