houses with the necessary attachments to hold 

 food which would otherwise be laid upon the 

 grate or plate. This method of cooking avoids 

 unnecessary burning of food and is almost as 

 efficient as the method of cooking food over the 

 top of the fire. 



Where the combination plate and grate is 

 used, the plate may be used over a part of the 

 grate as shown on plate III A, figures 1 and 3. 

 Such an arrangement makes possible an area 

 for warming and grilling, and also an area for 

 frying and other cooking. 



In instances where the plate is used to cover 

 the entire grate, both the grate and the plate 

 may be hinged as shown in plate X, figure 4, 

 or both the plate and the grate may be attached 

 by a chain to the sides of the fireplace (pi. VII). 



The plate is, without a doubt, the ideal top 

 for a camp stove where the stove is used for 

 three meals during each day. In picnic areas, 

 where the fireplace is used for cooking pur- 

 poses, perhaps once during the day and 

 possibly not every day, a grate or mesh is 

 acceptable, although the extra work of clean- 

 ing blackened pots and pans is necessary. 

 The fabricated grate or mesh (pi. VI) is much 

 preferable to built-in bars shown in plate IV. 



It is very important that the space between 

 the bars in any grate be not too large, thus 

 allowing small sections of meat to fall between 

 the bars. The average acceptable space be- 

 tween bars is IVj inches. The use of separate 

 bars, although not the most acceptable solu- 

 tion, is sometimes necessary where, either 

 because of lack of funds or for other reasons, a 

 suitable fabricated grate or mesh cannot be 

 procured. 



The bars to be of proper strength should be 

 approximately ' 7 to 'i inch square, or they may 

 be circular, with a diameter of '4 to 1 inch. 



The plate ought to be of sheet iron or cast 

 iron. Ten-gage black iron or boilerplate offers 

 a quick heating surface. Cast-iron plate, if too 

 thick, usually heats too slowly. A normal thick- 

 ness is three-eighths inch. 



Considerable difficulty may be experienced 

 because of the tendency of any top plate of 

 sheet iron to warp and sag. This undesirable 

 result is caused by the following conditions: 



A. Using a plate of iron which is too thin. 



B. Not using the necessary angle irons or other methods 

 of reenforcing the top plate. 



C. Making no provision for expansion at the points 

 where the plate is attached to the masonry construc- 

 tion. 



Removable cast-iron plates are not as prac- 

 tical as sheet-iron plates for the reason that the 

 rough handling which is received by some of 

 these movable tops will cause breakage. In 

 all removable plates there should be one or 

 more holes at some convenient location to 

 facilitate handling. The cast-iron tops may 

 sometimes be fitted wnth pot holes of various 

 sizes, each of which is covered with a lid or 

 sheet-iron plate, all of which must be securely 

 anchored to prevent removal or loss. Such small 

 movable parts are not entirely practical in the 

 average campground and their use should be 

 discouraged. 



Steel plates should not be used because steel 

 rusts easily when exposed to the weather, 

 unless protected with paint and carefully main- 

 tained. 



Flanges at the edges of the plates as shown 

 in plate VIII, figure 1 and in plate XXII, 

 figure 4 and extending entirely across the fire- 

 box will do much to prevent sagging. The 

 problem of warping is one which comes from 

 exposure to heat and is not due to any great 

 extent to the inability of the plate to support 

 itself. Proper reenforcing on the underside of 

 the plate and correct attachment of the plate 

 to the masonry sides of the stove or fireplace 

 will overcome it. 



A desirable method for attaching any plate 

 to the solid masonry is to provide proper reen- 

 forcing members on the underside of the plate, 

 the end of which will fit into a metal socket 

 similar to that shown in plate XXI, figure 5, 

 thus allowing for the necessary expansion 

 and preventing any damage to the stone 

 masonry at this point. Where bars are used, 

 the ends of the bars should fit into pipe sleeves 

 of somewhat large diameter and with ample 

 clearance allowed in order to provide for 

 the expansion (pi. IV, fig. 4). Provision may 

 be made as shown in plate XXI, figure 5B, 

 for the removal and replacement of bars which 

 are broken or bent through careless use of the 

 fireplace. Where bars are used in place of a 

 fabricated grate, it is sometimes desirable to 

 carry the bars in sockets entirely through the 

 stone masonry wall, as shown in plate XXI, 

 figure 5C. In cases where this method of 



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