The shelves should be made of smooth hard wood, which is easily kept clean. It adds considerably to the cost of the room, but also considerably to the convenience, to have sliding glass doors in front of the shelves. They will exclude a great deal of the dust which otherwise would collect. At one end of the room, near the window, have a sink for washing dishes,—not such a sink as that in the kitchen, but a rather small basin, say of copper, about eighteen inches long, twelve wide, and eight or nine deep. Copper is especially recommended because it wears better than zinc. A soapstone sink or a porcelain-lined pan would be desirable but for the greater liability of breaking dishes. It is a good idea to have a small cedar tub—they are made with brass hoops, and look very neat—for the washing of the most delicate china and glassware, which is likely to get marred or broken if crowded into a pan with other heavier articles. On each side of the sink have a swinging table, on which to place dishes. The tables will at times be convenient when making salads and other similar dishes. Above the table nearest the kitchen have a slide in the wall, that dishes may be passed to and from the kitchen. This small space will not admit odors or the hot air as the door would if kept open. In case there be two or more servants in the household, the door from the closet to the kitchen need not be opened at all while a meal is served, all dishes being passed through the slide. The small closets in the room are for the sugar, tea, condiments, and the cake, bread, and cracker boxes. There should be one small closet for the articles used in cleaning the table-ware, such as soap, whiting, alcohol, ammonia, brushes, chamois skin, etc. The drawers under the shelves are intended for the table linen, clean dish-towels, etc. A towel-rack that can be fastened to the window-casing is a necessity. In case the walls be plastered or tiled, a broad moulding of wood should be placed just above the sink. Brass hooks screwed into this moulding will prove to be a great convenience. This room is often called the butler’s pantry. [Illustration] Miss Parloa’s Cook Books Can be procured from any bookseller in the United States. Her name in connection with cooking is a household word. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of An Ideal Kitchen, by Maria Parloa