Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11, 18 March 1909, Page 433

Domestic

By MAUREEN

./To .Dry Peas for Winter . Use. „7 ' Allow a heaped tablespoonful of castor sugar to each quart of shelled' peas, sprinkle the peas with.; the sugar, and lay them on a paper on a. baking tin. "Allow them to remain at the mouth of 'the oven until they are quite dry. "When cold, place the peas in a jar, and keep in a dry place. These peas Avheu. cooked are like fresh green peas. Hard Water. - , A good and economical way of softening liard-water for "laundry .purposes is to always keep on hand a tub haif -filled with wood ashes, but filled to the brim . with . water; A gallon of water drawn from this tub will soften a copperful of the hardest water, and .soften -it in such a way as to improve instead of injure, as is the case with many softeners, the texture of the "clothes.. Starch-polish for Oilcloth. The following will be found an economical and laborsaving linoleum oilcloth polish :„— When the ~ oilcloth has been washed and thoroughly dried, make a~,little starch in a pint basin with boiling -water/ and rub lightly over with a clean cloth. It will dry very bright "without any further rubbing or polishing, and' has the advantage of ,being glossy without being" slippery, and will keep clean- much longer. When doing up the collars ' and cuffs, there is generally starch left, and this is often thrown away. This can have boiling water poured on till it thickens," arid' will do to polish the oilcloth. Button-holes. Button-Holing is one of the bugbears of sewing to many women, and the number of women wLo can make button-holes well is by no means large. A tailor who has "given the benefit of his knowledge says: \Never make button-holes on flimsy stuff. The material should be strengthened for button-holes by interlining^ -or by close rows of "running" all round the -hole. Then -begin at the right-hand corner of the lower edge of the buttonhole,'and, work towards the" left. After * attaching the thread at the corner of the . button-hole, the needle should be put in at the necessary depth for- the button-hole stitch, and puff just half way through the : material. Then the fingers of the right hand, catching the double thread at the eye of the needle, should bring it down under the point of the needle, passing from right to left. The needle should then be pulled through, and the stitch drawn up to the edge, with the, slightest pull towards the left, and so on till the star-ting point is reached, when the thread should be brought through to the inside and finished off.' The Needs of Children. • 5 It is a great error to suppose that the so-called children's diseases are of no great moment, and that it is almost a necessity that they shoxild contract one '• or all of them at some period of their youthful existence. There is no need for . anything of the kind, and, should they escape, there -is much more chance of them growing up strong and healthy men and women. .Some mothers even expose their children to infection under the mistaken idea that\ they may as well" have it and "have it over. ' . Children and old people are alike in this respect, that cold is a great enemy to them both. It is Very important, then, that young children' should not -. be to 'cold, that no part of their body should be left -uncovered, as, unfortunately, is too often the case. It ' is a mistaken idea that by leaving the arms and legs bare, the children will become inured to" cold. " They -should', be warmly- clad, the underwear all wool and meshed, allowing ventilation without causing chill to the skin. A certain, .amount of exercise is' necessary .for; children ! if they ,~to , keep in good health. Naturally they are" not capable of as great and prolonged exercise, either mental or bodily, as adults, and they should not be kept too?!ong ; at any one kind of work. Children require more rest than grown-ups. Ten hours out of the twenty-four is not too much. Bad air is., a fruitful source of ailments in children, especially , during winter time. The rooms, both living and sleeping, are generally overheated, and fresh air strictly prohibited, with the result that there is a want of ' go ' among the inmates. Too much stress cannot be laid on the necessity of giving free access to plenty of fresh air at all times and seasons, " which, does not mean at all to expose oneself to the danger -of direct draughts.