"There is always work, And tools to work withal, for those who will."

Lowell.

It is almost impossible to give any except general suggestions as to the arrangement of the kitchen.

If every housewife had the pleasure of planning this part of her house, a model kitchen might be fully drawn out; but unfortunately the large percentage of our people live in rented houses, in which the kitchen has to be taken just as it is found, and endured among other inconveniences. A few hints, however, for those about to build homes for themselves may be found helpful.

The room should not be too large, 15 x 15 feet being a very good size. If larger, more time will be required to keep it properly cleaned, and many more steps will be needed to accomplish the necessary work. The matter of ventilation should be given an important place in the planning of the kitchen, since the comfort of the entire household depends upon it. The odors from the cooking should not go through the house, and high and wide windows in the kitchen furnish the only means of preventing this. Good ventilation and plenty of light are indispensable, for there should be no dark corners to tempt untidiness. The floor should be made of hard pine, maple or birch, and laid in three-inch strips, and a carpet should cover all the floor, except around the stove, where an oil-cloth will be found much neater. Many persons object to a carpet in the kitchen, but it is restful to tired feet and can be taken up and washed when soiled.

About the room should be a wainscot of oiled pine wood, and none of the wood-work should be painted. The walls of the room are by many considered quite improperly finished unless paint is applied, but unless you are sure the painter understands just the kind of paint to use, paper them instead. Well painted walls are a continual satisfaction, for they can be easily cleaned ; but when poorly painted they are great burdens to the good housekeeper, inasmuch as no amount of cleaning cleans them. If paper is used, choose neither a light nor a dark tone, and have plenty of it left over to repair any disasters that may come to the walls. The usual objection to paper, that the steam from the cooking ruins it, will not hold good if the windows are lowered from the top a couple of inches throughout the day. Whitewash the ceiling, and have it re-whitened every spring at the usual cleaning time.

Have a large sink, choosing one of iron rather than of slate, as dishes are more likely to be chipped and broken if a stone sink is used. The strainer in the sink should be fastened down permanently, as anything that will not run through the holes ought not to go into the drain pipe at all. A great temptation to raise the lid and let sediment pass through is thus removed. Do not enclose the space under the sink, for such a closet will afford a secure and inaccessible abiding-place for water bugs should they gain a foothold in the kitchen. Besides, if this be left open, the manner in which it is kept will furnish a reliable criterion of the neatness of the kitchen maid.

In many parts of the country what is known as the "dresser" in the kitchen is not in use, the pantry giving space enough for dishes and utensils of all kinds. A dresser usually has two closets above and two below, with two deep drawers at the top of the lower closets. In the upper closets should be kept all the dishes necessary for use in the kitchen, and in the lower ones all pots, saucepans and other utensils of this kind. In one of the drawers should be the cooking knives and forks, larding needles, wooden spoons, can-opener, rolling-pin, etc.; and in the other the jelly-bags, dish-towels, linen soup-strainer, fish cloths, a large extra piece of cheese-cloth that may be torn into convenient pieces as wanted, a ball of twine and all other necessary articles of this kind. It is a question whether a dresser is a good arrangement for dishes, as the doors of the upper closets are frequently left open by careless workers, so that the smoke from broiling and the steam from the cooking have a most untidy effect upon the dishes. It is very unwise to dispense with a pantry altogether and depend on one of these dressers. Have a pantry always, even if you are compelled to do away with the parlor of the house to make room for it.

There should be a large table in the kitchen, or two, if there be room enough ; but if there is to be no separate laundry and the stationary tubs are in the kitchen, the top of the tubs forms a very handy table for dishes, etc. A small table covered with zinc and placed near the range is a most convenient addition to the kitchen furniture, as hot dessert, cake, pie, etc., can be placed on it to cool. There should also be a good-sized shelf or mantel, upon which the clock, match-safe, candle-sticks, etc., may be kept.

Screen the windows and the door in summer, or swarms of flies will enter, rendering it impossible to keep the room clean and creating a personal annoyance that must be endured to be fully appreciated.

In the pantry under the shelves should be built a long bin divided into compartments for holding wheat flour, corn meal, graham, etc. This is a most satisfactory arrangement, for often a space that is large enough for the purpose would be found entirely too small to contain a barrel of flour.