204.  Cookies, to Keep.—­Cookies put in an earthen jar lined with clean cloth, while they are still hot, and kept covered closely, will be much more melting and crumbling than if they were allowed to cool in the air.

205.  Discolored China Baking Dishes.—­Discolored china baking dishes can be made as clean as when new by rubbing them with whiting.

206.  Care of Drippings.—­The care of drippings in the kitchen, with the price of food so high, should receive more attention.  In cooking all meats, poultry, and in making soup the grease should be carefully skimmed off and saved.  Render it out once a week and after a good boiling, strain through cheesecloth.  When cool skim the fat off and use in place of lard,—­except for pie and biscuit.

207.  To Mend Rubber.—­To mend rubber, use soft kid from an old glove and paste to the patch the gum of automobile paste.  The leather adheres better to the gum than a gum patch.

208.  Cleaning Black Woolen Clothing.—­The following is a good recipe for cleaning black woolen clothing:  Dissolve borax in water and saturate a sponge or cloth in the solution.  Wash the greasy spots by rubbing vigorously, then rinse in clear water the same way and dry in the sun.  This is especially good for cleaning men’s coat collars.

[878 Mothers’ remedies]

209.  To Prevent Tinware Rusting.—­To prevent tinware from rusting rub over with fresh lard and put in a hot oven for a few minutes before using it.  If treated in this way it will never rust.

210.  To Remove Machine Grease.—­Cold water and a teaspoonful of ammonia and soap will remove machine grease when other means would not answer on account of the colors running.

211.  To Keep Cheese From Drying.—­Wring a cloth from vinegar and wrap several thicknesses around the cheese to keep it from moulding and drying.

212.  Small Hand Churn.—­A small hand churn makes home-made butter and cheese possible.  It is no trouble whatever to make a pot of yellow butter, fresh and sweet, by the aid of one of these convenient little churns.  After it is made it may be rolled into a delicate little pat and kept in an earthen jar made purposely for butter.

213.  Larding a Piece of Meat.—­Larding a piece of meat is a simple operation, and it is one which will greatly add to the juiciness of the dish.  Cut a piece of salt pork into strips quarter of an inch thick and two or three inches long.  Slip these into a larding needle and draw the needle through the meat, so either end of the pork will protrude beyond the meat.

214.  To Make Vegetables Tender.—­Cutting onions, turnips, and carrots across the fiber makes them more tender when cooked.

215.  Clear black coffee diluted with water containing a little ammonia, will clean and restore black clothes.

216.  To Make Linen Easier to Write on.—­To make linen easier to write on when marking, dip the pieces you wish to mark into cold starch, rub over with hot iron and you will be able to write without the pen scratching.