HEALTHY AND UNHEALTHY RESIDENCES. (J 



bad workmanship under the house, will, in much less time than is 

 generally imagined, so foul the surface soil around the house that 

 the ground may be aptly compared to a big sponge saturated with 

 sewage. It may be remarked as regards the power of retaining 

 heat that ( according to Schuebler), sand with some lime (speaking 

 comparatively ) retains the most, and fine chalk the least heat. 



Situation Few of our readers may be in a position to 

 choose the situation of their dwelling place, but some hints may be 

 useful, even if all cannot be acted upon. In a rural or suburban 

 district it is frequently possible to secure a detached house. The 

 slope of a hill is, perhaps, the very best situation, with trees in the 

 immediate vicinity, but not close up to the house walls. The prin- 

 cipal rooms should face south and east, or, as the next alternative 

 south and west, care being taken that any neighboring houses built 

 above the level of your own do not drain into your domain. In 

 semi-detached houses, it is necessary to keep an eye on the sanitary 

 . arrangements of your neighbor, and it will be well if, in such mat- 

 ters, you can arrange to work together. As, however, sloping 

 ground cannot be always secured, it is advisable that a house built 

 on level or comparatively level ground should not, especially if low- 

 lying, be situated close to a watercourse of any sort, for moist air 

 as a matter of course is to be avoided. For purposes of health, 

 flat grounds can hardly, under any circumstances, be overdrained. 

 It is well to shun the close neighborhood of factories or mills, 

 which even in rural districts often, and in many cases unavoidably, 

 assist the pollution of the atmosphere as well as of the water in their 

 vicinity. Above all things, in choosing a site, ascertain, first of all, 

 that the supply of water is both good and abundant. In city dis- 

 tricts, particularly those that are densely populated, sanitary arrange- 

 ments with neighbors are difficult, if not impracticable. Avoid, 

 under all circumstances, houses that are built back to back, and 

 avoid unfinished suburbs, because the lighting, paving, drainage, and 

 other matters are usually incomplete, and often dangerous. Open 

 spaces should, under any circumstances, always exist at the back, 

 and it is hardly necessary to remark that the shorter continuous 

 rows of houses are the better. A garden, whether in town or coun- 

 try, is of course always advantageous. We may sum up the ques- 

 tion of situation by saying, get as much air and light as possible, 

 (vith an abundant supply of good water. 



Construction The external walls of houses are compara- 

 tively seldom built with requisite care, and an old enemy, damp, 

 speedily attacks us. If there be an opportunity of looking after the 

 building of the house, see that the foundations, and some feet be- 

 yond them, are laid in concrete. The basement story should be iso- 

 lated from the surrounding ground by an open space, and, in order 

 to prevent the admission of underground damp, a thin outer wall 

 should be built, reaching the ground level, and leaving a space be- 

 tween it and the main wall. The porous nature of bricks is very 



