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HINTS TO HOUSEKEEPERS. 115

weak ley, cut the soap out of the tub and boil it in this
an hour; then put it in the tub, let it get cold, cut it in
squares and put it on a board to dry. Unless you have
plenty of ashes and soap-fat, it is much cheaper to buy
hard soap than to make it. If you have but a barrel full
of ashes you can ame a barrel of soap; bore a hole in
the bottom of a barrel, put a few sticks across, when half
full of ashes put in a quart of lime and some water; keep
the hole plugged up till you are ready to make the soap.

You can have a barrel of ashes put in the cellar in
winter to use washing and scrubbing; keep a tub
under it to hold the ley as it drops

Washing Calicoes.

Calicoes may be kept from fading by washing them
in the suds after white clothes; if it requires more soap,
stir it in the water, as putting it on the garment will fade
it; have the water moderately warm, and put in a handful
of salt; when all the dirt is out, rinse them in clean
water; starch, and hang them to dry on the wrong side,
where they will get the air but not the sun. Alum is
good to set colors.

Chintz or lawn dresses, do up nicer if there is a seam
ripped; have very nice flour-starch or clear-starch, and
clap it into them, after they are hung on the line; they
iron much better this way and look almost like new;
sometimes to wash the cuffs and lower part carefully,
and press it all over, will do without washing the whole
dress.

Table Cloths.

When two or three spots get on a table cloth, dip a
towel in clean water, and rub them off, and dry the cloth
befire it is put away; this saves washing, and if done
carefully it will look like a clean cloth. If table cloths
are stained with fruit, pour boling water on the spots,
before soap is put on; when it is so deep that this will
not take it out, apply lemon juice and salt, dry it in the
sun, and put it on several times. You should always
have cup-plates, as the marks of a coffee cup spoils the