(1) Begin to charge the furnace at the bridge end, and keep firing to within a few inches of the dead-plate. (2) Never allow the fire to be so low before a fresh charge is thrown in, so that there shall be at least 4 or 5 inches of clear, incandescent fuel on the bars, equally spreadover the whole. (3) Keep the bars constantly and equally covered, particularly at the Bides and bridge end, where the fuel burns away most rapidly. (4) If the fuel burns unequally or in holes, it must be leveled and the vacant spaces tilled. (5) The large coals must be broken in pieces not larger than a man's fist. (6) Where the ash-pit is shallow, it must frequently be cleaned out; a body of hot cinders will overheat and burn the bars.