HOUSING AND HYGIENE 



277 



two feet deep. Doors or windows open into the lol't so tliat 

 there may be a good eireulation of air aljove withont ereatinji; 

 a draft in the pen Ijelow. The straw alisorhs any dampness 

 there may be in tlie air below tlirougli tlie ()])enini;s lietwcen 

 tlie boards. On clear days the doors or windows in the loft 

 are opened and the current of air passing through dries out 

 the straw. 



The straw loft also tends to make the house warmer in 

 winter and cooler in summer. It acts as an insulator between 



Fig. 1.51 



"W... 



-v.- * 



Showiiii^ \"e utiiator (intir unilrr ra\'c,^ and \\ iniiow .s \nr liL'liiiim llu; Hour 

 uinlcr the droijpirj^ boaixia. ^(.'olirtL'S^' of PurLlLU; A^riuLiltui ai l^xijuriuifiit 

 Station.) 



the roof and the pen below. It is also likely to be a harbor 

 for rats and mice, and mites once established in it are difficult 

 to get rid of. So far as the efficiency of the loft is concerned 

 the straw may be left from year to year. 



The straw loft is l)est adapted to the gable-roof houses, 

 as shown in Figure 149. It may lie used with less con- 

 venience in either a shed roof or combination roof house. 



Fixtures. — Those pieces of ecpiipment which are built as a 

 part of the house should be simple, few in num])er, jilaced 

 high enough not to use up floor space, and removable. They 



