1630. How To Fine Cloudy Beer

Back off the cask, and boil one pound of new hops in water with coarse sugar, and when cold put it in at the bung hole.

1631. Furniture Polish

Bees' wax half a pound, and a quarter of an ounce of alkanet root; melt together in a pipkin, until the former is well coloured. Then add linseed oil, and spirits of turpentine, of each half a gill, strain through a piece of coarse muslin.

1632. Ginger Beer

Pour two gallons of boiling water on a quarter of a pound of cream of tartar, one ounce of sliced ginger, two pounds of lump sugar, let it, stand six hours, then add two table-spoonfuls of yeast, let it stand six hours more, strain through a fine sieve, put it into stone bottles, tie down the corks, and it will be fit for use in twenty-four hours.

1633. How To Render Hard Water Soft

For every hundred gallons take half a pound of the best quick lime, make it into a cream by the addition of water, then diffuse it through the hard water in a tank or reservoir and allow the whole to stand; it will quickly be bright, the lime having united with the carbonate of lime, which makes the hard water, will be all deposited. This is a most beautiful application of the art of chemistry.

1634. Herbs For Drying

The best state in which balm, thyme, sage, and other kitchen or medicinal herbs can be gathered for drying to preserve for winter use is just as their flowers are opening, at that period of growth they are found to contain more of the essential oil, on which their flavours depend, than at any other.

1641. Offensive Smells

One of the best and most pleasant disinfectants is coffee; the simplest way to use it is to pound the well-dried raw beans in a mortar and strew the powder over a moderately-heated iron plate. The simple traversing of the house with a roaster containing freshly roasted coffee will clear it of offensive smells.

1642. How To Preserve Eggs

Apply with a brush a solution of gum arabic to the shells, or immerse the eggs therein; let them dry, and afterwards pack them in dry charcoal dust, this prevents their being affected by any alterations of temperature.

1643. How To Perfume Linen

Rose leaves, dried in the shade or at about four feet from a stove, one pound; of cloves, carraway seeds, and allspice, of each one ounce; pound in a mortar, or grind in a mill; dried salt a quarter of a pound mix all these together, and put the compound into little bags.

1644. Rats And Mice

The asphodel is useful in driving away rats and mice, which have such an antipathy to this plant that if their holes be stopped up with it they will rather die than pass where it has been placed.

1645. How To Restore Stale Beer

To about a quart of stale beer put half a tea-spoonful of salt of wormwood, this will restore the beer and make it sparkle when poured into a glass like bottled porter.

1650. Sago

Should be put to soak for an hour in cold water to take off the earthy taste, pour off that and add fresh water, and simmer until the sago is quite clear. Put in with the fresh water a little spice and a slice of lemon peel. A glass of white or red wine and sugar may be added to taste.

1652. Utility Of Nettles

Steel dipped in the juice of the nettle becomes flexible, lint dipped in nettle juice put up the nostril has been known to stay the bleeding of the nose, when other remedies have failed, and fourteen or fifteen of the seeds ground into powder and taken daily will cure the swelling in the neck known by the name of goitre, without in any way injuring the general system.

1653. Useful Knife Board

Cover a common knife-board with buff-leather on which are put emery one part, crocus martis three parts in very fine powder, mixed into a thick paste with a little lard or sweet oil, and spread on the leather to the thickness of a shilling. This method gives a far superior edge and polish to the knife than the common practice of using brickdust on a board.