The century cook book

hot water, allowing a piece the size of a walnut to a quart of water. Put the water into a basin, and after combing out the hair from the brushes, dip them, bristles downward, into the water and out again, keeping the backs and handles as free from the water as possible. Repeat this until the bristles look clean; then rinse the brushes in a little cold water ; shake them well, and wipe the handles and backs with a towel, but not the bristles^ and set the brushes to dry in the sun, or near the fire; but take care not to put them too close to it. Wiping the bristles of a brush makes them soft, as does also the use of soap. To Clean Combs. If it can be avoided, never wash combs, as the water often makes the teeth split, and the tortoise shell or horn of which they are made, rough. Small brushes, manufactured purposely for cleaning combs, may be purchased at a trifling cost; with this the comb should be well brushed, and afterward wiped with a cloth or towel. To Clean Sponges. The following is a very simple and certain way of cleaning sponges from grease or any Home-made Perfumery 247 other impurities: Take some soda and break it up. Measure about three tablespoonfuls; put it — as much as you can — into the holes of the sponge, and keep the rest. Then fill a large jug with boiling water and immediately put in your sponge and all your soda. Cover over and leave it standing for aboyt twelve hours. After you rinse it well you will see the sponge look almost like a new one. HOME-MADE PERFUMERY Perfume for Handkerchiefs. Oil of lavender, three fluid drachms; oil of bergamot, three fluid drachms; extract of ambergris, six minims ; camphor, one grain ; spirits of wine, one pint. To be well shaken every day for a fortnight, and then filtered. Essence from Flowers. Procure a quantity of the petals of any flowers which have an agreeable fragrance; card thin layers of cotton, which dip into the finest Florence or Lucca oil; sprinkle a small quantity of fine salt on the flowers alternately until an earthen vessel or wide-mouthed glass bottle is full. Tie the top close with a bladder, then lay the vessel in a south aspect to the heat of the sun, and in fifteen days, when uncovered, a fragrant oil may be squeezed away, leaving a whole mass quite equal to the highpriced essences. Otto of Roses. Fill a large glazed earthen jar with rose leaves, carefully separated from the cups; pour upon them spring water, just sufficient to cover them, and set the jar with its contents in the sun for two or three days, taking it under cover at night. At the end of the third or fourth day, small particles of 'yellow oil will be seen floating on the surface of the water, and which, in the course of a week, will have increased to a thin scum. The scum is the otto of roses; take it up with a little cotton tied to the end of a stick, and squeeze it into a phial. 248 Home-made Perfumery Violet Powder. Wheat starch, six parts by weight; orris root powder, two. Having reduced the starch to an impalpable powder, mix thoroughly with the orris root, and then perfume with otto of lemon, otto of bergamot and otto of cloves, using twice as much of the lemon as either of the other ottoes.