Vegetables will keep best on a stone floor if the air be excluded; meat in a cold dry place where the air is freely admitted ; sugar and sweetmeats require a dry place; so does salt; dried meats, hams, bacons and tongues the same. All sorts of seeds for puddings, such as rice, etc., should be kept closely covered to preserve them from insects, but if kept long that will not be sufficient, unless they be occasionally sifted. Apples and pears should be laid upon very clean and dry straw to prevent a musty taste, nor should they be exposed to either light or air. They should be arranged singly in rows, without touching each other, and should be often inspected, both to wipe them if damp, and to reject those which may appear to be getting rotten. The larger sort of pears should be tied up by the stem. Apples may also be preserved in excellent condition for a long period by being packed in large barrels with dry sand, but require to be used immediately they are taken out.