SPECTACLE CASE ON FINE CANVAS IN BERLIN WOOL.

A LITTLE article suitable for a token of friendship from the young to the old, easily worked, and pretty when completed. A fine canvas is required, and the light shades used in the pattern should be in floss silk. The ground is in

for which it is intended. The two sides must be lined with silk, an inner lining of flannel being first inserted; they must then be sewed together, leaving one end open to admit the spectacles, after which the stitches must be hid by a very small black silk cord, sewed on all round, and at the opening, on both sides of each half.

crimson, and the pattern is worked in black, blues, and grays. The little border round has a black ground, the pattern being in alternate reds, blues, and whites. The colors should not be chosen for the gaiety of their contrasts, as it is the neatness of the work, and the suitability of style in the pattern, which render the article, when completed, appropriate for the purpose

CAST on six stitches in colored worsted on fine steel needles.

Knit forty-five rows plain knitting.

Double this piece to form a loop; take up the stitches on one needle, making twelve stitches in all.

Join the white worsted; knit one row plain, one row purl, until you have six rows; then reverse the rows so as to make a rib the other way six rows in each rib. Do this until you have thirty-three ribs.

Join the colored worsted; knit one row plain, then narrow one stitch at the end of the row for two rows; then knit one row across plain, and repeat the last three rows until all the stitches are off.

Make a short cord and attach a tassel.

Receipts, &c.

DIRECTIONS FOR PRESERVING FRUITS, ETC. It has been our custom every year, during the months of June, July, and August, to publish a large number of useful receipts suited to the preserving season. Having many new subscribers this year, we republish the collection, with the addition of many new ones, which will be found very valuable.

OBSERVATIONS ON PRESERVING.

A very common discovery made by those who preserve fruits, etc., is, that the preserve either ferments, grows mouldy, or becomes caudied.

These three effects arise from three separate causes, The first from insuficient boiling; the second from being kept in a damp place, assisted in some degree by the first cause; and the third from being too quick and too long boiling.

Preserves of all kinds should be kept entirely secluded from the air, and in a dry place. In ranging them on the shelves of a store-closet, they should not be suffered to come in contact with the wall. Moisture in winter and spring exudes from some of the driest walls, and preserves invariably imbibe it, both in dampness and taste. It is necessary occasionally to look at them, and if they have been attacked by mould, boil them up gently again. To prevent all risks, it is always as well to lay a brandy paper over the fruit before tying down. This may be renewed in the spring.

Fruit jellies are made in the ratio of a quart of fruit to two pounds of sugar. They must not be boiled quick, nor very long. Practice, and a general discretion, will be found the best guides to regulate the exact time, which necessarily must be affected, more or less, by local causes.

If you do not possess a drying-stove, the fruit may be dried in the sun on flagstones, taking care that insects are not suffered to approach it; a garden glass to cover the preserve will keep them off. If dried in an oven, it must be of gentle warmth, and they must be done slowly.

DIFFERENT DEGREES OF PREPARING SUGAR.

The various purposes to which sugar is applied require it to be in different states; these are called degrees. They extend to the number of thirteen.

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First Degree.-Replace the clarified sugar in the serving-pan, to boil gently, take a drop of it on the thumb and touch it with the forefinger; if, on opening them, it draws to a fine thread, and in breaking forms two drops on each finger, it is at the right point.

Second.-A little more boiling brings it to this point, when the thread will draw further before it breaks. Third. At this point the thread may be drawn as far as the span will open without breaking.

Fourth.-On still increasing the boiling, little raised balls are formed on the surface of the sugar.

Fifth.-Take up some of the sugar on a skimmer, and drop it on the rest, when it should form a slanting streak on the surface.

Sixth. Boil it yet a little longer; the streak or tail is now larger, and it has reached this point.

Seventh.-Take out a skimmerful of the sugar, blow through it, and small sparks of sugar will fly from it. Eighth. The same proof as above; the sparks should be larger and stronger.

Ninth.-Take the sugar in the skimmer as before, give it a shake, and if the sparks are large, and adhere together, on rising, it is at the right point.

Tenth. Dip your fingers in cold water, and then into the sugar instantly, and again into the water, when the sugar will roll into a ball, which will be supple when cold.

Eleventh.-At this point the ball or bullet will be harder when cold than the last.

Twelfth.-Prove as above; the bullet should crumble between the fingers, and, on biting, will stick to the teeth.

Thirteenth.-At this point it should snap clean when bitten. This point is very difficult to attain, for in increasing the height the sugar is apt to burn; it is better, therefore, to try the proof very frequently. Another process is much used by the confectioner, and produces a deep color; it is made by putting a little water to the sugar and boiling it without skimming, or otherwise touching the sugar till of the right color, then take it off and use immediately.

If, on preparing the sugar, you miss the right point, add a little cold water, and boil once more.

Observations.-The skimmer should never be left in the preserving-pan after the sugar is clarified, nor after the scum is removed.

Be very careful not to stir or disturb the sugar, as that would cause its diminution.

In boiling the sugar, particularly the two last degrees, the sugar is continuously rising and falling, and, on falling, leaves marks on the side of the pan, which the heat of the fire would soon burn, and thereby spoil the whole of the sugar. To avoid this, have by the side of you a pan of cold water and a sponge, upon which wipe the sides of the pan carefully the instant after the sugar has fallen.

TO CLARIFY SUGAR.-Take the quantity of fine white loaf-sugar you intend to clarify, add to it of very clean warm water half a pint for every pound; when dissolved, add to it the white of one or two eggs-as the quantity may require-well whipped, put it on the fire, and when it comes to a boil, pour into it an ordinary teacupful of cold water; on its rising again to a boil, remove it, and let it settle for twenty minutes; skim the scum from the top, pour off the syrup into a clean vessel with sufficient quickness to leave all the sediment at the bottom, and such steadiness as to prevent any of the latter rising and mixing with it.

TO PRESERVE STRAWBERRIES.-To two pounds of fine large strawberries, add two pounds of powdered sugar, and put them in a preserving kettle, over a slow fire, till the sugar is melted; then boil them precisely twenty minutes, as fast as possible; have ready a number of small jars, and put the fruit in boiling hot. Cork and seal the jars immediately, and keep them through the summer in a cold, dry cellar. The jars must be heated before the hot fruit is poured in, otherwise they will break.

TO PRESERVE STRAWBERRIES OR RASPBERRIES, FOR CREAMS OR ICES, WITHOUT BOILING.-Let the fruit be gathered in the middle of a warm day, in very dry weather; strip it from the stalks directly, weigh it, turn it into a bowl or deep pan, and bruise it gently; mix with an equal weight of fine dry sifted sugar, and put it immediately into small wide-necked bottles; cork these firmly without delay, and tie bladders over the tops. Keep them in a cool place, or the fruit will forThe mixture should be stirred softly, and only

ment.

just sufficiently to blend the sugar and the fruit. The bottles must be perfectly dry, and the bladders, after having been cleaned in the usual way, and allowed to become nearly so, should be moistened with a little spirit on the side which is to be next the cork.

STRAWBERRIES STEWED FOR TARTS.-Make a syrup of one pound of sugar and a teacup of water; add a little white of eggs; let it boil, and skim it until only a foam rises; then put in a quart of berries free from stems and hulls; let them boil till they look clear and the syrup is quite thick. Finish with fine puff paste.

TO PRESERVE STRAWBERRIES IN WINE.-Put a quantity of the finest large strawberries into a gooseberry-bottle, and strew over them three large spoonfuls of fine sugar; fill up with Madeira wine or sherry.

STRAWBERRY JELLY.-Express the juice from the fruit through a cloth, strain it clear, weigh, and stir to it an equal proportion of the finest sugar dried and reduced to powder; when this is dissolved, place the preservingpan over a very clear fire, and stir the jelly often until it boils; clear it carefully from scum, and boil it quickly from fifteen to twenty-five minutes. This receipt is for a moderate quantity of the preserve; a very small portion will require much less time.

RASPBERRIES.-These may be preserved wet, bottled, or made jam or marmalade of, the same as strawberries. Raspberries are very good dried in the sun or in a warm oven. They are very delicious stewed for table or tarts. RASPBERRY JAM.-Weigh the fruit, and add threequarters of the weight of sugar; put the former into a preserving-pan, boil, and break it; stir constantly, and let it boil very quickly; when the juice has boiled an hour, add the sugar and simmer half an hour. In this way the jam is superior in color and flavor to that which is made by putting the sugar in at first.

RASPBERRY WINE.-Bruise the finest ripe raspberries with the back of a spoon; strain them through a flannel bag into a stone jar; allow one pound of fine powdered loaf-sugar to one quart of juice; stir these well together, and cover the jar closely; let it stand three days, stirring the mixture up every day; then pour off the clear liquid, and put two quarts of sherry to each quart of juice, or liquid. Bottle it off, and it will be fit for use in a fortnight. By adding Cognac brandy instead of sherry, the mixture will be raspberry brandy.

RASPBERRY CREAM.-Rub a quart of raspberries, or raspberry jam, through a hair sieve, to take out the seeds, and then mix it well with cream; sweeten with sugar to taste; put into a stone jug, and raise a froth with a chocolate mill; as your froth rises, take it off with a spoon, and lay it upon a hair sieve. have got as much froth as you want, put what cream remains into a deep china dish, or punch bowl, and pour your frothed cream upon it, as high as it will lie on.

When you

CURRANTS PRESERVED.-Take ripe currants free from stems; weigh them, and take the same weight of sugar; put a teacup of sugar to each pound of it; boil the syrup until it is hot and clear; then turn it over the fruit; let it remain one night; then set it over the fire, and boil gently until they are cooked and clear; take them into the jars or pots with a skimmer; boil the syrup until rich and thick, then pour it over the fruit. Currants may be preserved with ten pounds of fruit to seven of sugar. Take the stems from seven pounds of the currants, and crush and press the juice from the remaining three pounds; put them into the hot syrup, and boil

until thick and rich; put it in pots or jars, and the next day secure as directed.

CURRANT JELLY.-Pick fine red, but long ripe, currants from the stems; bruise them, and strain the juice from a quart at a time through a thin muslin; wring it gently, to get all the liquid; put a pound of white sugar to each pound of juice; stir it until it is all dissolved; set it over a gentle fire; let it become hot, and boil for fifteen minutes; then try it by taking a spoonful into a saucer; when cold, if it is not quite firm enough, boil it for a few minutes longer.

CURRANT JAM OF ALL COLORS.-Strip your currants, and put them into your pan, with three-quarters of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit; add your sugar after your fruit has boiled a few minutes: boil all together, mashing your fruit with a wooden spoon; boil all gently for half an hour, then fill your jars.

CURRANT WINE.-Dissolve eight pounds of honey in fifteen gallons of boiling water, to which, when clarified, add the juice of eight pounds of red or white currants; then ferment for twenty-four hours; to every two gallons add two pounds of sugar, and clarify with whites of eggs.

COMPOTE OF GREEN CURRANTS.-Half a pint of spring water, five ounces of sugar, boiled together ten minutes; one pint of green currants stripped from the stalks; simmer from three to five minutes.

BLACK CURRANT VINEGAR.-To four pounds of fruit, very ripe, put three pints of vinegar; let it stand three days; stir occasionally; squeeze and strain the fruit. After boiling ten minutes, to every pint of juice add one pound of lump sugar. Boil twenty minutes.

GOOSEBERRIES-Put one quart of red currant juice to five pounds of loaf-sugar; set it on the fire, and when the sugar is dissolved put in eight pounds of red, rough, ripe gooseberries, let them boil half an hour, then put them into an earthen pan and leave them to stand for two days; then boil them again until they look clear; put them into pots and let them stand a week to dry a little at the top, then cover them with brandy papers.

COMPOTE OF GREEN GOOSEBERRIES.-This is an excellent compote, if made with fine sugar, and very good with any kind. Break five ounces into small lumps, and pour on them half a pint of water; boil these gently for ten minutes, and clear off all the scum; then add to them a pint of fresh gooseberries freed from the tops and stalks, washed and well-drained; simmer them gently from eight to ten minutes, and serve them hot or cold. Increase the quantity for a large dish.

CHERRIES PRESERVED.-Take fine large cherries, not very ripe; take off the stems, and take out the stones; save whatever juice runs from them; take an equal weight of white sugar; make the syrup of a teacup of water for each pound, set it over the fire until it is dissolved and boiling hot, then put in the juice and cherries, boil them gently until clear throughout; take them from the syrup with a skimmer, and spread them on flat dishes to cool; let the syrup boil until it is rich and quite thick; set it to cool and settle; take the fruit into jars and pots, and pour the syrup carefully over; let them remain open till the next day; then cover as directed. Sweet cherries are improved by the addition of a pint of red currant-juice, and half a pound of sugar to it, for four or five pounds of cherries.

COMPOTE OF CHERRIES.-Simmer five ounces of sugar with half a pint of water for ten minutes; throw into

the syrup a pound of cherries weighed after they are stalked, and let them stew gently for twenty minutes. It is a great improvement to stone the fruit, but a larger quantity will then be required for a dish.

COMPOTE OF MORELLO CHERRIES.-Boil together, for fifteen minutes, five ounces of sugar with half a pint of water; add a pound and a quarter of ripe Morello cherries, and simmer them very softly from five to seven minutes. This is a delicious compote.

CHERRY JAM.-Stone four pounds of cherries, and put them in a preserving-pan, with two pounds of fine white sugar and a pint of red currant-juice; boil the whole together rather fast, until it stiffens, and then put it into pots for use.

TO DRY CHERRIES.-Take the stems and stones from ripe cherries; spread them on flat dishes, and dry them in the hot sun or warm oven; pour whatever juice may have run from them, a little at a time, over them; stir them about, that they may dry evenly. When they are perfectly dry, line boxes or jars with white paper, and pack them close in layers; strew a little brown sugar, and fold the paper over, and keep them in a dry place; or put them in muslin bags, and hang them in an airy place.

CHERRIES, TO CANDY.-The fruit must be gathered before it is ripe; pick and stone them, boil clarified sugar, and pour it over them.

TO PRESERVE RHUBARB.-To one and a quarter pound of rhubarb add one pound of sugar, half an ounce of bitter almonds blanched and chopped very fine, half the peel of a lemon also chopped very fine; boil all together rather longer than other fruit, or till it will set firm. If the fruit is not quite young, the sticks should be peeled, being first wiped quite dry.

RHUBARB JAM.-To seven pounds of rhubarb add four sweet oranges and five pounds of sugar. Peel and cut up the rhubarb. Put in the thin peel of the oranges and the pulp, after taking out the seeds and all the whites. Boil all together for one hour and a half.

THE MANAGEMENT OF THE HAIR, EYES, TEETH, AND EXTREMITIES.

MANAGEMENT OF THE TEETH AND GUMS.

THE management of the teeth has a twofold tendency, the first indication being to watch and assist their proper development; and the second, to protect them from decay; and as these two processes have each a separate stage of life, during which they are prominently active, so the proper supervision of the teeth may take its tone from the period at which it is to be exercised. Thus, the mother who watches her children's teeth as they successively make their appearance, has a very different task to perform from that which is demanded by her own set; and unless she understands the nature of the charge, or intrusts it to another more competent than herself, she will very probably overlook much which ought to engage her attention. In the cutting of the milk teeth, there is very little cause for anxiety or interference, so far as the teeth themselves are concerned; but when the second set are making their appearance, the mother who regards the future welfare of her children, in point of comfort and personal beauty, will see that they are allowed room and space for their proper arrangement in the mouth. Children at a very early age should be encouraged to wash out their mouths and brush their teeth with a soft brush (but no powder); and if the gums are at all spongy or inclined to bleed,

the addition of a little tincture of myrrh will render them more hard and healthy; but the tartar formed upon milk teeth is not of any further consequence than as showing a slight tendency to ill health, inasmuch as it is all removed with the tooth to which it is attached. But if the first teeth are very small, and at the same time closely set, it often happens that the second set are too large for their places, and as they emerge they crowd one another so much that they cannot find room to stand in a regular row, and part, or all, fall out of the rank. When this is the case, one or more teeth must be extracted; but as the incisors and canine teeth are very conspicuous, and their absence is very readily detected, it is considered better to remove the first bicuspid, which permits the adjacent teeth to extend themselves and assume a regular position. If this is done early enough, in most cases it is sufficient; but if not, a plate must be fixed in the opposite jaw in such a way as to meet the tooth in a slanting direction, and so force it into its place, or it must be brought in by strong silk, tying it to the adjacent teeth. These plans must, however, be intrusted to a skilful dentist; they are only mentioned here in order that the mother may be made aware of the fact, that by his aid she may hope to rectify the errors occasioned by her omitting to have earlier assistance. I have said nothing of the cutting of the first teeth, because whenever there is much the matter at that time the aid of a surgeon should be called in, who will at once proceed to lance the gums, if necessary; but as I believe this division is fraught with serious ill consequences if it is done without due cause, I should never advise the parents or nurse to attempt the operation, simple and easy as it is. The milk teeth often decay and give pain, and if so, they may be removed; and in many cases, without any such destruction of substance, they will require slight interference, from their adhering to their sockets longer than is desirable, or prudent in reference to the new teeth. In all cases, however, these fangs are absorbed before the new tooth shows itself, and from this circumstance a very slight force is sufficient to remove them.

The supervision and management of the permanent teeth in their development being completed, it is necessary to see that after this stage they are prevented from decaying. It appears that this disease of the tooth is partly due to a chemical decomposition of the food lodged between the spaces in eating. When there is joined to this an unhealthy or weak condition of the ivory, which is thus rendered incapable of resisting the action of external causes, and also the external pressure of the adjacent teeth when too close together, this decay is almost sure to take place in some part or other of the crown. When it occurs in the sides of the necks, just below the enamel, the cause always is in the food, and generally so when in the middle of the crown of the molars; but sometimes decay takes place beneath the enamel, and long before the slightest fissure in this part can be detected by any ordinary observation, or, at all events, while there is no opening large enough to admit the food. Besides these causes, another exists in the uncovered state of the roots or fangs, or in their being covered by tartar instead of gum, both of which circumstances tend to produce decomposition and decay, and should be cautiously guarded against. These several objects are carried out-1st, by carefully removing the food left between the teeth, with a proper toothpick; 2d, by brushing off both the food and tartar at least once a day with the tooth-brush and tooth-powder; 3d, by attention to the healthy condition of the gums; and 4th, by