November, 1905 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



329 



inside board, lined with newspapers, arranged to drop down 

 ana hootc on very snugiy, will add to the protection from 

 outside air at night time. 



The compartment for perishable articles snould be sepa- 

 rated from the rest of the cellar by a partition of three-inch 

 studs and joists, with plain pine or white wood boards naileu 

 across them, by tacKing up an inside lining of old newspapers 

 the partition will prove very effective in keeping out the heat 

 and oust. All cracks and knot holes can be closed with the 

 newspapers, and by pulling them down and replacing them 

 with new papers once or twice in trie winter the compartment 

 tor perishable articles can be kept very clean and sweet. 



In this compartment the inclosure for milk, butter, cheese 

 and eggs should be separated from the place for storing 

 apples, potatoes and other fruits and vegetables by a parti- 

 tion of light boards, lined inside and outside with tarred 

 paper, or, if one objects to the odor of the tar, tack common 

 manila paper over the boards. By inclosing the compartment 

 lor dairy products in this way we secure complete immunity 

 from all odors and dust. As butter absorbs odors and mi- 

 crobes from the surrounding air, it is quite important that 

 they should be protected from anything that will injure them. 

 A decaying potato or apple, or the odor from onions, carrots 

 or turnips, may very quickly spoil the flavor of the best butter, 

 lhe compartment described snould open into the cellar 

 where the heating apparatus is located by a double door, and 

 it may be that heat from this room will be needed during a 

 few days in the middle of the winter to keep the temperature 

 above the freezing point. As a rule, however, the compart- 

 ment built as described will never reach the freezing point in 

 the coldest weather, but the temperature will hover just 

 above it and remain there all winter. A uniform tempera- 

 ture of a cellar is almost as desirable as a low one. 



The compartment for the heating apparatus and the coal 

 and wood bins can be located conveniently on any except the 

 south, or sunny, side of the cellar. It may be north, east or 

 west, but the southerly exposure should be kept for other 

 purposes. The coal bin should be made as dust-proof as 

 possible, and this can be obtained by simply using old news- 

 papers for covering crevices and knot holes in the wooden 

 sides. They can be tacked on several sheets thick, and by 

 overlapping them at the edges they will make the bin tight. 

 A little tar daubed over them will make the protection ad- 

 ditionally perfect and tend to make them more permanent in 

 character. By keeping all the dust and ashes in this part of 

 the cellar we secure results that greatly lessen the labor of the 

 winter. When coal dust and flying ashes penetrate every 

 part of the cellar, it is impossible to keep articles clean and 

 fresh. This can be readily demonstrated by examining the 

 whitewashed surface of the boards after the cellar has been 

 closed up a few months. The sides of all the partitions 

 opening on this part of the cellar should be whitewashed fall 

 and spring, and the accumulation of dust and dirt can thus 

 be partly neutralized. By using an old broom to clean the 

 boards before the whitewash is applied we add to the general 

 cleanliness and sanitary condition of the place. 



Finally, we have the third compartment of the cellar, 

 which may prove a very profitable and pleasurable place for 

 many winter occupations. Facing on the south side the win- 

 dows admit sunlight during a few hours of the day. This 

 will make the compartment light and pleasant, and it can be 

 fitted up with a few luxuries, such as old chairs, odd bits of 

 carpet and sofas that have been discarded from the living- 

 rooms above. 



There should be built in this part of the cellar a car- 

 penter's bench, provided with a hand vise, tool rack and 

 other conveniences. No one is too clumsy not to be able to 

 use carpenter's tools for many small repair jobs around the 

 house. There is an endless number of improvements to be 

 made in the winter season, and preparation for spring can be 



anticipated in the cellar carpenter shop. Sashes for hotbeds 

 and cold frames can oe painced and new glass put in, window 

 blinds repaired, flower boxes designed and built, seed frames 

 constructed and many other simple articles of necessity man- 

 ufactured. A coal stove in this part of the cellar should 

 supply additional heat on cold days, although in ordinary 

 weather the heat from the furnace should be ample. Suf- 

 ficient heat can be admitted during work hours by opening 

 the doors connecting the two compartments. 



Another very agreeable function of the properly parti- 

 tioned cellar in winter is to raise flower plants, seeds and 

 vegetables exposed in the windows of the workshop. Over 

 the work bench a series of shelves should be constructed for 

 holding flower boxes and pots. A good many plants which 

 do not present a fine appearance can be temporarily banisheu 

 to this cellar flower window for recuperation. It is a sort 

 of winter hospital for them, where they can not be seen while 

 engaged in the process of building up impaired vitality. A 

 little watering, proper heat and good air will bring up the 

 plants, and there is no place like the cellar window shelves 

 for doing this. 



Seedling boxes should be built on a shelf near another 

 window with a southerly exposure, and there seeds for forc- 

 ing very early plants should be kept. Such seedlings can be 

 started as early as February. Plant the very earliest in 

 potatoes or turnips with the inside scooped out and filled with 

 rich soil. As the seedlings come up and show their second 

 pair of leaves they can be transplanted to pots or boxes 

 without disturbing their roots. The potato or turnip holder 

 decays in time in the soil and furnishes food for the roots. 

 By planting delicate spring plants in this way it is possible 

 to secure flowers of annuals a month or two ahead of your 

 friends. More than this, one can secure blossoming annuals 

 for Easter display. By raising a few of the prettiest in the 

 cellar window a novel effect can be produced. 



Or if one's taste runs to potted strawberries or English 

 cucumbers or tomatoes, it is possible to convert the shelves 

 of the cellar window into bowers of green vegetable vines 

 and plants, with red and green fruit abundantly distributed 

 around. It is necessary to be able to maintain a temperature 

 of seventy or more degrees in the cellar to secure good results 

 with potted strawberries or English cucumbers. If such a 

 temperature or a little above can be depended upon the 

 potted plants should prove a success. 



Six-inch pots are suitable for these plants, and rich, fertile 

 soil should fill the pots. They require plenty of sunlight 

 and moisture as well as heat. With these supplied they will 

 do well. The few insects which attack them can be kept 

 down with a little precaution and daily examination of the 

 leaves. 



The important question that occurs to many in attempt- 

 ing to utilize a cellar for such varied purposes is the degree 

 of sunlight admitted. The ordinary cellar window is a small 

 affair, scarcely more than two by one feet, and until archi- 

 tects show a more generous desire to increase the size houses 

 will thus be spoiled in the making. If the foundations are not 

 high enough to admit of larger windows, a sloping excavation 

 such as made for cellar stairs should be dug down below 

 each window. The bricks should then be knocked out and a 

 window frame at least three or four feet long and two or 

 three feet wide should be placed in the walls. Double sash 

 will be needed for winter work, and the sides and bottom 

 must be joined carefully to shut out the wind and snow. 

 Such large windows on the south side of the house will admit 

 three or four times as much sunlight as the ordinary cellar 

 windows, and when we consider the sanitary value of sun- 

 light in the dampest part of the house it will be agreed that 

 the extra expense and work are well paid for. The long 

 windows will prove no disfigurement to the place, and the 

 excavation can be surrounded by a small iron fence. 



