"He hath never fed of the dainties that are bred in a book."

Shakspere.

In England, and at almost every well-appointed table in America, cheese is a positive necessity. It may be regarded as our most concentrated food, since it contains twice as much nutriment as any other known substance. Being difficult of digestion it should be eaten only in small quantities. Cooked or melted cheese is much more wholesome than when in a raw state, but the cooking of cheese is singularly neglected in this country - in fact, it is practically an unknown art.

Among the best English cheeses are the Stilton and Cheshire, and the best French varieties are the Neufchatel, Brie and Roquefort, the last named being one of the most popular kinds of cheese known. The Gruyere, a Swiss cheese, is also well liked; it is made of new milk and flavored with a powdered herb. French mustard, pepper and salt are passed at table when this cheese is served. The Roquefort cheese is made of goats' and sheep's milk. Parmesan cheese, an Italian variety, is made of skimmed milk and is high flavored and very hard; it is never sent to market until it is six months old and is often kept three or four years. It is used extensively in grated form for cooking, and can be purchased already grated.

American cheeses are exported in large quantities to England, where they are held in high favor. One of the best of these makes is the "English Dairy," made in Otsego County, New York. It is of a dark-yellow color, and is very rich and highly flavored. A milder, but equally well-flavored cheese, is made at Milan, Cayuga Co., N. Y. The Stilton cheese, made in the latter county, can scarcely be distinguished from the English article of the same name. In serving this cheese, the top should be cut off to form a cover, and the cheese should be neatly encircled with a napkin. When removed from the table, the cover should be replaced.

Cheese is cut into little squares and passed in a glass cheese-dish. When forming a separate course at dinner, it should come just before the dessert. It is an English fashion to serve celery or cucumbers with cheese. Thin milk crackers or wafer biscuit, placed in the oven a moment to make them crisp, should be served with the cheese, and butter for spreading the crackers should also be passed, this being the only time it is customarily allowed for dinner.

Macaroni with cheese, Welsh rarebit and cheese omelet are good for a cheese course. The Welsh rarebit makes an especially pretty course. It is served on little silver chafing dishes about four inches square, one of which, standing in a plate, is served to each person at table. The reservoir contains boiling water, and the little platter holds the slice of Welsh rarebit, which is thus kept hot.

Cheese Souffle

Two and a-half table-spoonfuls of flour. Three eggs.

One and a-half pint (scant) of milk. One-quarter pound of grated Parmesan cheese.

Beat the yolks of the eggs well, thin them with a little of the milk, and add the grated cheese. Rub the flour to a paste with a little more of the milk. Heat in a porcelain-lined stew-pan the remainder of the milk, and when it boils, stir in the flour paste. Stir until the whole is smooth and creamy, and add the other mixture of cheese and yolks. Boil the liquid about a minute, or until the cheese is fully melted, and remove from the fire. Whip the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, and stir them into the mixture. Fill some paper cases with this preparation, bake fifteen minutes in a hot oven, and serve at once. Cases for baking the souffle' may be purchased from a confectioner, or they may be made with very little trouble. Silver scollop shells are also used for the purpose, and are, of course, more elegant.