Fire-places and Kitchen Utensils. 303 



immediately over the meat, and very near it, would 

 answer as a remedy for the defect of a roaster, the top 

 of which, on account of its great size, should be found 

 to be too far from the surface of the meat, I cannot pre- 

 tend to determine, as I never have made the experiment ; 

 but I think it well deserving of a trial. If the farther 

 end of this shelf were made to touch the farther end of 

 the roaster, so as to prevent the current of air from the 

 blowpipes from getting up between them, it is very 

 certain that this .hot air would be forced to impinge 

 against the shelf, and run along the under side of it, 

 to the hither end of the roaster. The only question 

 remaining, and which can only be determined by ex- 

 periment, is whether this hot air would heat the shelf 

 sufficiently, or to that temperature which is necessary 

 in order that the iron may throw off those calorific rays 

 which are wanted. 



If this shelf were covered above with a pavement of 

 tiles, or if it were constructed of two sheets of iron 

 placed parallel to each other, at the distance of about 

 one inch, turned in or made dishing at their edges, and 

 seamed together at their ends and sides in such a man- 

 ner as to confine the air shut up between them, either 

 of these contrivances, by obstructing the heat in its 

 passage through the shelf, would promote its accumula- 

 tion at its under surface, which would not only increase 

 the intensity of the radiant heat where it is wanted, 

 but, by diminishing the quantity of heat which passes 

 through the shelf, would be very useful when any thing 

 is placed on it in order to be baked. 



Whenever a shelf is made in a roaster, whether it be 

 situated above the dripping-pan or below it, I think it 

 would always be found advantageous to construct it in 



