64 COMMON SENSE 
temperature, and wherever the walls consist d of boards they were 
carefully lined with tar paper.. This lining. was applied - by first 
nailing to the: walls strips an inch thick. The paper.was then 
tacked to the strips, and thus a dead air-space was enclosed_be- 
tween the wall and the paper. This, as every one knows, forms 
one of the very best of non-conductors, provided the air does not 
circulate in this space. To prevent this the strips were placed hori- 
zontally—not vertically, as is usually done, and thus all up and down 
currents were prevented. 
But, in order that the full benefit of a glass house might be had 
for clear cold days, there was a glass shed, the same length as the 
house,. but only twelve feet wide, built against the south side. 
This was constructed-in a very simple, but very efficient manner, as 
follows: ‘The wall on the east side was stone, about 30 inches 
high, and after that of boards. The front was of stone, and the west 
side of boards. The rafters were narrow inch boards, tongued as 
if for matched stuff; and these were placed just so far apart that 
the glass lay snugly between the tongues. The glass was then_ 
puttied in, beginning .at the bottom, and allowing each light to 
over-lap the one below it. From such a roof. snow slides off as 
soon as a thaw comes, and.it is very cheap. Large ventilators, 
which could be opened or closed at pleasure, were placed in the 
east and west sides, as outlined in the figure, and in the front wall - 
(that facing the south). there were openings whereby the fowls 
could go out and in, to the large enclosure, or to the open fields, 
-when it was so desired. Directly over the front wall of the glass 
shed, and running the entire length of the house, was extended’ a 
wire netting which effectually-prevented the fowls from getting on to 
the roof and yet was almost invisible, so that it did not detract 
from the appearance of the building. The outside of the south 
wall of the house proper, (that which formed the north wall of the 
glass leanto) was painted a very dark reddish brown. This en- 
abled it to absorb the heat of the sun’s rays, whenever they fell on 
it, and this heat they imparted to the air, so that even on cold days 
the air-in the shed was quite warm so long as the ventilators were 
