What It Was, When It Was, The Way It Was (Part 2)

Hello, here is another segment from this very old book I have come across. This will be the first segment from “What To-Do” And “How to Do It.” This segment will be fallowed with five more as time allow me to put this on my blog. I hope you enjoy the way they did things a century ago. There are words and phrases that we just don’t hear any more. The people especially the one living on the farm were very self sufficient and very independent in their daily living. If you get the urge to try some of these remedies, I strongly suggest caution and a little thought before you take action.


"WHAT TO-DO." AND "HOW TO DO IT."

Including Various Recipes of All Kinds.

" We have gathered a posie of other men's flowers And nothing but the thread which binds them is ours."

1. Blacksmith's Borax for Welding.—One ounce of salt, one ounce salt­peter, two ounces copper as, four pounds of sand; mix.
2. Washing Fluid.—One ounce of salts of tartar, one ounce of carbon­ate ammonia, one box Babbit's lye, one gallon' of soft water. Use one-half teacup to a washing.
3. Furniture Dressing.—Use equal parts of alcohol and raw linseed oil. First remove all greasy substances, then apply with a soft woolen cloth.
4. Washing Fluid.—One box of lye and five cents worth of borax, salts of tartar and dry ammonia. Dissolve in two gallons of hot water. Take off fire before putting in ammonia. To be used in boiling suds.
5. To Clean Carpets.—One cake ivory soap, one bottle ammonia, five cents worth of ether; dissolve soap in one gallon of hot water; when cool, add ammonia and ether. Scrub small space at a time with a brush and wipe dry with a soft cloth wrung out of warm water.
6. Wall Paper Cleaner.—One-half cup water, one cup flour, three teaspoonfuls vinegar, three teaspoonfuls ammonia, one teaspoonful carbon oil. Boil and stir constantly until thick; work in small balls, and rub paper with downward strokes. Will not streak or spot if made as directed. Fine.
7. Carpet Cleaner.—Two bars ivory soap, four ounces soda, four ounces borax; dissolve the soap in a quart of water; add five gallons of water and, when ready to use it, add four ounces of sulphuric ether; use while hot with scrubbing brush. You do not need to use any cloth or clean water. '
8. Carpet Cleaner.—Use five cents worth of salts of tartar to one bar of white wool or ivory soap; add this to three gallons of water. Shave the soap up fine and let it boil. Apply with brush and dry with dry cloth. This is fine.
9. To Destroy Odor of Burning Lamp Wicks.—Boil new lamp wicks in vinegar and then thoroughly dry them. There will then be no odor from them when burning.
10. To Remove Paint Stains from Cotton and Wool.—Old dry paint stains may be removed from cotton and woolen goods by first covering the spots with olive oil or butter and then applying chloroform.
11. To Preserve Eggs.—One quart of salt, one pint of slacked lime and three gallons of water. This liquid will keep eggs for years.
12. Ink Spots.—Oxalic acid will remove ink spots from books without injuring the print.
13. Rust.—Iron rust may be removed with kerosene oil.
14. To Purify Cistern Water.—Cistern water may be purified by hang­ing a bag of charcoal in the water.
15. A Tight Shoe.—Wring a cloth out of hot water and apply to the part that is tight. If necessary renew and keep shoe on until the leather is stretched.
16. Cleaning Plates Before Washing.—Tack a bag on the inside of the kitchen sink door and in it keep cloths to be used in cleaning plates, etc. before dish washing. Dip the cloth in water, rub on a little soap, then wipe, instead of scrape, the dishes. A great help in kitchen work.
17. To Clean Linoleum or Oil Cloth.—Instead of using soap and water, wash with sweet milk. The milk makes it look fresh and bright without destroying the luster.
18. To Clean Mud from Clothing.—Use a corn-cob to rub the mud from the clothing, then brush well.
19. To Kill Insects, Such as Bed Bugs, Moths, Etc.—Hot alum water is the best thing known to destroy insects. Boil alum in water until it is dissolved; then apply the hot solution with a brush to closets, bedsteads, cracks, or ./wherever insects are found. All creeping insects-may be destroyed by its use. There is no danger of poisoning and its persistent use will rid you of the pests.
20. To Remove the Smell of Onions from the Breath.—Parsley, eaten with vinegar, will destroy the unpleasant breath caused by eating onions.
21. To Clean and Keep Oil Cloth Nice.—Wash in clean, warm, soft water in which has been dissolved a large spoonful of borax. If hard water is used, more borax will be needed. '
22. To Mend Iron Vessels.—Mix finely some sifted lime with the white of an egg till a thin paste is formed, then add some iron filings. 'Apply this to the fracture and the vessel will be found nearly as sound as ever.
23. To Clean Lamp Chimneys.—Hold chimney over the steam coming from a boiling kettle, then wipe it inside and outside with a soft muslin cloth.
24. An Excellent Furniture Polish.—Use equal parts of vinegar, tur­pentine and sweet oil. The bottle should be well shaken each time before using. Wet a cloth and rub well over the furniture, then wipe with)' a soft dry cloth.
25. To Remove Tan.—Wash with a solution of lemon juice and car­bonate of soda; follow with the juice of unripe grapes if they may be had; if not, with " Fuller's Earth Water."
26. To Remove Wrinkles.—Melt and stir together one ounce of white wax, two ounces of strained honey and two ounces of the juice of lily bulbs; apply to the face every night and it is said your wrinkles will disappear.
27. To Remove Coffee Stains.—The yolk of an egg mixed with a little water will remove coffee stains. Glycerine will do the same. Rub out before washing.
28. To Remove Ink from Linen.—Dip the stained parts in pure melted tallow, then wash in water. ;
29. To Remove Grease from Woolen Goods.—Do not put either hot or cold water upon woolens that have had grease spilled upon them. Sprinkle the parts with either buckwheat or rye flour and let it absorb the grease; then brush off the flour and apply more, so continuing until all the grease has been absorbed. Cornstarch is equally effective when used upon cloth in the same manner.
30. To Exterminate Roaches.—With a machine oil-can squirt kerosene oil into' cracks and seams behind woodwork, then sprinkle powdered borax over the shelves and blow it into the cracks with a powder blower.
31. To Keep Steel Knives from Rusting.—Dip the knives in a strong solution of soda, four parts of soda to one of water; then wipe dry, roll in flannel and keep in a dry place.
32. Washing Blankets.—When washing blankets make a lather of boiled soap and warm water and for each pail full and a half of water allow a tea-spoonful of household ammonia. Wash in two or three waters, put through the wringer and hang out to dry. Choose a fine windy day so the blankets will dry quickly.
33. To Exterminate Bed Bugs.—Use kerosene oil freely wherever the bugs are found.
34. Cement for Glass and Iron.—Alum melted in an iron spoon over the fire makes a good cement for joining glass and iron. It is useful for cementing the glass part of a lamp to its metal base and stopping cracks about the base, as paraffine will not penetrate it.
35. To Dry Boots.—Fill wet boots with dry oats and set aside for a few hours. The oats will draw the moisture from the boots and, swelling out, will keep the leather from- shrinking and hardening as it would do if placed near the fire to dry.
36. To Remove Kerosene.—Cover the spot with cornmeal; lay a paper over it and rub with a moderately heated iron. Two or three applications will remove the kerosene. Finely powdered chalk may be used instead of the cornmeal if desired.
37. To Remove Fruit Stains.—Fruit stains may be removed from table linen by pouring boiling water through the cloth where it is stained.
38. Furniture Polish.—A fine furniture polish may be made by taking equal parts of vinegar and salad oil. Apply sparingly with a flannel and polish off thoroughly with clean cloths. Don't forget to mix lots of " elbow grease " with this.
39. To Clean Glass.—Dampen a cloth with either alcohol or ammonia, then dip it into some finely-sifted wood ashes and polish the glass. Wipe off with a perfectly dry cloth.
40. To Clean a. Glass Decanter.—Put into it a spoonful of vinegar arid a few lumps of soda. Shake it well but leave the top open or it may burst the decanter. Rinse with cold water.
41. To Remove Panes of Glass.—Lay soft soap over the putty for a few hours and it will become soft so that it may be easily scraped away no matter how hard it may previously have been.
42. To Clean Light Gloves.—Light gloves may be cleaned by rubbing them with fine bread crumbs. It is best to rub them after each wearing so that they do not become badly soiled.
43. To Clean Kid Gloves.—If not too badly soiled, kid gloves may be cleaned by rubbing them with a piece of oiled silk wound about the finger.
44. Gnats.—Camphor is the best preventive and cure for the stings of gnats.
45. To Remove Grass Stains.—Rub the stains with spirits of wine and they will readily come out when washed in soap and water.
46. To Remove Grease.—Take equal parts of benzine, ether and al­cohol ; wet a sponge in the mixture and apply by patting the spot; put a piece of blotting paper on each side and iron with a hot flatiron.
47. To Remove Grease from Floor.—Soda and hot water will remove grease from the floor.
48. To Remove Ink Stains.—If ink is spilled upon a carpet, table­cloth or dress it is best to take up as much of the ink as possible with blotting paper, or salt is also good to absorb it. Then wash the parts thoroughly with milk several times Until all the ink is removed. It is then well to wash out the parts with ammonia water to remove grease. If the spots are dry, rub a piece of lemon on some salt and then upon the stain. Oxalic acid and salts of lemon are both good also.
49. To Clean Lamp Chimneys.—Rub them with a piece of newspaper upon which a little kerosene has been poured. This is better than soap and the chimney will not be so likely to crack.
50. To Wash Flannels.—Put borax in the water and the flannels will look like new and will not shrink.
51. Ironing.—A little table salt added to the starch helps in the ironing.
52. To Prevent Scorching when Ironing.—Rub the iron on a cloth satu­rated with kerosene.
53. To Remove Stains from Clothing.—Rub the stained parts with lard before washing. With washable goods, the yolk of an egg rubbed upon the stains before laundering will remove the spots.
54. To Wash Black Stockings.—Black stockings will retain their color if washed in warm suds of water and soap, with a little vinegar in the rinse.
55. To Polish Patent Leather.—Orange juice will be found to be a good polish for patent leather.


That’s it for now, but keeps checking back for more postings from this book. I hope you have had a good read and are better for it.

All is well down on the farm,

The Old Farmer