320 On the Construction of Kitchen 



In setting an oven, provision should be made, by leav- 

 ing holes to be stopped up with stoppers, for occasion- 

 ally cleaning out all the canals in which the smoke is 

 made to circulate ; and, in order that these canals may 

 not too often be choked up with soot, they should never 

 be made less than two inches wide, even where they 

 are very deep or broad ; and, where they are not more 

 than four or five inches deep, they should be from 

 three to four inches wide, otherwise they will be very 

 often choked up with soot. 



To clean out the flues of an oven, roaster, or large 

 fixed boiler, a strong cylindrical brush may be used, 

 which may have a flexible handle made of three or more 

 iron wires, about \ or -fa of an inch in diameter, twisted 

 together. 



Holes closed with fit stoppers must of course be left 

 in the brick-work for occasionally cleaning out these 

 flues. 



If the iron door of an oven be made double, the out- 

 side of it may with safety be japanned black or white, 

 which will prevent its rusting, and add much to the 

 cleanliness and neatness of the appearance of the 

 kitchen. 



These details may by some be thought unimportant 

 and tiresome, but those who know how much depends 

 on minute details in the introduction of new mechan- 

 ical improvements will be disposed to excuse the pro- 

 lixity of these descriptions. I wish I could make my 

 writings palatable to the generality of readers, but that, 

 I fear, is quite impossible. My subjects are too com- 

 mon and too humble to excite their curiosity, and will 

 not bear the high seasoning to which modern palates 

 are accustomed. 



