pounds per day, or every second day, it would be a great boon, and, moreover, a wonderfully profitable speculation.  A very small and suitable Ice Chest could be constructed solely to preserve the butter in a congealed and therefore palatable state, both to children and to adults.  The former would take it with great avidity, and the benefit to health resulting therefrom would be incalculable.  Even in some of the better-class houses Ice is looked upon too much as a luxury, and not as it should be, a necessity; indeed, the money saved from gas during the summer months might well be expended on Ice.”

CHAPTER XV.

THE STOCK POT.

The stock pot is indispensable to good cooking, and although many soups and sauces can be made with water as a foundation, nearly all of them are improved by using stock, and no cook who desires to achieve good results should be without a basin of stock when she commences operations in the morning.  There are saucepans now called digesters, which are most useful as stock pots, but any good-sized saucepan or boiler will do very well indeed.  This should be put on fresh every morning with everything the larder contains that is suitable—­such, for instance, as the bones of fresh or cooked meat, poultry, or rabbits.  Never put in fat, as this can be rendered down for pastry and frying, and only makes the stock greasy; always cover the bones with cold water, but regulate the quantity by the material used.  Put in cold water with a teaspoonful of salt, and when it boils up, skim well; when skimming, take an iron spoon and a basin of water, and dip the spoon in the water each time the scum is removed; then put in the peppercorns and vegetables.  In very hot weather put peppercorns and a fagot of herbs only, as the vegetables cause the stock to turn sour very soon; peppercorns should always be used, as they impart a much pleasanter flavour to soup than pepper.  A fagot of herbs is made with a bay or peach leaf, a sprig each of parsley, thyme, and marjoram tied together with a piece of cotton.  These herbs can be grown so easily if one has a small garden, or even in a box, with very little care; they impart such a pleasant flavour to soups and gravies.  Leeks cut up with the green tops and put into the stock pot instead of onions are very good.  Part of the onion skin left on makes a good colour, but it can be coloured by burning half a teaspoonful of sugar in an old spoon, or by a few drops of caramel—­the recipe for which is given elsewhere.  All fresh meat and bones should be carefully trimmed and wiped with a warm damp cloth before putting into the pot; when the stock has boiled, stand the saucepan at the back of the stove and simmer slowly for at least five or six hours.  If strong stock is desired, leave the lid off the saucepan for the last hour; the water will then evaporate and make the stock richer.  The stock should be strained through a hair sieve or a colander, and should stand