Miss Parloa's kitchen companion

with ferns or moss. Put a small but handsome pineapple on the tumbler. Now arrange apples, oranges, and bananas on the dish, being careful to reserve the finest fruit for use later. Now build up with pears, grapes, — two or three colors, — bananas, apples, and oranges, and also plums, if in season. Insert a few green leaves between the pieces of fruit. The dish must look light and rather carelessly arranged, but the fruit must be so placed that there shall be no danger of its falling. If the bottom of the dish be covered with soft moss the fruit may be more easily managed than on a smooth surface. The real moss can be obtained at the florists if one does not live near the woods, or the artificial moss may be used. In arranging this dish of fruit be careful to combine the colors tastefully. The insertion of a bit of green between two colors that do not harmonize makes a remarkable improvement. One need not feel restricted to the use of the fruits mentioned. Use any kinds that are at hand. Mandarin oranges are frequently used with good effect, their rich color adding much to the attractiveness of the table. A dish of fruit with ice is a pleasing feature on a summer table. Use a very large Japanese plate and one of the small Japanese bowls, — a square one being the best for this purpose. Place the bowl in the centre of the dish, and arrange the fruit around it. Fill the bowl with broken ice. Put long sprays of fern in the bowl near the edge, letting them droop over the fruit. The ferns for this decoration should be delicate. In the winter, when one cannot get green leaves with which to decorate dishes of oranges, apples, pears, etc., the mountain laurel leaves will be found very effective. One can get large bunches of them early in the winter. They should be kept in a large jar with plenty of fresh water. Sprinkle them once a week. A few bright flowers in a large bunch of these leaves make a handsome decoration for table or sideboard. This laurel abounds in the woods of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. It is sold in the New York markets at Christmas time. Holly makes a pretty decoration for fruit ; indeed, any of the broad-leaved evergreens are desirable in winter for this purpose. Serving Nuts. Nuts, when to go with raisins, are usually served in the shells. When the shells are hard, like those of walnuts, they should be cracked before being served. There is a variety of tastes in regard to almonds, which are sometimes served in the shell, sometimes shelled but not blanched, and sometimes blanched. When they are served in the shell the paper-shell almonds should be used. Blanching the almond changes its flavor somewhat, and really spoils it for a dessert nut if it be served without any other preparation. The raisins should be in handsome clusters, and the nuts should be sprinkled among them. Salt is often eaten with filberts. It is well to have it on the table when nuts of any kind are served. Almonds are cooked in various ways and served with dessert. French chestnuts are roasted and served with salt. Small fancy cakes, confectionery, French candied fruit, preserved ginger, etc., are served for dessert. Salted Almonds.