upon a tray, collect all the refuse and partly eaten foods, carefully emptying cups, glasses, finger bowls, etc., and scraping all dishes which contained food as clean as possible; for no crumbs or particles of food should be introduced into the dishwater.  Pile the dishes as fast as cleaned upon a second tray in readiness for washing.  It saves much liability of breakage in transferring from the dining room to the kitchen, if each kind of soiled dishes is packed by itself.

Wipe carefully, if not needing to be washed, and replenish all salts, granola cups, and sugar bowls before putting away.  Gather the soiled napkins for the laundry, and put those clean enough to be used again in their proper places.  Especial care must be taken, however, so to designate those reserved for future use that each shall receive the same again, as nothing is more disgusting to a sensitive person than to be tendered a napkin which has been used by some one else.  Some form of napkin holder should be considered an essential part of the table furnishing.  If rings cannot be afforded, ordinary clothes pins, gilded and decorated with a bit of ribbon, make very pretty substitutes.

Brush the tablecloth, fold in its creases, also the sub-cover of canton flannel, and lay both away until again needed.

Washing the Dishes.—­Plenty of hot water and clean towels are the essential requisites for expeditious and thorough dish-washing.  A few drops of crude ammonia added to the water will soften it and add to the luster of the silver and china.  Soap may be used or not according to circumstances; all greasy dishes require a good strong suds.  There should also be provided two dish drainers or trays, unless there is a stationary sink with tray on which to drain the dishes.  For washing glassware and fine china, papier-mache tubs are preferable to anything else, as they are less liable to occasion breakage of the ware.  If many dishes are to be washed, frequent changes of water will be necessary as the first becomes either cold or dirty.  Perfectly sweet, clean dishes are not evolved from dirty dishwater.  The usual order given for the washing of dishes is, glasses, silver, fine china, cups, saucers, pitchers, plates and other dishes.  This is, however, based upon the supposition that cups and saucers are used for beverages, and plates are soiled by the use of various greasy foods; but in families where tea and coffee and animal foods are dispensed with, and saucers are used for grains with cream dressing, the plates are often cleaner than the saucers and should be washed first.

The general rule to be followed is always to wash the dishes least soiled first, and all of one kind together.  The latter item is specially important, since much of the nicking of dishes and breaking of handles from cups, covers, and pitchers is the result of piling dishes promiscuously together while washing.

It is quite as easy to finish washing one kind before beginning on another as to do it in any less safe and systematic way, and if wiped in the same order, it does away with the need of sorting when putting the dishes away.