SCOUTING FOR GIRLS 
oven damper that has made the short easy way into the 
stovepipe. Then the heated air must find another way to 
get to the chimney, and it has to go around the oven to do 
this. While the hot air is finding its way around the oven, 
it heats it, ready for your baking. We call this the ‘‘in- 
direct draft.” Look over your kitchen stove and see how 
this happens. Take off the covers, open every door, and 
examine every part. 
Stoves must be carefully managed. The fires must 
burn readily and the cooking must be done with the least 
possible amount of wood or coal. This means a clean 
stove, free from ashes and with a clear draft. Wood or 
coal will burn freely in the air. They will stop burning 
if there is no draft. 
Learn to manage your draft. Remember that stoves 
are made with a damper, in order to control the current 
of hot air. If the oven damper is closed this heated air 
must pass over and around the oven before it gets to the 
chimney and so heat the oven. If it is open the hot air 
can immediately escape up the chimney. 
When starting the fire leave the damper open. As 
soon as it is burning well, close it so that the oven will be 
heated. Your stove should also have a damper in the 
pipe, to save the- heat which would otherwise run up the 
chimney. If there is none, have one put in. There are 
also dampers or slides in front of the stove to control the 
amount of air going in. 
The housekeeper must learn how to manage her stove ; 
she must get acquainted with it, for every stove has its 
own way. Draw a picture or plan of the stove that you 
know best. See if you can tell plainly how to build a 
fire in your stove. If you use natural gas or a kerosene 
stove tell how that should be managed. 
Gas and Oil Stoves. Cooking may be done on an iron 
stove with either coal or wood as fuel, or the stove may 
