530 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



within a range of six degrees. I say that ordinarily, with the care it 

 gets, we will keep the temperature within a range of about ten 

 degrees. 



MR. HERR: Without any artificial heat? 



MR. COOK: Without any artificial heat. Now that is not an ex- 

 pensive proposition. It was at my request that these people came 

 to our place where we held this institute. Some of the people didn't 

 believe all I said, and I had to take them there and prove that I was 

 not lying, and if any of you think what I have stated is not correct, 

 if you will come up and examine it for yourselves, if you don't find 

 it practically as I have said, I will pay your fare. 



DR. FUNK: Would that system of ventilation answer for a fruit 

 room? 



MR, COOK: I do not think it would. I spent two weeks, Doctor, 

 in the State of Maine this Fall working along this line, and when I 

 reached Aroostook, that famous potato section, nearly every man 

 came to me to know if there was not something in this system that 

 would help them out. They have a problem of a peculiar sort there; 

 I could not see after studying it very carefully, how it could be ap- 

 plied for this reason, they do not need such a change of air as this 

 would bring about. They simply want to get rid of the moisture 

 and keep as cool as they can. Now without artificial heat to let 

 in these currents of cold air, we would soon let in so much cold air, 

 that we would have a freezing temperature inside. They are build- 

 ing these potato houses in a bank, and building walls with an air 

 chamber, and putting in two or three windows, simply for the pur- 

 pose of cold storage, and laying a loose plank floor above, so that 

 they can go in and take that up anywhere and dump down their 

 potatoes, and after they get through, they put on anywhere from 

 two to four feet of straw, and that moisture works itself up through 

 the cracks and I think that the men who have done that have got 

 the ideal system for their potato houses. 



The SECRETARY: Do not forget to tell us about the meeting. 



MR. COOK: I have that right here. Now we did this work as a 

 starter. You will see the one picture represents the people being 

 talked to, and the other being fed, or as having been fed, and I 

 want to say there wasn't anything left after they got through eating 

 because we had more people than were expected. Mr. Dawley, our 

 Institute Director, held this meeting to show farmers how cheaply 

 sanitary barns could be built and maintained. We can build along 

 this line cheaply as well as to build expensively. There is no reason 

 why any man producing milk should keep dairy cows w T ho cannot 

 keep a stable along this line, and I believe, Dr. Tower, it would help 

 you in your work, because it is a question of health to the animal, 

 and system of ventilation is really the key to the whole thing. 



Now, Mr. Chairman, I believe I have talked as long as it is pro- 

 per, and I want to thank the people very courteously for the kind- 

 ness shown me since I came here. I realize that when you get a 

 body like this together, you have the pick of the great Common- 

 wealth of Pennsylvania, the best men that the State affords, and in 



