VEGETABLE OYSTER SOUP.—­Scrape all the outer covering and small rootlets from vegetable oysters, and lay them in a pan of cold water to prevent discoloration.  The scraping can be done much easier if the roots are allowed first to stand in cold water for an hour or so.  Slice rather thin, enough to make one quart, and put to cook in a quart of water.  Let them boil slowly until very tender.  Add a pint of milk, a cup of thin cream, salt, and when boiling, a tablespoonful or two of flour, rubbed to a cream with a little milk.  Let the soup boil a few minutes until thickened, and serve.

VEGETABLE SOUP.—­Simmer together slowly for three or four hours, in five quarts of water, a quart of split peas, a slice of carrot, a slice of white turnip, one cup of canned tomatoes, and two stalks of celery cut into small bits.  When done, rub through a colander, add milk to make of proper consistency, reheat, season with salt and cream, and serve.

VEGETABLE SOUP NO. 2.—­Prepare and slice a pint of vegetable oysters and a pint and a half of potatoes.  Put the oysters to cook first, in sufficient water to cook both.  When nearly done, add the potatoes and cook all till tender.  Rub through a colander, or if preferred, remove the pieces of oysters, and rub the potato only through the colander, together with the water in which the oysters were cooked, as that will contain all the flavor.  Return to the fire, and add salt, a pint of strained, stewed tomatoes, and when boiling, the sliced oysters if desired, a cup of thin cream and a cup of milk, both previously heated; serve at once.

VEGETABLE SOUP NO. 3.—­Soak a cupful of white beans over night in cold water.  When ready to cook, put into fresh boiling water and simmer until tender.  When nearly done, add three large potatoes sliced, two or three slices of white turnip, and one large parsnip cut in slices.  When done, rub through a colander, add milk or water to make of proper consistency, season with salt and cream, reheat and serve.  This quantity of material is sufficient for two quarts of soup.

VEGETABLE SOUP NO. 4.—­Prepare a quart of bran stock as previously directed.  Heat to boiling, and add to it one teaspoonful of grated carrot, a slice of onion, and a half cup of tomato.  Cook together in a double boiler for half an hour.  Remove the slice of onion, and add salt and a half cup of turnip previously cooked and cut in small dice.

VELVET SOUP.—­Pour three pints of hot potato soup, seasoned to taste, slowly over the well-beaten yolks of two eggs, stirring briskly to mix the egg perfectly with the soup.  It must not be reheated after adding the egg.  Plain rice or barley soup may be used in place of potato soup, if preferred.

VERMICELLI SOUP.—­Lightly fill a cup with broken vermicelli.  Turn it into a pint of boiling water, and cook for ten or fifteen minutes.  Drain off all the hot water and put into cold water for a few minutes.  Turn into a colander and drain again; add three pints of milk, salt to taste, and heat to boiling.  Have the yolks of three eggs well beaten, and when the soup is boiling, turn it gradually onto the eggs, stirring briskly that they may not curdle.  Return to the kettle, reheat nearly to boiling, and serve at once.