108 MISCELLANEOUS FARM SUBJECTS 



should have a good color. A smoking fireplace is a ^never-ending 

 source of discomfort. 



The Cellar. In building the cellar enough windows should be 

 provided for light and ventilation and a good-sized door opening out- 

 side. Double doors should be placed over the stairs leading up from 

 this opening to the surface, and should be set at an incline that will 

 readily shed water. The wall should extend around the space left for 

 the stairs. In cold climates another and perpendicular door should be 

 placed at the foot of the stairs, separating them from the cellar. 



In the construction of the cellar the first thing is to provide such 

 drainage as will draw off the water at least 1 foot lower than the sur- 

 face of the cellar floor and prevent the ground air from passing 

 through the walls and floors. In building the cellar walls every joint 

 should be entirely filled with mortar. A good coat of asphalt over the 

 outside of the wall turned in at the grade line with a course of slate or 

 bluestone above ground level will prevent all soaking up of moisture. 

 If a draintile is laid just outside the footing course and the space on 

 the outside of the wall is filled with sand and gravel all the way up to 

 grade, the surface water will be carried away through the drain. 



The floor of the cellar is best made by a layer of brick or of 

 cinder concrete, covered by a layer of asphalt and finished by a 4-inch 

 layer of stone concrete. A layer of well-beaten clay makes a good 

 cellar floor, but it can not be so easily kept clean. The height of the 

 cellar walls above the ground is important. They should extend a 

 sufficient distance above the ground to admit of windows in the cellar 

 at least 2 feet high. This will insure plenty of light and thorough 

 ventilation. There should be cellar windows on all sides of the house. 



The cellar should be easily accessible from the kitchen and a 

 stairway leading to the kitchen is an important feature. This stair- 

 way should be in a lighted portion of the cellar to avoid the danger of 

 accidents. The fruit and vegetable bins should be so constructed as to 

 be readily cleaned. 



Porches. In practical enjoyment in the summer broad porches 

 pay a large interest on their cost. They should be made wide enough 

 to accommodate seats or chairs and yet have space to move about. 

 Such a porch practically adds an additional room to the house for 

 summer use. 



The floor should always be constructed of narrow, matched strips 

 of heart wood, blind nailed, laid- in white lead (the tongue of each 

 strip heavily coated with white lead and oil before the next strip is 

 driven on) and, if possible, with not less than three good coats of 

 paint. The ceiling may be of matched and beaded 3-inch stuff or 

 left open to the roof. The former will, of course, give a much more 

 finished appearance. 



An inclosed porch is the connecting link between the house and 

 the garden. The plan of the house can be so arranged that this porch 

 makes a convenient summer dining room. The planting of the trees, 

 shrubs, and vines should be such as to give it privacy and a pleasant 

 outlook. There is no reason why a backyard should not be a pleasant 

 place. The part of the yard in daily use should be kept in a sanitary 



