190 The Farmstead 



HEATING AND VENTILATION 



In the future as in the past, most farm 

 houses, without doubt, will be heated by stoves. 

 However, some farmers will desire either an air, 

 water, or steam heater. Air heaters are danger- 

 ous, because if the valves are not properly man- 

 aged, the pipes may become superheated and may 

 set the building on fire. They carry fine dust 

 into the rooms, and the heat cannot be evenly 

 distributed when the house is exposed to the full 

 force of the wind, as it usually is in the country. 

 The system of heating by means of hot water 

 has many objections when used in the farm 

 house. The water in the pipes is likely to freeze 

 at night in the unused rooms if it is cut off; if 

 it is left on, all the rooms must be heated, 

 which is frequently not desirable. Then, too, 

 heat cannot be secured as quickly in the morn- 

 ing as desired, and in case of too much heat, 

 the rooms cool slowly unless doors or windows 

 are opened. The first cost of placing a steam 

 heating plant is expensive, but once in place it 

 is most satisfactory. Wherever steam power 

 can be used to advantage in the dairy, the steam 

 plant might well be placed in one end of the 

 summer kitchen or in the wood house, where it 

 may be separated from the balance of the room 

 by a partition. There is no more danger of 



