very nice.—Mrs. Paul Leonhardy.

OYSTER SOUP.—Heat one quart of milk with two large tablespoonfuls of butter. Heat a solid pint of oysters in enough water to cover them. Add one large teaspoonful of salt and a good deal of pepper. As soon as the oysters get plump and the gills "ruffle" add them to the hot milk. Stir in a cupful of crushed cracker crumbs and serve in soup plates or bowls, with oyster crackers.—Mrs. B. G. Whitehead.

RAISED DUMPLINGS.—Soak a cake of compressed yeast in a cup of lukewarm milk, together with a tablespoonful of sugar and a teaspoonful of salt. Sift a pint of flour into a bowl and stir into it a cupful of milk, an egg and the soaked yeast and work all thoroughly, adding gradually flour for a soft dough. Do not get it stiff. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until it has doubled the original bulk. Flour the kneading-board and mold the dough into small biscuits. Let these rise for half an hour. Butter a large, round pan and set your dumplings within it, brushing each with melted butter on top. Pour in enough milk to reach halfway to the top of the dumplings. Set upon a brick in the oven and bake to a light brown. Eat with vanilla sauce or prunes.

NO. TWO.—Proceed as with No. 1, but instead of baking in the oven, put the dumplings into a steamer, not too close together. Allow for swelling. Cover with a close lid to keep in the steam. These may also be served with vanilla or with prune sauce.

NO. THREE.—Have ready a large kettle of boiling water, slightly salted, and after shaping the dumplings drop them carefully into this. Leave plenty of room to swell and puff. Or they may be steamed in clear soup. If you like you may try all of these recipes and still have enough dough left for a pan of biscuits.

Fish, Oysters and Shell Fish

"He was a brave man who first ate an oyster."—Dean Swift.

FISH.—With the possible exception of salmon, fish is a less nutritious article of diet than flesh meat, and yet it fitly supplements the latter. The oily and coarser grained species is more nutritious than the white, or finer grained but not so easily digested. A fish is in good condition when its gills are bright clear red, its eyes full and the body firm and stiff. Before cooking they should be well washed in cold water and kept in salt water for a short time, but they should not be allowed to stand in water for any length of time and should be kept upon ice until wanted. Small fish are usually fried or boiled, all large fish to be boiled should be wrapped in a cloth and tied closely with twine, steaming is preferable to boiling. Salmon, bluefish, halibut and shad are very palatable baked in cream. Mackerel is best broiled and should be broiled upon the skin side first; other fish first on the inside. In boiling fish, let simmer gently as hard boiling breaks them; time, eight minutes to a pound, sometimes longer.

BAKED FISH.—Clean and wipe dry a white fish or any good sized fish, stuffing made like that for poultry, but drier. Sew it up and put in a hot pan with drippings and a lump of butter; dredge with flour and lay over the fish a few thin slices of salt pork or bits of butter. Bake half hour, basting occasionally.

BOILED FISH.—All fresh fish, except salmon should be placed in salted cold water for boiling. If placed in boiling water the outside would cook much sooner than the inside. A little vinegar added to the water in which fish is boiled improves the flavor. Put the fish in the kettle with the back bone down, to three or four pounds of fish put a small handful of salt. Boil the fish gently until you can draw out one of the fins easily. Most varieties of fish will be well done in twenty or thirty minutes, some in less time. Serve with drawn butter, with hard boiled eggs sliced, or if preferred, milk sauce.

BAKED WHITE FISH WITH TOMATOES.—Take a white fish or trout that will weigh about three pounds, clean, rub with salt and pepper inside and out. Lay a piece of salt pork, not too fat, in the flesh, put in a covered baking dish and turn over it one pint of stewed seasoned tomatoes, cold tomatoes left over are nice. Bake about forty minutes.

SCALLOPED SALMON.—Place in a baking dish a layer of cracker crumbs, then a layer of salmon, then another layer of cracker and salmon, ending with a layer of cracker. On this pour two cups of milk, one egg whipped. Add salt, pepper and butter size of an egg. Bake.

SALMON CUTLETS.—One cup of hot mashed potatoes and one cup of salmon, mash together and form into cakes, put in a beaten egg, roll in bread crumbs or crackers and fry in hot lard.

FRIED FISH.—Wash the fish thoroughly, wipe dry, sprinkle lightly with salt, dip in beaten egg then roll in cornmeal, fry in hot fat. Note—Above fish recipes were demonstrated in American Cookery series by Mrs. A. McKay.

FISH CROQUETTES.—Two small or one large white fish; boil, bone and chop; add a little salt, red pepper and onions; make gravy of the water the fish is boiled in; add milk, butter and flour; stir in fish, shape into croquette, roll in egg, cracker crumbs and fry in hot lard. Garnish with parsley.

TARTARE DRESSING FOR FISH CROQUETTES.—Take yolk of one raw egg; beat; add a little salt, red pepper, mustard and mix well. Beat in salad oil until thick; let stand on ice until needed. Then add juice of two lemons or half cup of vinegar, one tablespoon of capers, six small cucumber pickles chopped fine and very little onion. Serve cold with hot croquettes.—Mrs. Whitehead.

OYSTER COCKTAIL.—Half pint of catsup, twenty-five drops tabasco sauce, one tablespoonful horseradish, one teaspoonful dry mustard, one teaspoonful lemon juice, oysters, pepper and salt to taste. Put four or five oysters in glass and pour one tablespoon of this sauce over them. Fill glass with finely chipped ice, serve at once.—Mrs. Davidson.

OYSTER COCKTAIL.—A small oyster is used, five or six being alloted each person. For six persons mix together three teaspoons each of vinegar, grated horseradish and tomato sauce; six teaspoons of lemon juice and one of Worcestershire sauce. Have the oysters very cold. Put an equal amount of the prepared sauce over the oysters in each glass. The glass should be placed upon a plate. Serve with an oyster fork and small spoon. This is the prevailing way of serving oysters as a first course.—Mrs. R. J. Walker.

OYSTERS a la BECHEMEL.—Melt three tablespoonfuls of butter and blend it with two tablespoonfuls of flour, add one large cupful of thin cream or milk and cook thick. Plump a scant pint of oysters in their own liquor. Season with one teaspoonful of salt, a dash of cayenne, juice of half a lemon and one-half teaspoon of onion juice squeezed from an onion. Add oysters to the cream sauce and cook two minutes. Serve in pattie shells or on toast.—Mrs. Whitehead.

SALMON LOAF.—One pound can salmon, four well beaten eggs, one cup fine cracker crumbs, one tablespoon melted butter, half teaspoon salt. Remove bones from salmon and mince finely. Mix all together with hands, form into loaf and steam one hour. Serve with following sauce: Take liquid from salmon and add two tablespoons sweet milk, little salt, one tablespoon corn starch, boil all together and pour over loaf.—Mrs. Schollander.

SCALLOPED SALMON.—Place in a baking dish a layer of bread crumbs then a layer of salmon, another crumbs and salmon, ending with crumbs. On this pour two cups of milk, one egg (whipped), salt, pepper and butter the size of an egg.—Mrs. Paul Leonhardy.

OYSTER FRITTERS.—Beat yolks of two eggs light, add one half cup milk and one cup of flour sifted with one fourth teaspoon of salt. Beat well and add one half teaspoon of melted butter. Set aside for an hour or so in a cool place. When ready to use beat the whites of eggs stiff and add them. Take a large oyster in a big spoon, dip it into the batter and filling the spoon and drop into smoking hot grease or fry like doughnuts. Serve with tomato catsup or any