Apples, Baked.—Peel and core six large sour apples; mix together a cup of sugar, half a teaspoonful of mixed ground spice, a saltspoonful of salt, two tablespoonfuls of grated cracker crumbs, and two tablespoonfuls of milk or water. Fill the core with the mixture; put the apples in a pan, and bake; serve them hot or cold with sweetened cream. A border of whipped cream around the apples may be substituted for the plain cream.

Apples may be served sliced, covered with sugar and a mild liquor poured over them, and topped off with whipped cream.Bananas.—Select short, thick, red or yellow bananas; peel and cut them in quarters lengthwise; serve on a napkin.Blackberries, Raspberries, Whortleberries, etc., are too well known to require instructions as to how they should be served; but a word of caution is necessary. They should be very thoroughly examined before they are served; all stems, bruised berries, and unripe fruit should be removed, and a thorough search made for minute particles of grit and for insects.Cantaloupes, or small melons, should be placed on ice the night preceding their use. Cut or slice off the top of each melon; remove the seeds, and replace them with fine ice; replace the covers, and send to table looking as though uncut.

Should they taste insipid, trim off the rind, cut the remainder into neat pieces, pour over them a plain salad-dressing, and they will be found quite palatable.Cherries.—If large, fine-looking fruit, serve them plain; but they must be cold to be palatable. Keep them on ice over night, or serve glasses of fine ice to each guest, with the fruit arranged on top of it.Currants.—Large, fine clusters should be served on the stem, arranged on a fruit-stand alone, or in layers alternated with mulberries, raspberries, or other seasonable fruits. Serve with powdered sugar.Figs and Dates may be served at breakfast.Grapes.—Malaga, Tokay, Hamburg, and similar varieties of grapes should be well rinsed in ice-water, and cut into small bunches with fruit scissors. Place on a glass dish, or dishes surrounded by fine ice, and, if plentiful, do not divide the clusters, but drain them out of ice-water. Serve on a neatly-folded napkin, a bunch for each guest.Melons.—The best way to eat melons is unquestionably with a little salt; they should be kept over night in an ice-box and served at the following breakfast; but melons are very deceptive; they may look delicious, but, from growing in or near the same garden where squashes and pumpkins are raised, they often taste as insipid as these vegetables would if eaten raw. In this case they are made very palatable by cutting the edible part into slices, and serving them with plain dressing of oil, vinegar, pepper, and salt.Oranges.—Of the many ways of serving oranges, I prefer them sliced. If in summer, keep them cold until wanted. Remove all seeds, and cut large slices in two. Mandarins are served whole, with the peel scored but not removed.Peaches.—If the peaches are large and perfect do not slice them, but serve them whole; wipe or brush off the feathery coating, arrange them neatly on the fruit-dish, and decorate them with fresh green leaves and flowers.

Sliced peaches turn a rusty brown color if allowed to stand after cutting them. Should this occur, cover them with whipped cream properly sweetened.Pears.—Fine-flavored pears should be served whole; inferior pears, sliced and dredged with sugar; they are acceptable when mixed with other fruits.Pineapples are best served as a salad. Pare and dig out the eyes; take hold of the crown of the pine with the left hand; take a fork in the right hand, and with it tear the pine into shreds, until the core is reached, which throw away. Arrange the shredded fruit lightly in a compote, add a liberal quantity of powdered sugar, a wine-glassful of CuraÇoa, and half a wine-glassful of brandy.

Alternate layers of shredded pineapple and fresh cocoanut served with a sauce of orange juice, seasoned with sugar and liquors, is excellent.Plums are too often picked before they are quite ripe, which prevents them from becoming popular as a breakfast fruit; this is true of Apricots also.Strawberries are often objectionable, owing to grit; wash, or rather rinse them in water, drain on a napkin, and serve with vanilla-flavored whipped cream for a change.Nearly all tropical fruits that are imported are excellent breakfast fruits, such as the alligator pear, Lechosa prickly pear, pomegranate, tropical mango, and many others.