AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
45 
would himself make a different arrangement, if 
he were planning the dwelling anew. 
SECOND FLOOR. 
This is shown in fig. 3—the darker position in¬ 
dicating the roof of the piazza which is but one 
6tory in hight. A note-worthy feature, in the ar¬ 
rangement of the rooms on this floor, is the fact 
that they are all communicate so as to admit of 
thorough ventilation by means of doors, windows, 
and the stair hall which opens above into the 
cupola or observatory. At the north-east, in the 
rear of the stair hall, in the angle formed by the 
L, and main building, is a balcony always shaded 
until late in the afternoon. This is used as a sit¬ 
ting place in Summer. 
THIRD FLOOR. 
In the third story there are four chambers, a 
hall, and a children’s play room , 16 by 40 feet. 
This last is a very important thing and should 
always be provided for. An ample room, cool, 
and well aired, where children may romp and 
play in all weathers, and where they should be 
sent two or three hours daily, will do more than 
anything else to promote physical 
development and health, and its 
expense will be saved in physi¬ 
cian’s fees. We have recently 
referred to the fact that coughs, 
colds, and consumption, are on the 
increase in our country, owing n 
part to the growing habits of lux¬ 
ury in eating, dress, etc., but 
mainly to the “ improvements’’ in 
the construction of the dwelling 
houses which render them imper- 
Much is said of the unhealthfulness of stoves and 
hot-air furnaces. The fault lies not in the stoves 
or furnaces themselves, which supply an even uni¬ 
form atmosphere, more healthful than the “ one 
side hot—one side cold,” grate and fire-place ar¬ 
rangements, but in the absence of that ventila¬ 
tion secured by the wide-throated chimneys which 
carried up a large amount of impure air, the place 
of which was supplied by fresh air coming in 
through various apertures and even down one 
portion of the chimney-flue itself. Let the best 
possible means be adopted for securing a moder¬ 
ately warm uniform atmosphere, with no cold cur¬ 
rents, but let the fullest provisions be made fora 
frequent ex¬ 
change of the 
entire air of 
an occupied 
room — day 
and night—for 
pure air; and 
let every 
member of the 
family have a 
large amount 
ing, noon and afternoon 
recesses. We can con¬ 
ceive of no better attach¬ 
ment to any public or 
private school building 
than this—it should be 
everywhere patterned 
after.] 
Mr. Parsons’ house is 
heated by a furnace in 
the basement, which is 
provided witli two fire 
chambers entering one 
flue, one only of which is 
used in moderate weath¬ 
er—both being required 
only during severe cold. 
GROUND PLAN, OR FIRST FLOOR. 
vious to the external pure air, and confine the 
constant occupants, the adult females, and chil¬ 
dren of both sexes, in a close, heated, impure at¬ 
mosphere, which is weakening to the lungs, and 
debilitating to the whole muscular and nervous 
system. The “Appeal to the Sexton of the 
Meeting-house,” published in December, (Vol. 17, 
page 372), ought to be framed and hung in every 
church, school-house, and dwel ing in the land. 
of daily physical exercise in 
a cold, bracing atmosphere. 
An attic room, like the one 
above described, of ample 
dimensions for brisk exer¬ 
cise, is an admirable ar¬ 
rangement for this pur¬ 
pose, since the children of 
a family can here enjoy 
the full benefit of out-door 
air, and muscular activity, 
Summer and Winter, rain 
or ;hine, without the expo¬ 
sure of damp feet, or chills. 
When the mother or nurse 
feels in herself a sense of 
weariness, and a growing 
fretfulness on the part of 
the little ones, let her take 
them to the ventilated play¬ 
room, and spend a little 
season in romping and frolic, and she will be sur¬ 
prised at the magic effect both upon herself and 
those under her care. The daily and frequent 
practice of this will work a wonderful change 
in that weak, puny child, that now appears to 
be a candidate for an early grave. [In the large 
public school building in Middletown city, Conn., 
the entire attic is thrown into one monster room 
where the girls play and exercise at the morn- 
Tliis is convenient and economical, and worthy 
of attention. 
We can not describe particularly the grounds 
surrounding the house, which consist of some 17 
acres, planted with a variety of trees, in belts 
and groups, including a large number of ever¬ 
greens, together with shrubbery, etc. The finest 
addition, to our eye, is the plots of rhododendrons 
which retain their foliage throughout the year, and 
afford a magnificent bloom during early Summer. 
The Expense of the above house we can not 
give, as the proprietor is absent in Europe, and 
we have had no opportunity for consultation—our 
description being made up from personal observa¬ 
tion, and the builder’s plans. 
Ice-houses in Cellars- 
In reply to a correspondent, on this subject, we 
would say that it is nothing new to construct ice- 
receptacles in cellars ; though for our own use, 
we prefer one out of doors. All you need to do 
in the case proposed, is to choose a cool and dry 
corner of your cellar, use the cellar walls for two 
sides, and make the other two of some non-con¬ 
ducting material, filling in on all sides with tan 
or saw-dust. It will be well to choose a side o( 
the cellar where you have, or can have a large 
window for unloading the ice directly into the 
house. Do not neglect drainage and ventilation, 
or your labor will be lost—and your ice. 
---^O mi —>-•--- 
The worthiest people are the most assailed by 
slander; as we usually find that to be the best 
fruit, which the birds have been pecking at. 
