Secure or make a box, about the size and shape of a trunk, and hinge a snug fitting cover to it. If you can spare a trunk all the better, as that will save you the work of making the box and cover. In any case, whether it is a box or trunk, see to it that there are no cracks in it (if there are, fill them) and then line the inside with thick paper, pasting it in, and generously over-lapping all seams. In short, get it as air- tight as you can. If you can afford to line it with asbestos, all the better, but asbestos is not essential. Next pack in, three-quarters full, clean, sweet-smelling hay, as closely as you can, and make a ticking pillow stuffed with hay, to fit as an inside cover, and to fill the box snugly, before the top wooden cover is capped down. Be sure to have the pil- low large enough, and well and evenly stuffed — about 5 or 6 inches thick. Nov/, all you need after that are two or three earthern, iron or granite-vv^are kettles, or .cook pots, (iron hold the heat best) with well fitting covers, and you are ready for business. The Hay Box and (a) Pillow HAY BOX CONSTRUCTION 27a Hollow out neat "nests" in the hay, into which the cook pots will just fit snugly up to the top, and after you have cooked the contents of the pot over the fire the required number of minutes, according to the "hay box recipes" for each dish, remove the pots to the hay box nests immediately, without lifting the covers, and quickly put over the hay pillow, clap down the cover, cover the whole box with an old, (clean) carpet, a shav/1 or coat, or an old quilt, and your soup, or meat, or stew, or whatever you have put in, will keep right on cooking, until you open the box again. The first cooking or boiling over a fire takes only from 2 to 5 minutes, and can be done in the early morning. Re- member, the hay box cooks or stews — it does not roast or fry. Also, the hay box cooks more slowly than the fire, requiring about double the time, but it does it better, and more thor- oughly, retaining the juices and aroma, which make the food more wholesome and palatable. Care must be taken to keep the hay and pillow clean and sweet-smelling. It is necessary to renew the hay once a month. Some hay box devotees prefer small, separate hay boxes for each cook pot, and per- haps the beginner would do well to try that scheme first. If you have never tried "fireless cookery," make up your mind right nov/ that you will. — [Mrs. J. C, N. Y. A Few Additional Construction Hints The following hints about the making of hay box cookers were gleaned from various sources and are well worth repeat- ing. Get the thick, heavy paper necessary to line the hay box, from your local printer's shop. It won't cost much — it may cost nothing. If you have a large hay box, divide it into compartments, with wooden partitions, and separate covers and paper line the partition and covers, too. .Put castors under the hay box, so it can be easily moved. To save hay, use a layer of a crumpled newspaper, closely packed, in the bottom of the hay box. Use only fine hay, as that packs more closely. Never use coarse or clover hay. Put heavy weights on top of the cover of hay box, to prevent warping from steam. Earthern or iron pots are best for the hay box, as they retain heat better. Closely fitting covers are essential.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Secure or make a box, about the size and shape of a trunk, and hinge a snug fitting cover to it. If you can spare a trunk all the better, as that will save you the work of making the box and cover. In any case, whether it is a box or trunk, see to it that there are no cracks in it (if there are, fill them) and then line the inside with thick paper, pasting it in, and generously over-lapping all seams. In short, get it as airtight as you can. If you can afford to line it with asbestos, all the better, but asbestos is not essential. Next pack in, three-quarters full, clean, sweet-smelling hay, as closely as you can, and make a ticking pillow stuffed with hay, to fit as an inside cover, and to fill the box snugly, before the top wooden cover is capped down. Be sure to have the pillow large enough, and well and evenly stuffed — about 5 or 6 inches thick. Nov/, all you need after that are two or three earthern, iron or granite-ware kettles, or .cook pots, (iron hold the heat best) with well fitting covers, and you are ready for business. The Hay Box and (a) Pillow HAY BOX CONSTRUCTION 27a Hollow out neat "nests" in the hay, into which the cook pots will just fit snugly up to the top, and after you have cooked the contents of the pot over the fire the required number of minutes, according to the "hay box recipes" for each dish, remove the pots to the hay box nests immediately, without lifting the covers, and quickly put over the hay pillow, clap down the cover, cover the whole box with an old, (clean) carpet, a shawl or coat, or an old quilt, and your soup, or meat, or stew, or whatever you have put in, will keep right on cooking, until you open the box again. The first cooking or boiling over a fire takes only from 2 to 5 minutes, and can be done in the early morning. Remember, the hay box cooks or stews — it does not roast or fry. Also, the hay box cooks more slowly than the fire, requiring about double the time, but it does it better, and more thoroughly, retaining the juices and aroma, which make the food more wholesome and palatable. Care must be taken to keep the hay and pillow clean and sweet-smelling. It is necessary to renew the hay once a month. Some hay box devotees prefer small, separate hay boxes for each cook pot, and perhaps the beginner would do well to try that scheme first. If you have never tried "fireless cookery," make up your mind right nov/ that you will. — [Mrs. J. C, N. Y. A Few Additional Construction Hints The following hints about the making of hay box cookers were gleaned from various sources and are well worth repeating. Get the thick, heavy paper necessary to line the hay box, from your local printer's shop. It won't cost much — it may cost nothing. If you have a large hay box, divide it into compartments, with wooden partitions, and separate covers and paper line the partition and covers, too. .Put castors under the hay box, so it can be easily moved. To save hay, use a layer of a crumpled newspaper, closely packed, in the bottom of the hay box. Use only fine hay, as that packs more closely. Never use coarse or clover hay. Put heavy weights on top of the cover of hay box, to prevent warping from steam. Earthern or iron pots are best for the hay box, as they retain heat better. Closely fitting covers are essential.

Farm and home cook book and housekeeper's assistant