t close, let it stand in a cool
place till the next day, and then pour it off as gently as possible, so
as not to disturb the settlings. If a table-spoonful of brandy be added
to each pint of ketchup, after standing a while, a fresh sediment will
be deposited, from which the liquor is quietly to be poured off, and
bottled into half pints, as it is best preserved in small quantities,
which are soon used. It must be closely corked and sealed down, or
dipped in bottle cement, that the air may be entirely excluded. If kept
in a cool dry place, it may be preserved for a long time; but if it be
badly corked, and kept in a damp place, it will soon spoil. Examine it
from time to time, by placing a strong light behind the neck of the
bottle; and if any pellicle appears about it, it must be boiled up again
with a few peppercorns. No more spice is required than what is necessary
to feed the ketchup, and keep it from fermenting. Brandy is the best
preservative to all preparations of this kind.

KEEPING PROVISIONS. When articles of food are procured, the next thing
to be considered is, how they may be best preserved, in order to their
being dressed. More waste is oftentimes occasioned by the want of
judgment or of necessary care in this particular, than by any other
means; and what was procured with expense and difficulty is rendered
unwholesome, or given to the dogs. Very few houses have a proper place
to keep provisions in; the best substitute is a hanging-safe, suspended
in an airy situation. A well-ventilated larder, dry and shady, would be
better for meat and poultry, which require to be kept a proper time to
be ripe and tender. The most consummate skill in culinary matters, will
not compensate the want of attention to this particular. Though animal
food should be hung up in the open air, till its fibres have lost some
degree of their toughness; yet if kept till it loses its natural
sweetness, it is as detrimental to health as it is disagreeable to the
taste and smell. As soon therefore as you can detect the slightest trace
of putrescence, it has reached its highest degree of tenderness, and
should be dressed immediately. Much of course will depend on the state
of the atmosphere: if it be warm and humid, care must be taken to dry
the meat with a cloth, night and morning, to keep it from damp and
mustiness. During the sultry months of summer, it is difficult to
procure meat that is not either tough or tainted. It should therefo