110 



conflicting are the means of disturbance. In stormy weather, 

 people must have occasionally observed how the dust or dry 

 leaves are raised against the gable of a house or other building, 

 and how they curl over and around the chimney tops. Now, 

 a very simple means will often cure the evil, as a small board 

 applied to the faulty chimney itself, an adjoining one, or to some 

 projecting corner ; but sometimes a larger board, or sheet of 

 iron, fixed angularly, like the arm of a windmill, or horizon- 

 tally, with an upward slant, will be required to turn aside, 

 or raise the eddy sufficiently above the chimney, just to allow 

 its free vent. In close built towns a stillness or want of cir- 

 culation in the air is occasionally the defect to be overcome, 

 and this can only be done by raising the chimney at least as 

 high as the surrounding buildings. Another cause is small 

 size, or closeness of the apartment, and here a ventilator in a 

 wall or window-pane is necessary, or a window or door must 

 be left partly open j indeed, it is a great mistake to have 

 these very closely fitted, or listed at any time, on account 

 of health, whether a fire is kept burning or not. The best 

 ventilated and most healthy apartment is that in which the 

 currents of fresh air are so small and numerous, that it 

 can scarcely be known whence they come. Close apartments 

 are a very frequent cause of headache, restlessness, and irrita- 

 bility of temper, and render people especially liable to colds on 

 exposure to the weather. If wanted to be particularly snug and 

 comfortable, the best way is to sit in a large room, and defend 

 yourself from any cold draughts by a folding-screen, or a 

 clothes-horse with a covering over it. 



But the chief object of this paper being rather the chimney 

 itself than general principles of ventilating apartments, I shall 

 only mention another common cause of smoke, and that is, in- 

 sufficient sweeping of the chimney. The dirtying nature of 

 soot no doubt makes the housewife avoid frequent sweep- 

 ing, as the accompanying dusting, scrubbing, and washing is 

 an increase of toil ; thus, the removal once a week of the 



