Well, here it is, that rare thing on this blog: a personal note from the editor.

I originally planned to scan a couple of pages I had printed out from old ads in The Messenger. However, I don’t have my printer/scanner hooked up right now and I spent a good chunk of the day looking for free eBooks on Amazon.com.

So I owe you a valid post for today.

I’ll get to it.

In the meantime, here’s an excerpt from Barkham Burroughs’ Encyclopaedia of Astounding Facts and Useful Information (1889):

Household Recipes

(Page 71)

Axle Grease.

1. Water, 1 gallon; soda, 1/3 pound; palm oil, 10 pounds. Mix by heat, and stir till nearly cold.
2. Water, rape oil, of each 1 gallon; soda, 1/3 pound, palm oil, 1/4 pound.
3. Water, 1 gallon, tallow, 3 pounds, palm oil, 6 pounds; soda, 1/2 pound. Heat to 210 deg. Fahrenheit and stir until cool.
4. Tallow, 8 pounds; palm oil, 10 pounds; plumbago, 1 pound. Makes a good lubricator for wagon axles.

How to Shell Beans Easy.

Pour upon the pods a quantity of scalding water, and the beans will slip very easily from the pod. By pouring scalding water on apples the skin may be easily slipped off, and much labor saved.

How to Clean Bed-Ticks.

Apply Poland starch, by rubbing it on thick with a cloth. Place it in the sun. When dry, rub it if necessary. The soiled part will be clean as new.