FARMS 949 
points to the pipe which leads from the 
boiler to the highest fixture; but it is 
not necessary that the return have a 
continuous fall. 
Installation of the Bathroom 
Walls and Floors 
The bathroom should be a light, well 
ventilated room with every facility for 
cleanliness. Floors and wainscoting of 
tile or composite material are most de- 
sirable, but painted walls are much less 
expensive and give excellent results. Tile 
is undoubtedly the most satisfactory ma- 
terial which can be used for the cover- 
ing of the floors and walls where it can 
be afforded. Tile floor with covered base 
and walls finished with cement or hard 
plaster, painted with enamel paint, are 
much cheaper. When a tile floor can not 
be had, linoleum is an excellent substi- 
tute as it is practically impervious to 
water. It should be laid before the fix- 
tures are set, in order that there may be 
no joints. Cement mixed with small 
chips of marble well rubbed down after 
setting makes an excellent floor, one that 
washes as clean as a porcelain plate and 
has no cracks to harbor dirt; the cost is 
only about twice that of a double wood 
floor, or 50 cents per square foot, includ- 
ing the necessary cement bed on which it 
is laid. When it is desired to lay a ce- 
ment, composition, or tile floor upon 
floor joists, proceed as follows: Nail a 2 
by 4 to the side of each of the floor joists 
flush with the bottom. Upon the top of 
these stretch wire lath, after the joists 
have first been covered with,tarred paper 
to prevent them absorbing moisture; and 
upon this lay cinder concrete, made of 
one part Portland cement, three parts 
loose sand, six to eight parts -crushed 
and screened furnace clinkers; filling in 
to a level at least two inches above the 
tops of the joists Upon this is placed 
the floor finishing Cinder concrete is 
used because it is so much lighter than 
that made of stone. When a tile or ce- 
ment wainscot is too expensive the walls 
should be painted. Wall paper is not de- 
sirable in a bathroom, nor is wood 
paneling. 
Bath Tub and Lavatory 
A porcelain lined or enameled iron bath 
tub is the best medium priced tub. For 
supplying the tub with water a combina- 
tion cock is best, allowing hot or cold 
water to enter the tub separately or the 
temperature to be regulated to suit the 
bather. The cock should be placed high, 
so as to allow of water being drawn into 
pitchers. 
The best lavatories are those of porce- 
lain or enameled iron, with back and 
overflow all formed as integral parts of 
the fixture. The basin cocks through 
which the hot and cold water come are 
of various shapes, the simplest being the 
best. 
The Closet 
The water closet is the most important 
plumbing fixture in the house, and should 
be selected and put up with particular 
care. A good closet should be simple, 
neat, and strong, of a smooth material, 
with ample water in the bowl. Among 
the modern closets there is none more 
satisfactory than the flushing-rim, siphon- 
jet closet, which can be had, including 
the trap, in a single piece of porcelain. 
Porcelain is used because no other ma- 
terial can be kept so clean and sanitary. 
But even this is an imperfect protection 
from dirt and disease unless the bowl is 
flushed so as to clean it completely and 
absolutely. The water should be poured 
from the rim of the bowl, so that every 
part of it is perfectly cleaned The 
wash-down and wash-out closets are sim- 
ilar in make, but are not so thorough in 
their action. In the wash-out closet the 
basin acts as a receiver, a small quantity 
of water being retained in it, and into 
this the deposit is made, to be washed 
out afterwards into the trap by the flush. 
The water in the basin is prevented from 
leaking into the trap by a raised ridge 
which is apt to break the force of the 
flush so that its whole force is not di- 
rected into the trap, which is objection- 
able. The wash-down closet receives the 
deposit directly into the water held in 
the bowl by the trap. It has a straight 
back and a much smaller fouling surface. 
There is no open vent. The outlet is en- 
