The Aberystwith Observer

GUY FAWKES' CELLAR wan situated in what is now an open space between the exterior of the south end of Westminster Hall and the Victoria Tower; and, on levelling the foundations, the crowns of the arches were found, as was the case with the crypt of Gerard's Hall, to be above the level of the pavement; and it was, in consequence, found necessary to remove it. Since the time of the Gunpowder Plot it has been customary, a few days before the opening of each Parliament, to make an examination (under the superintendence of "Black Rod") of the various undercrofts below the Houses of Lords and Commons, in order to search for Guys and gunpowder. The particulars in connection with the London residence, &c., of Guy Fawkes seem not to be very clearly known. A house, said to have been his, formerly stood in Lambeth, not far from Vauxhall. YOUR actions in passing pass not away, for every good work is a grain of seed for eternal life.—Bernard. FRIENDSHIP and company are a bad excuse for ill actions.

FARMING NOTES. [ TREATMENT OF GARGET IN COWSv This, eays a practical writer in thrQ jpfeM.er and ■Stock-Brceder, should consist of removal *•* the ex- citing cause, if taken in hand early sot fomenta- tions, such as dbt hs or rugs rung out hot water, or bathing the &dder well for 10 Or ? minutes with warm camphorated water every ont-or two hours; if there is extreme pain, there shouM be added tincture of opium, er thoroughly cooked ^ppy-seeds, and the gland often and gently milked. Should abscesses form they should be lanced and the sack syringed out twice a day with carbolised warm water; one part of carbolic acid to 40 of water, Should there be gan- grene, the gangrenous portion usually is removed by 'excision. If the fever is high give potassium nitrate in the drinking water three or four times a day, in 'tablespoonful doses, or tincture of aconite root in 15-drop doses, for cows, every four hours for two 'days. The diet should be light and easily digestible, as gruel, bran mashes, linseed meal, pulped roots, and 'such like. LUCERNE. Lucerne (observes ProLWrightson in the Agricultural Gazette) is best sown on a well-tilled and thoroughly clean soil, especial attention being necessary to both these points. If the soil is infested with either deeply-rooted or surface weeds, there is danger of the plants being stifled during their first year of weak growth. It is recommended to subsoil or trench-plough the land. The grubber is then passed through the soil, followed by the harrow, which will reduce the surface to a fine tilth. All rubbish should be collected and burned, and the ashes spread. These operations are attended with considerable expense, but the money is well laid out, as with- out great care no good results can be obtained. Lucerne may follow a corn crop, and in this case the cultivation ought to have been commenced in the autumn. It may equally well follow a root crop, and if the grower has only recently decided to sow an area to lucerne during the coming spring, this seems to be a more favourable course of cropping. It is desirable that the ground should be in rich condition, and a root crop fed on the land by sheep would give both conditions of cleanness and fertility ready to hand. If after a corn crop, a dressing of short dung should be given, and much benefit will follow an appli- cation of 2cwt. per acre of Peruvian guano, care- fully mixed with from half-a-ton to a ton of gypsum. The best period for sowing is the middle of April, in drills Sin. or 9in. apart, or wide enough to allow of hoeing. The quantity of seed, which should be new, varies with the width between the rows, and if it is thought advisable to sow 12in. apart, 101b. of seed will suffice. If sown Sin. apart, 151b. or even 201b. of seed may be used per acre. As to depth, we believe that about half an inch would secure the best results. Deep sowing is not to be recon mended, but a cover- ing such as would be suitable for clover or cabbage seed sown in seed-bed. The land is very lightly covered by a grass-seed harrow, and the seeds will germinate freely, and appear above the surface in seven or eight days. PRESERVING BUTTER IN BRINE. The method of preserving butter by immersion in brine, for home consumption and export, has been in operation in some parts of America, and also in the colonies, for several years. The method is simply this:—As soon as the butter is ready for the market, by the ordinary method of cleansing and salting, whether by keg or roll, it is divided into lib. and 21b. pieces, according to taste and demand, and formed into rolls: and fine cheap calico is wound round the rolls. The rolls are then nicely set on end, one on the top of the other, in a cask or barrel suitable to the convenience of the butter-maker. In Australia lcwt. casks or kegs are used, and in California even 60gal. barrels are used. When the barrel is full a cloth is nicely spread over, and tucked down round the roll; and whatever space remains between the butter and the head of the cask is filled with coarse salt, or an ordinary dinner plate is sometimes used. The object of the salt on the top is to keep the butter tight in its place, and to make good the deficiency of any brine lost from leakage or evaporation. The object of the plate is to keep the rolls of butter tightly in their places, and thoroughly immersed in the brine. The barrel is then headed up, turned bung up, and filled quite full of strong brine. Of course only a "mall quantity of brine will be necessary, as it is only in the interstices between the rolls of butter it can find room, as the butter, having already been suffi- Cfontly salted in the ordinary way, will absorb none of the brine. The cask must, however be filled quite full, and securely bunged, so that no leakage occurs; for on the keeping of the barrel full of brine depends the success of the method. The butter is now ready for the market, and will keep good for years, and may be sent to any part of the world with safety. A gentleman sent butter to Britain in this way; and it sold readily in the London market for 16d. per lb., being 4d. per lb. more than any colonial butter ever fetched in the same market, When the keg or barrel containing the butter is opened by the retailing butter merchant the butter is not re- moved from the brine; but the parcels are left in it until called for by the consumer, when it is lifted fresh out of the brine and handed to the customer. Such butter will not become rancid in the house, as in its clean wrappers of calico it is as absolutely pure and fresh as on the day it left the dairy. To insure suc- cess, the butter must be cold and hard when it is put up. Californian merchants frequently relieve a glut in the market in this way, store the butter in their cellar, and retain it until there is a demand for it. The Canadians have been sending to China and Japan butter cured and preserved in this manner. They call it a secret process. THE TEMPERATURE OF BYRES. The temperature of cattle byres or sheds is too often treated (remarks the Farmer and Stock. Breeder) as a rratter ef secondary or little importance. Seldom is any heed paid to the uniformity of the degree of heat to which the animals are subjected. In fact, farmers are ready enough to turn their cattle out on the fields, regardless of the atmosphf ric conditions and the consequent suffering to the animals, from whom a profitable return is looked for. The comfort demands of the live stock are largely ignored, and while that is the case satisfactory progress need not be looked for. We would strongly advise all stock-owners to peruse carefully the remarks bearing on thit jubject which a Paisley veterinary surgeon addressed to a Glasgow audience of farmers the other evening. Mr. Pottie lays great emphasis upon the influence of the prevailing temperature upon dairy cows, and his statements are not based on theory merely. He is fortunately able to back up his impressions with practical evidence, which, after all, is the surest possible form of testimony to a promulgation of this kind. Mr. Pottie sets off his case with telling effect. His plan of likening the pro- cess of milk production in the cow to a milk manu- factory business aptly represents the case. The illus- tration is well-chosen and fittingly applied, as no one who devotes a moment's thought to his description can fail to grasp the significance and force of [his argument. We have always argued that the exposure of stock to the cold elements of winter was a most injudicious and wasteful system of management. It is so for the one great reason that the food which the animal consumes is neither devoted to the production of milk nor the formation of flesh, as the case may be, until the whole of the demands of the body have been met and satis- fied. As Mr. Pottie truthfully states the case, the -stomach, lungs, kidneys, and skin must be satisfied before milk is procured, and, he adds, just in propor- tion as they are satisfied is the milk flow regulated. From careful experiments and observations Mr. Pottie has satisfied himself that the most suitable temperature for a dairy byre is 63deg. He therefore advocates the adoption of that standard, and strongly urges the maintenance of the heat at that figure. Material variation is decidedly objectionable, and should be avoided to the utmost extent. From the effect of a uniform 63deg. of heat upon the cows, Mr. Pottie is also of opinion that that is the most suit- able standard for fattening cattle as well. Cattle owners all over the country would do well to ponder these statements, and compare the congenial condi- tions advised with their own methods of manage- ment.

"-J "WISH I had a gentleman opposite to me," said irritable old fellow at a dinner party. Why do you wish such a thing ?" was the retort. You cannot be more opposite to a gentleman than you are at present." WHERE time is money—At a watch factory. FilE SIMPLB.-Money given to a quack doctor. A BIG hole in your income—A large rent. ALWAYS behind, hasten as he may—The driver of A hansom.

GARDENING GOSSIP. GREENHOUSE HINTS, The fish-catching bladderwort, says a writer in the Gardener's Chronicle, is the Ultricularia vidgaris of the books. It is related to the lovely pinguicula, and comes near to the primulas in constructive characters. Its special point of interest is to be found in its root bladders, which at certain times become traps for small fishes, and thus the plant is capable of dimi- nishing the numbers of newly-hatched fry of fresh- water fish, and no doubt digests and appropriates the victims it entraps. This habit of the plant is no new discovery. The shoots or runners are submerged in the water, and are clothed at regular intervals with divided capillary leaves, armed with distant minute spines. Attached to the leaves and shoots are many little crested membranous bladders, of a green, purple, or pink colour. These vesicles are at first filled with water, but during the time of flowering the water escapes, and they become filled with air, so as to buoy the plant above the surface, that it may have the light and air necessary for its development. When the flowering is over, however, and these little buoyant air-vessels are no longer needed, the bladders become filled with water, and bear the plant down again, that it may ripen its seeds, and sow them in the mud at the bottom. The bladders are of a most curious structure. Each has an aper- ture closing with an elastic valve, which Mr. Wilson has observed to be of a much thinner texture than the vesicle to which it is attached. It opens inwards, and the botanist remarks that aquatic insects often enter the orifice, and are of course confined there. All the species of bladderwort have these little bladders on some part of their structure. The edgings of a town garden can be made as gay as those in an unadulterate air," by using the now justly popular yellow pyrethrum. To have a liberal supply of these plants is half the battle. A dozen pots should be filled with fine soil and watered, of course being previously well drained with broken ovstershell or potsherd." An hour after watering sow the seeds very carefully, evenly, and thinly. Cover merely with a dusting of light soil sufficient to hide the seeds. These should be kept moist with tepid water, and while on the hotbed will, if covered with boards, germinate quickly, and the young plants ap- pear in about nine days. When large enough to handle-say, half-an-inch high-they should be placed in shallow boxes in fine soil, and again returned to the bed. Though hardy—that is to say, those plants of mature growth—the seedlings should be gradually hardened off until planting-out time arrives, say the second week in May. This bed might also be used for striking cuttings of variegated geraniums for foliage effect. That known under the name of Silver Nosegay is worth a place, with many others of variegated foliage, such as Mrs. Pollock, Mrs. Rundle, and more recent kinds. Eight or nine in a 4in. pot will strike root in a week, and if sheltered by a few boards will suffer no injury from slight spring frosts. Mesembryanthemum cordifolium variegatum might also be increased by placing cuttings in sandy soil and giving a little bottom-heat. This edging plant always succeeds in the town plot, sending up its minute lilac blooms. It combines well in effect with pyrethrum, producing a most brilliant edging. This and the fore-named should be planted four inches apart. Echeveria retusa is a most de- sirable plant, perhaps more familiarly known under the name of Houseleek." A few of these produce a good effect, either as edging or bedding plants, send- ing up spikes of delicious orange and scarlet bloom which form a decided contrast to the blueish tone of the plant. Can be increased by side shoots, which soon appear in good soil. A complaint made by amateurs is that the flower- spikes of hyacinths do not rise freely, and the flowers open confusedly close down to the bulb, and look ridiculous. All these dumpy hyacinths, and all those that show canker on the spike, and that shed their buds instead of expanding them, are weak in the roots. If we turn one of them out, and shake away the soil, we shall find that the bulb has either made no roots at all, or only a few poor weak ones that seem quite unable to push through the soil and find nourishment for the leaves and flowers. When the spikes of such begin to show colour, it is too late to do anything with them, but if taken in time dumpiness may to some extent be prevented. Now, it is when first re- moved from the plunge-bed that the cultivator must determine which are likely to attain their proper growth, and which, if left without special help, will be dumpy. Those that have the leaves and spikes closely packed together, and in the form of a pointed cone, may be considered the most promising. They have formed plenty of good roots, and intend to open their leaves freely, and send up their spikes in a dig- nified manner. But all those which exhibit a small club-like mass of flower-buds, with small leaves already parted from the centre and diverging from it, are candidates for dumpiness. I VEGETABLE GARDEN. Sow a pinch of cauliflower seeds in a warm frame or in the greenhouse or the sunny window will do. Cauliflowers in the open air, where not sown too early, have passed through the winter well; but in some cases plants bolt from early sowing ia conse- quence of the mildness of the winter. Man is never satisfied; either the severe weather kills off his plants, or the weather is so mild his cauliflowers and cabbages bolt prematurely. In any garden where either of these things has happened, there is nothing for it but to sow in heat at once; prick off the plants when large enough, and plant out in deep drills in a sheltered spot. If warm manure can be obtained in quantity, get it fermented by shaking over and inter- mixing for 10 days or a little longer, and then shake up the bed. What a lot can be done with a small hotbed during February, March, and April! A pot of seeds plunged in a genial hotbed germinates almost directly; but all seeds should be lifted out of the hotbed as soon as the plants appear, and placed on a shelf near the glass, but shaded a little at first. PITS AND FRAMES. Ventilate very freely in mild weather. Seeds and cuttings may be raised in quantity in a genial hotbed to supply the greenhouse and flower garden with flowering plants. Tuberousbegonias sown now in the hotbed, and carefully managed, will be strong enough to go into the beds in June. WINDOW GARDEN. One of the things to bear in mind in the manage- ment of bulbs is to gradually inure them to the light when started in a dark cupboard or plunged outside to make roots. The roots also must be kept moist. Tulips may be taken out of the pots, some of the soil removed, and the bulbs planted in moss in vases or ornamental jars. The flowers will last quite as long, and the effect will be better. Shorten back straggling plants, and put in cuttings. FLOWER GARDEN. Iceland poppies that were sown in autumn may be transplanted. These are charming border plants; and as old plants often die during winter, young plants should be raised from seeds annually, There are plenty of self-sown plants round the old plants if the soil has not been disturbed overmuch. Shirley poppies are very pretty, and these also grow freely from seed scattered round the place where the plants bloomed last; these plants will flower early. Seeds for successional flowers may be sown in March. There are other poppies, including Danebrog, umbrosulV and glaucum (tulip poppy), which those who admire poppies should grow; seeds can be pur- chased cheaply. The Margarita carnations are valu- able for cutting, and are easily raised from seeds, which, if sown now, will bloom during the coming summer. There is a white variety of this, called Snowflake, which comes nearly true from seeds. At this season the seeds should be sown under glass- preferably where there is a little heat. Sow sweet peas freely now. Decided colours are best for cutting. There will not be too many white and carmine sweet peas for cutting. There are two seasons for planting carnations-viz., October and March. In warm situations, and where wire-worms are not numerous, plant in October but in diffi- cult situations pot up the plants in autumn, winter in cold frames, and plant out at the end of March. There will be fewer losses from insects and disease. And this latter plan gives an opportunity of getting the beds into good condition by frequent turning and intermixing. The more the soil is ex- posed to the influence of the air, the better the plants will do. Wall roses for early blooming may be pruned now. These will include the Dijon teas, and others of vigorous habit. Few realise what >|ight be done with roses on a south wall in a well-prepared border. If the border has not been well prepared, the growth of the plants will be poor, and insects will be troublesome. Everybody should grow quantities of hardy primulas, polyanthuses, and auriculas-all of which may be raised from seeds sown in the frame or greenhouse.-Cottage Gardening,

AMERICAN HUMOUR, THE free Press has received and placed ia the refrigerator a poem from a young girl at Ann Arbor, who is groping through one of the blackest olouds of opaque grief that ever rolled athwart the horizon of youthful love. The sheet upon which the poem ig written is covered with disooloured spots that experts in the office pronounce to be traces of grief-laden tears, but they may be simply drops of juice which flew out from an apple she was munching, as she wrote. The poem opens— The tale of woe I fain would tell Would crush all hearts with sorrow And call to mind the pangs of—well, Eternity's to-morrow. THE skill displayed by the presumably fair writer in getting around the pronunciation of a real bad word will commend itself to every despiser of profanity in the land. The poem contains about 16 verses, which are, with one or two exceptions, in a fair state of preservation. The heart-piercing streak of gilded grief runs through each verse, and gives evidence that the writer had it pretty bad. She may have been afiittle bilious when the sad lines oozed from her pen, and yet it is seldom that an attack of the most acute biliousness will cause such morbid grief. As the reading of the lines progresses, how- ever, the cause of her terrible tussle with sorrow becomes apparent, and in the last stanza the whole truth stands out like a bay window. It runs in this limpid shape: No more will I see John McCoy, He's left his loving Harriet; He's wrecked my every earthly joy, He's false as J. Iscariot. He's left me for another, who, Her wiles exerted o'er him, And who ere long will shake him, too- Ah, cruel fate before him GENTLEMEN of the jury," said his honour, do you find the prisoner guilty, or not guilty P" We do," answered the foreman, sternly, and the prisoner turned pale- >fl.. SORRY I have no small change," said a gentleman to a beggar. "All right, yer honour," was the reply I will give ye credit. Where do ye live ?" A LITTLB fellow on going for the first time to church, where the pews were very high, was asked, oh coming out, what he did in the church, when ho replied, utI- went into a cupboard and took a seat on the shelf.' THE old man sighed as he toot the- goiaen-nairea, laughing boy upon his knees, and, stroking his shining tresses, said 1 "Ah, how much I should like to fed like a child again." Little Johnnie ceased hife laughter.. and, looking soberly upon his grandfather's face, remarked: "Then why don't you get mamma to Spank you ?" WHILE an Idaho girl was sitting under a tree waiting for her lover a grizzly bear came along, and, approaching from behind, began to hug her. But she thought it was Tom, and she leaned back and enjoyed it heartily, and murmured tighter," and it broke the bear all up, and he went away and hid in the forest for three days to get over his shame. WHY is a certain kind of window called a bay- window ?—Because people go there when they look out to see. A PHILADELPHIA lady was about engaging a servant -a waitress. "What wages do you ask?" she in- quired. Well," responded the girl, meditatively, three dollars and a half a week, if I'm expected to pass round the dishes, and three dollars if the family stretch for themselves." A LEARNED man in Prague has discovered that Bis- marck is descended from a music teacher of about A.D. 1000, and this has set Bizzy busy practising vocal exercises to see whether the talent has descended to Vim. He goes round the place singing, "In dad schweet by and bv," and "Tarling, te vas getting old," until Kaiser Wilhelm says he can't stand it any longer, and this will lead to further complications in Europe." PLAIT EvANS, a stuttering joker lived in Cin- cinnati as long ago as the time when it was considered capital fun to send a countryman from store to store inquiring for things he would be certa in not to find at the places to which he was sent. One day a country fellow came, as he had been directed, to Piatt's store to buy a Joves-harp. Platt was a merohant tailor. He was busy with a customer as the man appeared, but, observing that several of the boys" had dropped in at the door, just to see what Piatt would do, he took at once, and responded to the inquiry for the musical instrument, W-w-wait a minute. Having served his customer, he picked up a pair of glove stretchers and approached a rural melodist with, "L-l-let m m-measure your m-m-mouth," and introducing the stretchers, manipulated them so as to transform the aperture into a horizontal yawn awful to see, and capacious enough to hold a dozen Jew's-harps. Removing the apparatus, he examined it carefully and deliberately, as one might scrutinise a thermometer or pocket- compass, and then dismissed the unsuccessful searcher for Teves-haro, as he said in a tone of well-feigned disappointment, W-w-we hain't g-g-oot any your B-s-size f THEY have good schools in America, but it is clear they all do not share in their advantages. A common council man in Fall River, Mass., lately moved the following order: Ordered that the super intended of streets is here. By authorised 2 erect and maintain 2 street litee on John-street." AN American lady writer, exhibiting one of the differences between the vernacular of the Americans and English, states that the waist of a dress is by the latter denominated a body." She relates that a young American lady, on a visit to a country house, was put into a room previously occupied by one of the family, but which had the reputation of being haunted. The young lady had subdued her nervous- ness sufficiently to fall into a light] slumber, when there came a gentle tap at the door and a sepulchral voice whispered through the key hole I want to come in to get my body." A COLUMBUS (Ohio) paper says: A night or two ago one of our most prominent citizens was aroused by a terrible fluttering among the ducks out in the yard. He had 13 ducks in the drove, and the unusual commotion at such an hour in the night caused him to get up and see what was the cause of the disturb- ance. Imagine his consternation when he found seven of his ducks lying dead in the yard, and four others in the hands of a negro thief. There is not much strange about this, but the manner in which the theft was committed is the singular part. The negrc had two dogs—one a large white one and the other & small black one. These dogs he sent into the yard to catch the ducks, which they did, and would then carry them out into the street and give them to the rascal. The dogs were seen each with a duck, carry ing them out to their master. A yoooa man writes t. a New York paper that he wants to be an editor, to which the editor of the paper replies: Canst thou draw up a leviathan with a hook thou lettest down ? Canst thou hook up great ideas from the depths of thine intellect, and clean, scale, and fry them at five minutes' notice ? Canst thou write editorials as they may be wanted—to measure? Canst thou write an editorial to fit a three-quarter column of the paper, which shall be in length just 22 inches, having three inches of fine sentiment four inches from the beginning, and nine inches of humour in the middle, and an outburst of maxim and precept nine and three-quarter inches long at the close ?" WHEN John Jones was told that a friend of his was ill and sinking fast, he said: Well, I am not surprised; I always thought that would be about the direction he would go when he died." A RATHER emaciated old darkey, who drives a dray for a wealthy Galveston firm, had a business meeting with his employers a few days ago. "Look heah, boss, I want you to increase my celery. I don't get enough to eat. I'se falling off ebery day." 11 That's just what we want," said the proprietor, rubbing his hands in high glee; we have no use for a fat driver. That's the reason we don't give you high wages. You \vould get to be fat and heavy, and that would be so much extra weight for the poor mule to pull." I'se mighty afeared I'se going to-starve to deff." "You mustn't talk that Way, Uncle Mose. You must not do that for the poor mule's sake. Just hold out, and at the next meeting of our Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals I will see that you are tended I a complimentary vote of thanks for your heroism in f lightening the load of the unfortunate mule." I A NEW LONDON tramp was able to get enough to eat, such as it was, and he slept comfortably in barns, but lie was puzzled how to get a new swit of clothes without working for them. At length he hit upon the idea of slipping into a small-pox pest- house, and spending hour there. This he did without fear, as he bad long been pitted by the disease. The authorities had to burn his rags, and BO he gat. the desired new outfit.

THE WOMAN'S WORLD. MANY people may not yet (observe a writer in the Season) have purchased the charming little tea baskets which are now generally sold for kettle drums." They are composed of four graduated tiers of wicket work united by a handle. Each tier is fitted with a quaint Chinese plate to hold bread and butter, cake, biscuits, and hot muffins. The handle is usually decorated with ribbon bows to match the prevailing colour of the room. These baskets are delightful adjuncts to the tea paraphernalia, and as they are very light and portable the toil of offering dainties one by one is obviated. THE ball dress is always the most important, par- ticularly to young ladies just coming out," yet it is arranged this winter in the simplest and most youth- ful style, and of such diaphanous materials as gauze, crape, and net of every description in pure white. Serpentine skirts are most admired, and the materials for them are manufactured one and a-half yards wide. They are made double and treble of graduated lengths, or trimmed very high with graduated stripes of shaded chenille spots embroidered in straight or pointed rows, to be bought the round shape of the skirt. Other more elegant ornamentations for young ladies who have passed their first season," and young matrons, are composed of round bertha and skirt flounces of the richest chenille and spangled em- broidery. Glittering finishes seem equally the order of the d&y for every kind of toilette to be worn on ceremonious occasions, the handsomest visiting dresses of dark velvet or cloth being adorned with strings of jet beads and cabochons looped round the bodice in many ways, while the skirts and bodices of shot silk toilets for winter afternoon receptions are ornamented richly with rows of bright jet and beads, and dinner dresses of coloured and black satin are embroidered entirely in front of the half-low bodice with a mass of jet beads, spangles, and sequins. Between the chenille embroideries just mentioned are arranged delicate satin and moir6 antique ribbons of the narrowest as well as widest kinds, and small bouquets of hedge roses, cherry blossoms, honeysuckle, lily-of-the-valley, erika, forget-me-not, and the tender blossoms of the mimosa, often scattered over the whole dress. Pointed wreaths are used to trim berthas and bodices, the most admired of these being the round berthe collar and upright bouquet on the shoulder; flower fringes, too, are quite in vogue. Bright, full-blown roses, and crysanthemums with velvet calices bound in sprigs and bouquets with maidenhair grass, give fashionable flower finishes for ball toilettes of costly silk trimmed in a costly manner, and besides these, appears the modest violet, equally suitable for adorning the toilette of the young maiden, and the dress cap of dear grandmamma. We hope our young readers in the middle of their teens will understand perfectly that this season they have the most decided solemn right of wearing pure white, or, perhaps, delicate pink materials, in the evening. Their somewhat elder sisters may choose embroidered, watered, em- bossed, moire-striped gauze, or the new silk texture with rows of insertion woven into the foundation. BEAUTIFUL plain and fancy ondine silks, shot ben- galines, satins with floral designs or fluted, these last being very fashionable and produced in great variety, may be included among stuffs suitable for dancing and evening parties; but nearly all materials, whether intended for out or indoor wear are shot; even figured silks follow the same rule, and moir6 is more often seen shot than plain. HAVEl some small pieces of board, either round or square, covered with oilcloth, to set under pots and kettles, when they are taken from the stove. Every woman knows what a black ugly mark these utensils make wherever they are set, and usually the sink is used for this purpose, to save the cleaning of table after them. A few of these boards hung near the stove will be found very convenient for this purpose. When the dripping-pan comes out of the oven, it is sure to smut whatever it touches. A square board like the above kind will come in very handy here. These boards can be washed very easily, and will last a long time, thereby saving the housewife a great deal of unnecessary work. THEI skirts of gowns are (remarks Daphne in tho Season) becoming much more ornate than they were -a very satisfactory innovation for small people, as length of limb is absolutely essential to the straight, plain drapery of some months ago. A very tasteful costume for At Homes," or weddings, is in cornflower coloured faced cloth. A velvet flounce below the waist, sleeve puffs and revers are of dark ultramarine velvet. The cuffs and corset are braided with fine, pale blue silk cord, in which runs a strand of tinsel. The small half-kerchief at the bust is in soft silk or china crepe. The skirt of the dress is quite plain, with the exception of a border at the hem of silk and tinsel to correspond with the bodice. This style of costume will be found exceedingly becoming to lithe little figures which are deficient in modelling. A com- bination of amber velvet and cornflower blue is more startling and looks artistic, but daring harmonies can only be ventured upon by persons who thoroughly understand themselves "and the occult unwritten laws of colour. As a passing hint I may suggest that the half-kerchief drapery across the chest is most useful in case of alteration of tight bodices under the arms. IN the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love. So, in like manner (says a writer in the Weekly Sun), do a young woman's thoughts turn to the most charming of spring costumes where- with to captivate the young man. I saw some nice dresses this week which my heart went out to, but my pocket replied sternly no perhaps some of you may be more fortunate. A grey dress of soft woollen material had a narrow frill of black velvet with beading of jet round the bottom of the skirt. The bodice was of the plain grey stuff with very big sleeves of black velvet, and a very pretty basque that sat wonderfully well was round the bottom of the bodice. Just above the basque were three rows of the jet, which gives a nice effect of slimness to the waist. Another new gown had a skirt of black silky material, the seams ot the gored skirt being outlined with jet, the bodice and sleeves were of heliotrope velvet, the vest revers and basque being in black silk. The sleeves were made with the one full puff to the elbow; but if they are caught again to give the appearance of a double puff I think they look much better. Yet another now gown was of shot-blue hopsack, trimmed with thick cord which had a sort 'of bead edging to it. The skirt was plain, rather more full than ordinary ones round the bottom. The bodice was double-breasted, and had a double basque of the material. The vest was of very finely-tucked white moir6, and the gown looked very stylish. IN the early year all wintry things begin to look dull and heavy, and a general desire for smartness seems to take possession of the featherless as well as the feathered biped. To gratify this desire the shops have broken out into brighter colours and paler fur, notably chinchilla. This is used for borders, col- larettes, muffs, and boas. The prettiest and most appropriate arrangement was, however, on the going away dress of a young bride. The material of the gown was woollen, soft though hairy. It was of the same colour as the chinchilla, which edged it everywhere. The sleeves, cape, and skirt border were of iron-grey velvet. Just above the fur, and on the vest, was an embroidery of black, silver, and gold tinsel, which gave the simple frock a charm- ing finish. A capacious muff was made in the same fur, and a small kid bonnet worked with steel beads and jetting completed the picture.

HOME E.INTS. BEEF STEAK PIE.—Buy thtee or more pounds of good buttock steak (less if a small pie is sufficient for you). Cut it in inch ride pieces, and three inches long, mix a tablespoonful of flour with a r saltspoonfui of pepper, salt, and finely-chopped parsley and onion, dip each piece of steak in the mixture, roll it and lay them in a pie-dish when all are used, if any of the mixtui'e is left sprinkle it over the meat, pour over half-a-pint of water. Make a crust with three-quarters of a pound of flour, and six ounces. of dripping, chopped together on the pastry-board, make it into a soft dough with cold water, roll it out, cover the pie, ornament the top with the remains of the paste, bake in a good hot oven, one hour and a half. A SUPPER DISH OF FISH AIm POTATOES.—Slice and fry half a pound of pork in equal quantities of fat and lean, two large onions-fry these until a nice brown put them into a saucepan, and just cover with boiling water. Let them simmer 20 minutes. Peel four large potatoes-cut them in rather thick slices, put them on top of the pork and onions. Scald a fresh haddock or plaice, skin it and lay on top of the potatoes; cover close, and let the potatoes and fish cook for 30 minutes. Season with pepper, salt, and a tablespoonful of finely-chopped parsley. Li ft the fish out carefully, put the vegetables on a hot dish, lay the fish on the top, and serve. EASY WAY TO CLEANSE PAINT.—There is a very simple method to clean paint, and if housewives would adopt it it would save them both expense and trouble, besides being more successful. Procure some of the best whiting to be had and smash it on a plate; have ready a bucket of clean warm water and a piece of flannel, which dip into the water and squeeze nearly dry then take as much whiting as will adhere to it, apply it to the painted surface, when a little rubbing will instantly remove any dirt or grease; after which wash the parts well with clear, water, rubbing it dry with a soft chamois leather. Paint thus cleaned looks as well as when first laid on, without any injury to the most delicate colours. It is far better than using soap, and does not require more than half the time and labour. BAKED ARROWROOT PUDDING.—Put a pint of milk in a clean saucepan, with a little bit of cinnamon and lemon-peel, cover the saucepan, and while this gets hot, mix three dessertspoonfuls of arrowroot with a breakfastcupful of cold milk. Bring the milk in the saucepan to the boil, and pour in the smoothly-mixed arrowroot, stirring briskly. Let it all boil two minutes, then remove from the fire to cool a little break in two whole eggs, a generous lump of butter, and three tablespoonfuls of sugar stir well together. Well butter a pie-dish, pour in half of the arrowroot, lay on this some raspberry or black currant jam, pour the remainder of the arrowroot over the jam. Bake in a moderate oven 20 minutes. ORANGE TART.—Peel eight oranges, and carefully I take off every particle of white pith; divide the oranges into quarters, and put them into a pie-dish sprinkle finely with sugar and a little of the grated peel of the oranges. Pour over the fruit a teacupful of water, cover with a nice light pie-crust, bake merely until the crust of the pie is cooked-about 20 or 25 minutes. Eat either hot or cold. GINGER APPLES.—Well butter a pie-dish, sprinkle it freely with sugar, and a teaspoonful of ginger. Peel and core six good cooking apples, slice them into the pie-dish, with a little chopped candied lemon and orange-peel. Make a batter with two tablespoonfuls of flour, one egg, and a pint of milk, pour over the apples, put a few pieces of butter on top, and bake three-quarters of an hour in a moderate oven. COCOANUT PUDDING.-Two ounces of cocoanut, a tablespoonful of flour and sugar, two whole eggs, and a teacupful of milk. Mix all well together, well butter a pie-dish, and pour in the mixture. Bake in a moderate oven 20 minutes. PLANT KEEPING IN TUB HOME.—Plants, like people, need fresh air. During the long winter evenings we should make some change in the atmosphere of the room in which they are kept. This may be done while supper is being served by opening the windows from the top for five or ten minutes: and at noon time it is well to do the same thing, but care must be taken not to let a cold draught strike the plants directly lest it prove an injury instead of a benefit. In the days of our grand- fathers the enormous open fireplaces served well for all purposes of ventilation, but the large coal stoves or furnaces of our houses are very poor substitutes for them, and both plant life and human life suffer accordingly; for we may be sure that unless the air is pure and fresh we cannot raise healthy, flowering plants; and those plants which are not placed directly in the sunshine will suffer most, for to a certain extent the sunshine purifies its own atmosphere. Many novices in floriculture wonder why their plants do not thrive better in the winter season; in spite of all care lavished upon them they will not bloom, but persist in dropping their leaves and buds. Perhaps if they will think of these things they may discover the cause and marvel no longer at the effect. Common sense is a needful ingredient to successful plant culture, and one must exercise it in these matters of ventila- tion and excessive change in the temperature of rooms in which plants are kept. In February cuttings may be taken from house plants, and easily rooted in a shallow box filled with coarse sand and kept con- stantly moist. Tuberous begonias grow easily from seed, and will bloom in six months from time of sow- ing. If the seed-pan or box is covered with glass, the young plants thrive better than when treated in the ordinary way. If you wish to secure bloom from the cosmos before frost, sow the seed now, that you may have thrifty plants to set out in July. The flower lovers who must house their tender plants in a room heated by a soft coal stove in which no fire burns during the night, should remember that begonias, tender roses, and helio- trope do not thrive in such an atmosphere, writes Ella Guernsey. If a few hardy specimens do survive the hot air, the cold nights, the daily dust showers, since the housewife must sweep her wool carpet once each day, they are stunted, yellow sickly plants in the spring, mere ghosts of the green, beautiful plants potted in early autumn. A covering, cuisisting of -hree thicknesses of newspaper pasted together and adjusted to the shape of the plant, is a protection in freezing weather. A square box, a cone that will fit over the plant, will answer. Newspapers are the pro- tection most easily obtained. A fine geranium was kept in this manner in a mere hovel through a severe winter. Heliotropes are especially tender. A rose geranium is a delight to the cultivator if given a chance to live. Its sweet fragrance is grateful to all. The leaves are beautiful in shape. A news- paper cover will greatly aid in keeping the frost from nipping your plants. The wise woman has learned not to expose her floral pets to the outer air too early in the spring, though the weather may be warm. The softly blowing south wind is not to be trusted; yet sometimes there are days when the window plants are wonderfully brightened by being set out in the rain for a few hours. Dust is a mortal enemy to thrifty growth in plants as it is to human life and health. If possible, protect your plants while sweeping. A rain washing is much superior to any other mode of watering. However, when nature's baths are too chill, the leaves must be cleansed in the house. A dust-choked plant cannot be a joy to any one. OLD ENGLISH COOKERy.-Many of the kinds of food once common have either only recently died out or still maintain a local popularity. Furmity or frumenty" a preparation of boiled wheat, made something like the American samp and once a favourite accompaniment to mutton and venison, was I at the beginning of the present century still eaten as porridge. We ourselves know a house in which the art of making "tansy pudding" still survives. I The" squab" pie of Devonshire and Cornwall-a mixture of apples, mutton, and onions-is an evident relic of the past; whilst the ",black puddings," which in some country districts signalises the death of the ¡I farmer's or cottager's pig, furnish a rare survival of the use of blood in cookery, once very common. Judging from the character of the older recipes, the art of making very light pastry is probably a modern one, but pastry of several different varieties was anciently used for different purposes. Thus in I baking meat or game, a coarse paste of rye-flour was wrapped round it to prevent it from being dried by the heat of the oven. A paste such as is now used for the raised pork pies so common in the Midlands was made by dissolving butter in boilingi water, pouring it thus hot upon the flour, and work ng the mixture into a putty-like mass which, as it cooled, wou]d set in any form retired. This was hot butter paste." Flaky" paste again was made much as it is at present, while for another kind called" pam-puff" no water at all was mixed with the flour. but only yolk of egg.—Quarterly Review.