| OCR Text |
Show IRON-WORK WHICH IS EXPOSED to wet rusts rapidly; it is usually preserved from the action of moisture either by covering it with two or three coatings of paint, as is customary in large outdoor works, or by brushing it over with a varnish termed Brunswick black; this plan is usually followed in the case of smaller substances used in doors. A very superior plan of protecting small iron goods from the injurious action of wet is to heat them a little below redness and while hot to brush them over with common linseed oil, which is decomposed by the heat, and forms a thin, very firm coating of varnish, which is quite impervious to water, and unlike paint of Japan black, does not chip off. <br><br> Having derived so much satisfaction from the use of a very simple remedy for ridding our pantry of those little pests, the red ants, I am tempted to send the same to your household column for the benefit of other sufferers. It is only necessary to cover the shelves where you wish to place meat and other articles of food with newspapers. The ants will not go over the printed matter. The newspapers may be covered with other paper, if desired. We and others who have tried it have found it a sure and permanent relief.<br><br> The American Chemist says that a Western farmer discovered, many years ago, that wood could be made to last longer than iron in the ground. Time and weather, he says, seem to have no effect on it. The posts can be prepared for less than two cents apiece. This is the recipe. Take boiled linseed oil and stir in it pulverized charcoal to the consistency of paint. Put a coat of this over the timber, and he adds, there is not a man who will live to see it rot. <br><br> BEEF ROLLS. - The remains of cold roast or boiled beef, seasoning to taste of salt, pepper and minced herbs; puff paste. Mince the beef tolerably fine, with a small amount of its own fat; add a seasoning of pepper and salt, and chopped herbs; pat the whole into a roll of puff paste and bake for half an hour, or rather longer, should the roll be very large. Beef patties may be made of cold meat by mincing and seasoning beef as directed above, and baking in a rich puff paste in patty tins.<br><br> To brighten a copper boiler, use a coarse cloth; have a pail of very hot water; soap the cloth a little; sprinkle on plenty of pulverized borax, and rub the boiler well; rinse off with hot water, and dry with a soft cloth. The boiler can be brightened in this way as quickly as with acid. <br><br> Cider may be preserved and kept sweet by putting it in wine bottles, adding a teaspoonful of white sugar to each bottle, and corking tightly. The corks should be tied down. <br><br> To retain the color of any vegetable plunge it into cold water after boiling. |
