Special attention has been given to the purchase of meat, but there is almost equal judgment to be shown in buying groceries. Here there is a chance for the inexperienced marketer to be imposed upon. Certain fixed principles she should follow. The first of these is that it is, as a rule, unwise to buy in bulk. That is, there is little gained in a small family by laying in large supplies at a time. A barrel of flour is likely to be musty and weevily before it can be used; corn meal in large quantities develops vermin; so do cereals purchased by a number of packages or pounds at a time. Care should be taken to select an honest grocer or to know enough of prices not to be overcharged, and then to order supplies as they are needed. Buying in bulk means more than this: it also refers to getting the “loose” crackers, cereals, and the like, instead of those inclosed in cartons. The latter is always the better plan, and care should be taken to select a good variety that is put up by manufacturers whose names are a guarantee of the excellence of the products. Until one has investigated the matter one has no idea of how many cheap and poor materials are foisted off upon a guileless public, bearing the stamp of unknown makers, with the assurance that they are “just as good” as like articles put up by well-known houses. This fiction is especially prevalent about canned goods. When these are first-class they are admirable, and fortunately there are daily increasing numbers of fine and trustworthy establishments who can fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, etc., in conditions which assure the complete protection of the consumer. Yet there are still in existence small and unscrupulous concerns whose output is cheap and poor if not actually dangerous to health, and these should be boycotted by all housekeepers. Care should be exercised in buying fresh vegetables and fruits. In most of our large cities the laws as to protecting these against dust and dirt are being enforced more vigorously with every year, and here, too, the housewife can help to bring about a better state of affairs by insisting upon purchasing only such articles as have been properly cared for. Vegetables which are to be cooked before eating may not suffer so much by being exposed to dust, but salads and berries and other fruits or vegetables which are eaten raw are a menace when they have been suffered to lie and wilt in a current of air laden with dust and disease germs. IV CONCERNING HOUSEHOLD ACCOUNTS One of the first items of business to be considered by a newly married couple, or a pair who are about to begin housekeeping, is the division of the income between the husband and wife.