Damask table-cloths should be darned to match the pattern, following the flowers of the design, and large holes may be mended like the "Scouts' Patch" just described. To sew on buttons properly, leave them loose enough for the iron to push. On washing articles have your threads long enough to make a little stalk to the button, which is wound round before finishing. Your needle should be sloped out to all sides, so as to take up fresh stuff farther out than the holes in the button.

Scouts may make many useful presents in their spare time, such as cretonne covered blotters or frames, mittens, warm felt slippers (for which woolly soles can be bought), pen-wipers, pin-cushions, and needle-books. They could also make articles for their hospitals, such as night-clothing, soft caps, handkerchiefs, pillow-cases, and dusters.

HOME COOKING

There is a legend in Turkey that when a rich man is engaged to marry a lady he can break it off if she is not able to cook him a dish of dates in a different way every day for a whole month. A friend of ours did somewhat the same in trying a new cook; he always tested them with nothing but cutlets for a fortnight. The real test of a good cook is to see how little food she wastes. She uses up all the scraps, and old bits of bread are baked for making puddings and for frying crumbs; she sees that nothing goes bad, and she also buys cleverly. Those who do not understand cookery waste money.

Perfect cleanliness and neatness should be insisted on, or your food will be bad and unwholesome.

Eggs

Is an egg lighter or heavier when cooked? An experienced cook is experienced in eggs. There are "new laid" eggs which are fresh and "fresh" eggs which are not; there are "cooking" eggs which are liable to squeak. Eggs are safe in their shells, and think you don't know whether they are fresh or not, or whether they are raw. Any egg can be thrown out of a first-floor window on to the lawn without the shell breaking; it falls like a cat, right end upwards, and this is not a boiled egg, either! You can tell that because it will not spin on the table, so it must have been a raw egg. A cooked egg would spin.

To tell a stale egg, you will see it is more transparent at the thick end when held up to the light.

Fresh eggs are more transparent in the middle. Very bad eggs will float in a pan of water.

Poached Eggs

Break each egg separately into a cup. When your water is boiling fast, drop in an egg sharply. Use a large deep pan, with salt and vinegar in the water. Lift the egg very carefully in a ladle before it is set too hard. Place the eggs all round a soup plate, pour over them a nice sauce made with flour and butter, a little milk, and some grated cheese and salt.

Stock Pot.—Keep a pot going all day, into which you can put any broken-up bones or scraps left over, to make nourishing broth. Clean turnips, carrots, and onions improve it. Before using let it get cold, so as to skim off the fat.

HOME HEALTH

Contributed by Dr. Thomas D. Wood.

1. Dust (carries germs and bacteria)—
a. Must be kept out of the house by
1. Being careful not to bring it in on shoes or clothing.
2. By really removing the dust when cleaning, not just brushing it from
place to place with dry brushes and dust cloths.
b. Tools needed—
1. Vacuum cleaner (if possible).
2. Brooms and brushes of different kinds.
3. Mops.
4. Dust cloths of cotton, outing flannel and wool.
5. Soft paper.
c. Methods of cleaning—
1. Cleansing and putting away all small movable articles first.
2. Wiping walls, pictures, floor, furniture, woodwork, etc., using damp
cloths and brushes, if possible, so that no dust can fly, and
gathering all dust on a dustpan that has a damp paper on it to
collect dust.
3. Airing and sunning each room while cleaning.
4. Wiping window shades at least once a week.
5. Cleaning hangings often and laundering table and cushion covers.
6. Keeping every corner, drawer, and closet aired, cleansed, sunned and
in order at all times to prevent accumulation of dust, germs and
household pests.
7. Keeping all bathroom furnishings spotless and sweet, always drying
after cleansing.
8. Scalding all cleaning tools and drying in sunshine, if possible,
before putting away.
2. Care of the Bedroom—
Hygiene of the Bedroom—
1. Substances that tend to make the bedroom unhealthy are—
a. Excretions from lungs, skin, kidneys.
b. Street dust that has settled on clothing in day.
2. Relation of personal habits to healthfulness of the bedroom—
a. Leave outside wraps outside bedroom, if at all possible, at least
until they have been well dusted.
b. Never put into the closet clothing that has been next to the
skin during the day. Such articles should be aired by an open
window during the night.
c. A bath each day at some time and a thorough cleansing of face, hands
and feet before going to bed will prevent much dust and body
excretions from accumulating on bed clothing.
3. Preparation for the Night—
a. Remove counterpane and fold carefully.
b. Protect blanket by covering with a sheet or other light covering.
c. Open windows from top and bottom.
d. Hang used clothing to air.
4. Care of Room on Rising—
a. Remove bed clothing and hang by open window in the sun.
b. Air night clothing before hanging away.
c. If a washstand is used, empty all bowls and jars, soap dishes, etc.,
wash and dry them before leaving the room for breakfast.
d. When thoroughly aired, make the bed and put the room in order.
5. Making the Bed Properly—
a. Mattress must have been turned. There should be a covering for the
mattress under the first sheet.
b. Put on the under sheet, tucking it securely under mattress at top,
bottom and sides.
c. Put on upper sheet and blankets, tucking in at bottom only.
d. Turn upper sheet down over blankets.
e. Cover with counterpane and place on well-beaten pillows.
6. Weekly Cleaning—
a. Mattress, rugs, and unwashable hangings should be removed to
some place in outdoor air and sunshine, beaten and dusted.
b. Closets must be cleaned and dusted first, then used to store all
small articles from room after they have been thoroughly cleaned.
c. Clean walls, pictures, woodwork, floors, windows and shades.
d. Put room in order.
e. Such care of the rooms of a house make regular "housecleaning"
spells unnecessary.
3. Kitchen Sanitation—
a. Do not wash—
1. Iron (range).
2. Brass and copper.
3. Tin.
4. Zinc.
5. Aluminum, nickel, silver.
To clean metals of grease, use kerosene, gasoline, benzine, naphtha,
chloroform, soap suds.
b. Care of Sink—
1. Pour dishwater through a sieve.
2. Greasy water must be changed into a soap or dissolved before being
poured down to drain.
3. Flush sink drain three times a week with boiling sal soda solution, one
pint sal soda to three gallons of water. Use at least two quarts.
c. Kitchen needs same treatment for general cleanliness, removal of
dust, etc., as other rooms and walls. Woodwork—floor should be
often washed thoroughly in hot soapsuds, rinsed and dried to be
sure no germs develop where food is being prepared.
d. Care of Ice Chest—
1. Should be emptied and thoroughly washed and dried at least twice a
week to make it a wholesome place for food.
4. Cellar—
1. Must be kept as free of dust and rubbish as the kitchen.
2. No decaying vegetables or fruit must be found in it.
5. Door-Yard and Out-Building—
1. Grass and growing things, especially if sprayed with water daily, will
help keep dust out of houses.
2. Rubbish of any kind should be burned, for it is in such places that
flies and mosquitoes breed.
3. Grass should be kept cut and lawns raked to keep mosquitoes from
breeding.
4. No manure from domestic animals should be allowed to be exposed on the
premises, for in such material the typhoid fly lays its eggs.
5. Barns and out-houses should be screened.
6. To Clean Fruits and Vegetables—
1. Garden soil is the home of a multitude of small forms of life,
many quite harmless, but some organisms causing disease. For
instance, germs of tetanus are found in dust and soil.
2. Top-dressing or fertilizer used to enrich the soil may contain such
disease germs.
3. If fruits or vegetables come from the market instead of the garden
they are quite as likely to have dust and bacteria clinging to them.
4. It is necessary, therefore, to wash all vegetables and fruits
thoroughly before using.
7. How to Wash Fruit and Vegetables—
1. Put berries and small fruits in a colander, a few at a time, and dip
lightly down and up in a basin of water, being careful not to crush
the fruit.
2. Wash strawberries with hulls on.
3. Firm fruits, as grapes, cherries, etc., can be washed by standing
the colander under the cold water faucet for some time.
4. Lettuce is best washed under the cold water faucet and celery needs
scrubbing with a brush.
5. Apples from exposed fruit stands should be soaked for some time and
carefully dried.
8. Fresh Foods Are Best—
1. Celery, cabbage, apples, pumpkins, beets, squash, white and
sweet potatoes, etc., can be kept fresh for out of season use if
carefully cleansed and stored away in a dry, cool, dark place.
9. Methods of Preserving Foods—
1. Salting.
2. Pickling.
3. Refrigeration.
4. Canning.
5. Preserving.
6. Drying or evaporation.
10. Method of Preserving Eggs—
1. Packing in coarse salt.
2. Cover with water-glass in large stone jars, set in cool place.
11. Care of Milk—
1. Use certified milk or inspected milk.
2. Wash bottle top before removing cover.
3. Pour milk in pans that have been scalded and drained dry in the
sun or, in damp weather, by the stove.
4. As soon as cool enough put in refrigerator or in coolest place
possible, as milk spoils very quickly unless kept cold.
12. Care of Meat—
1. Wash thoroughly as soon as it arrives.
2. Place on clean pan of aluminum, porcelain or some such ware.
3. Place in refrigerator until ready to cook.
13. General Rules For Care of Food—
1. Keep food clean—(personal cleanliness, washing food).
2. Keep food dry.
3. Keep food cool.
4. Care for food left from each meal. If carefully put away it can be used
and not wasted.
Inspected Milk—
1. Comes from sanitary farms where cows, cases and bottles are reasonably
clean; the rules are much less strict than for certified milk.
2. Cannot by law contain more than 500,000 germs in each teaspoonful, while
certified milk contains not more than 50,000 germs.
Pasteurized Milk—
1. Method recommended by Department of Health of Chicago. In a small tin
pail place a saucer.
On the saucer stand the bottle of milk (leaving
the cap on the bottle). Now put sufficient hot
water (not so hot as to break the bottle) into the
pail to fill same to within three or four inches of
the top of the bottle, and then stand the pail and
its contents on the top of the stove. The instant
the water begins to boil remove the bottle of
milk from the pail and cool it as rapidly as
possible. Keep the bottle of milk in the ice box
and keep the cap on the bottle when not in use.
When you remove the cap do so with a clean
prong, and be careful that the milk side of the
cap does not come in contact with anything dirty.
None but inspected or certified milk should be
used.
Milk should be kept covered with clean cheese
cloth to prevent dust getting in.
Water—
1. Water will carry germs of typhoid fever, cholera, etc.
2. Boiling and cooling all water that might be suspected.
Unprotected and Exposed Food—
a. Prevention—
1. Be sure of a pure water supply (inspection of Board of Health).
2. Cleanse all foods properly before eating.
House Fly—
a. Why it is a Disease Carrier—
1. Breeds in filth where disease germs are found.
2. Construction of feet, legs, body, wings, etc., favorable for catching
and holding great numbers of filth and disease germs.
b. How to Fight the Fly—
1. Catch all flies that get in the house.
2. Keep food covered.
3. Trap flies out of doors.
4. Screen all windows of houses, barns or out-buildings.
Mosquito—
1. Carries germs of malaria and yellow fever.
2. Turn over every pail or tub that may hold water.
3. Pick up old tin cans and bottles and put them where rain cannot fill them.
4. Screen rain barrels and cisterns so mosquitoes cannot get to the water
and lay eggs.
5. Screen the wash water if it is left standing over night.
6. Change water every day in drinking pans for birds and animals.
Rats—
Prevention—
Get rid of them by trapping and killing.

HINTS TO HOUSEKEEPERS

How to Clean Wire Window Screens.

Rub down with Kerosene oil outside and inside.

Three Primary Colors are, Red, Blue and Yellow.

Polishing Floors

One quart of turpentine to one quarter (1/4) pound of beeswax. Warm, taking care not to let any fire reach the turpentine. Rub in the floor with flannel and polish with hard brush. A little powdered burnt umber mixed in gives a nice brown stain.

To Put Away Flannels

First thoroughly air and beat them, then wrap up with cedar chips, refuse tobacco, or camphor, and wrap in newspapers, being careful to close every outlet to keep out moths.

Babcock Test

The Babcock test is a test for determining the butter fat in milk.

Bottles are devised which are known as Babcock milk bottles, and are registered to show the per cent. of fat in milk. A certain amount of milk is mixed with a certain amount of Commercial Sulphuric acid of a specific gravity 1.83 which is added by degrees and thoroughly shaken up with the milk. Enough distilled water is added to fill the bottle. The mixture is then centrifuged in a Babcock Centrifuge, and the centrifuged fat read in per cent. on the neck of the bottle.

The Official Travelers' Babcock Test can be purchased from the Creamery Package Manufactory Co., Chicago Ill., and costs between $5.00 and $6.00.

All utensils used in dairy work should be sterilized by steaming or boiling for five minutes.

How to Cure Hams

Rub one tablespoonful of Saltpetre into the face of each ham; let it remain one day. Literally cover the ham with salt and pack it in a closed box. Leave it in box as many days as there are pounds to the ham.

Take it out, wash in warm water; cover the face of the ham with black pepper, and smoke it ten days with green hickory or red-oak chips.

Care of Children

Mrs. Benson writes: "There is no way in which a girl can help her country better than by fitting herself to undertake the care of children. She should learn all she can about them, and take every opportunity of helping to look after these small Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of the future."

An infant cannot tell you its wants, but a Scout with a knowledge of the needs of children, what to feed them on, and the rules for good health, may save many a baby, for she never knows how soon the precious gift of some child's life may be placed in her hands.

Baby does not know that fire will burn, or that water will drown one, so you need to guard him. Baby requires the proper food to build up a healthy body. He prefers milk for the first months of his life, and even up till three years old he takes mostly milk; and as a baby cannot digest flour, bread, corn-flour, and such things are so much poison to him. They may injure a little baby's health for life. As has been said to older children, let him keep quiet after eating. Even up to three years old, Baby's food must be chiefly milk—biscuits, puddings, and fruit being gradually added. He is very particular about his milk being fresh and good. Baby is extremely punctual. He feels it keenly if you do not feed him at the fixed hour, and will very likely let you know it, and woe betide you if he finds out that you have not properly scalded out his bottle before and after each meal.