Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, 27 August 1908, Page 33

Domestic

By MAUREEN

Inky Fingers. •. A, simple way -for removing ink stains from the fingers is to rub vaseline well into the skin, and then rub it off- with a piece ■ of- soft' paper "before aplying the soap. ' ■ " -„ CooKing- Vegetables. . . -T A piece of carbonate of ammonia, the size of a small pea, put into the water in which vegetables are cooked; preserves the color.' The .ammonia evaporates in the boiling.' -~.lt is generally used by French chefs. It will also prevent the odor of boiling cabbage. .--,.- - „ o Mending Gloves. - An error that is commonly- made is that of mending kid gloves with sewing silk, as the silk cuts the'-kid,- and shows the mend more plainly, while fine cotton thread gives .a much., more satisfactory result. If the gloves are torn,, put a apiece of silk of corresponding shade under the torn /part, baste carefully, so as not to reveal the stitches on the right side, ,and then draw up the .rent with cotton thread. * - „.. --" To Wash Chiffon. Not every woman, perhaps, knows that chiffon is capable of being washed. White chiffon, no matter how soiled, jieeds .only to be soaked and lightly rubbed between the palms -of the hands in lukewarm soapsuds. Rinse lightly in clear, warm -water, dashed with ammonia. Squeeze out all the water possible, and dry in the sun. It will dry up in wrinkles to half .its width, but just- before ft is quite dry,' it; may be 'pressed on Jiwhitc flannel with a warm iron, and it can be easily restored to its original compass. Drinking at Meals'. Those who have too little acid should drink very little or not at all at meals; those who have too much acid shoulcTdrink moderately at meals, and will be especially benefited by drinking one or two glassfuls of hot water two hours after eating. One exception must be made. Persons who" have dilated stomachs should at all times avoid burdening their feeble stomachs with large quantities of liquids, and will do best with a dry ' diet. It is best not to drink whrle eating, but afterwards. Drinking while eating interferes with mastication and salivary secretion* and increases putrefaction. Liquids should be taken at the close of the meal. Fruit as Food. Were we to judge fruits by the w^y'they are generally' used, we would be led to believe that they were unimportant, or a mere incident in Nature, while the. facts are they occupy probably the second most important position in the world's-bill-of-fare. This is especially so in a warm climate. There is a - striking analogy between the -per cent, of water contained in* fruits, .and, that of the human body, which shows that in very hot weather when the -bodj demands an excess of water, that it can be obtained from fruits in about the right proportions and in its purest form. The great family of microbes, :bacteria, disease germs, and other weird witches with which every square inch of air in (he world is filled, striving to destroy the human race, so the doctors say, are perfectly harmless when" brought into contact with fruit juice or fruit acids.- Fruits" do for th« interior of the body what a bath of pure water anfepure air do for the exterior. Fruits are highly gei^icidal, and if used liberally they render the body entirely immune from all alleged s contagious and infectious diseases. A perfectly healthy body however, need have no fear of contagion, but by the liberal use of fruits a body_ that might become , afflicted "with such disease might be safeguatded through an - Fruits" contain certain organic salts, and elements which are .taken in from the~ earth, air and sunshine, and which arc- highly structural, while their acids are the real police of the blood ; and the water, they contain is distilled by Nature's most perfect process.