, and rushes to catch a
train or car at four o'clock, not returning to the district until Monday
morning, has no time for this kind of service.

Occasionally the entire class may meet with their instructors in the
school-room. An oil-stove and the necessary equipment may be obtained,
and a demonstration may be given by one of the instructors. By this
means much valuable instruction will be given that is not included in
the regular course. At this time also many things may be discussed that
pertain to the growth of the movement and the general well-being of the
pupils.

The plan is flexible and may be modified easily to suit different
localities. It calls for no outlay on the part of the school trustees;
nor are the instructors necessarily put to any expense, as the articles
prepared in giving the lessons may be used in their own homes.

By the adoption of one of the plans outlined, or such modifications of
them as the peculiar requirements of the district may demand, every
rural school may do something, not only toward giving a real knowledge
of some phases of Household Science, but also toward developing the
community spirit and arousing an interest in the school, which will
benefit all concerned.

THE FIRELESS COOKER

At the present time there is urgent need for thrift and economy in all
that pertains to the management of the household--particularly in food
and fuel. In the average home much fuel could be saved by the proper use
of what is known as the fireless cooker. The scientific principle
applied has long been known and is, briefly, as follows: If a hot body
is protected by a suitable covering, the heat in it will be retained for
a long time, instead of being lost by radiation or conduction. This is
why a cosy is placed over a tea-pot.

In using a fireless cooker, the food is first heated on the stove until
the cooking has begun, and then it is placed in the fireless cooker--a
tight receptacle in which the food is completely surrounded by some
insulating substance to prevent the rapid escape of the heat, which in
this way is retained in the food in sufficient quantity to complete the
cooking. Sometimes, when a higher cooking temperature is desired, an
additional source of heat, in the form of a hot soapstone or brick or an
iron plate such as a stove lid, is put into the cooker with the food.

The same principle is also employed in cookery in other ways. For
example, in camp life beans are often baked by