Rusty Knives.—If knives become rusty, rub them with a fresh-cut potato dipped in ashes.
Emetic.—Gunpowder dissolved in water is a good emetic.
Save the Bacon Grease.—After frying salt pork, bacon or fat meat, do not discard the grease that is left in the pan. Keep a cup or small tin pail, in which pour all residue. It will soon harden, and is just the thing for frying slapjacks or potatoes in.
Improved River Water for Drinking.—If you make tea do not throw out the "grounds" after each drawing. In warm weather ordinary lake or river water will taste very refreshing if poured into the pot where tea-grounds have been left, and allowed to stand a few minutes before drinking.
Salt.—It is always best in cooking to use too little salt rather than too much. Further salting can be easily done at any time, but it is difficult or impossible to freshen anything that has been over-salted.
Baking Powder.—In using baking powder it is always best to follow the printed directions on the can as to the amount. The different makes of baking powders have each a different strength.
Spoons.—On a canoe trip, where storage room is at a premium, one spoon will suffice for all purposes. Let it be of iron, of "dessert" size. Get a tinsmith to cut off two inches of the handle, and solder strongly to the stump a tin cylinder one-half inch in diameter. There will be no long handle to interfere with packing it in a small space, and if a long handle is desired for skimming soups, stirring mush, etc., a stick of any length can be instantly cut to fit the tin cylinder.
Frozen Fish should be soaked in cold water to thaw them before cooking.
Fish-eating Ducks may be made palatable by parboiling them in water with an onion in it. After parboiling them throw away the onion and lay the ducks in cold water for half an hour, after which they may be roasted, broiled, fried or stewed.
Soft vs. Hard Water.—Beans, peas and other vegetables are best boiled in soft water. Hard water can be made soft (if its hardness depends upon the presence of carbonate of lime) by boiling it an hour and then allowing it to cool, when most of the lime will be precipitated.