7ht RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
101 
The F ireplace As A House Heater 
O N another page this week we have an article 
and picture sent us by Clark Allis, in which he 
tells how a fireplace may be built into practically 
any room. This will be good news to many of our 
As Air Ordinarily Enters a Fireplace. Fig. 36 
readers who enjoy an open -fire, yet have no chim¬ 
ney which has seemed to be suitable for it. We 
frequently have letters from people who ask us if 
the open tire cannot be utilized in some way for 
1 eating certain rooms in the house. Some of them 
have suggested putting a boiler or metal box above 
the tire in the chimney, keeping it filled with water, 
and running pipes to the radiators. We understand 
this has been tried in one or two eases, but never 
with any great success. The Department of Agri¬ 
culture now suggests a new plan for utilizing this 
liieplace heat. It seems that Joseph Parsons, of Con¬ 
necticut, has patented a device which may be used 
for this purpose, and he has assigned his patent to 
the United States Government. This matter is well 
described in Farmers* Bulletin 1:130, issued by the 
Department of Agriculture at Washington. 
Briefly stated, the device consists of a scheme for 
bringing the outside air in hack of the fire, instead 
of having it flow directly upon the tire, as is the case 
in the ordinary fireplace. Fig. 3t> is printed in this 
bulletin to illustrate the way in which air usually 
reaches the tire. V draft up the chimney is abso¬ 
lutely necessary if the tire is to he kept up. In a 
perfectly tight room, where the outside air could 
not enter, the open fire would die out or refuse to 
burn, except very dimly. Under ordinary circum¬ 
stances the cold air required to keep the fire burn¬ 
ing is taken in through the cracks and open places 
around the windows and doors, as shown in the little 
picture. The result of this is that most of tin* warm 
air is taken directly up the chimney, while the cold 
air entering chills the comers and back places and 
leaves the room colder than it otherwise would be. 
for tiie rush of hot air up the chimney sucks in the 
cold air from outside. Really this sucking in of 
fresh air is one of the best things about an open 
fireplace, as ir gives good ventilation and keeps up 
the fresh air supply. It is thus one of the best ways 
of ventilating a house, but the greater part of the 
heat from the fuel burned in the open lire is wasted 
thtough this method. The plan proposed by Mr. 
Parsons lias many methods for controlling ventila¬ 
tion. One of the simplest forms is shown at Fig. 37. 
This means that a form of galvanized sheet iron is 
ben; in the proper shape and put into tin* fireplace 
so as to leave an air space between it ami the back 
and shies of tin* fireplace. An opening is made in 
p m 
the outside through the chimney by removing two 
or three courses of brick. Air enters through this 
and is delivered into the room at the sides of this 
fireplace, as shown in picture at Fig. 37. Such a 
form would not. of course, heat the entire room, but 
the beat is whirled about so that the cold air is not 
sucked in through the windows to any great extent. 
This merely shows the principle upon which this 
plan operates. A more elaborate plan is shown at 
Fig. 35). in this ease, as we see. a piece of galvan¬ 
ized metal so as to form the letters A, B. (\ and D. 
closing the space back of the fire, and two or three 
courses of brick are removed, leaving an opening 
at A, F. This air passes in, as shown by the arrow, 
and is heated in passing along the metal back of 
the fire. It is carried through the fine down under 
the door, and sent out through a register. This? 
heated air coming up through the register follows 
the suction made by the tire up the chimney, and 
passes on over the burning fuel, thus keeping up a 
constant circulation through the room of hot air 
instead of cold air drawn directly through the win¬ 
dows. The bulletin gives a full explanation of this 
nuithod. What we print here is only a suggestion 
of several plans, which are quite fully described. 
It would he necessary, we think, in case such a plan 
were used for heating the house, to keep a pan of 
water in the room, so as to maintain the needed 
moisture in the air; but, taken all in all. the sug¬ 
gestion appears to he a good one. which many of our 
readers will doubtless want to try. 
More About Blackhead in Turkeys 
T IIK article reprinted in the November 20 num¬ 
ber of The It. X.-Y., about curing and prevent¬ 
ing the disease known as blackhead in turkeys, has 
attracted wide attention, judging by the letters I 
am receiving on the subject. T have another com¬ 
munication from San Diego, Cal., on the subject, 
which explains some apparent failures of the cure 
to work. I quote as follows; 
We have' had many reports from those who have fol¬ 
lowed the treatment recommended this season, and with¬ 
out any exception, so far as I am able to determine, 
blackhead was absolutely prevented. We have had 
some complaints that tiie remedy was ineffective, but in 
every case where we have been able to investigate, it 
has been found that rhe cause of death of the young 
poults was not blackhead. As a matter of fact, there 
Simple Form of Warm Air Fine. Fig. 37 
are a half-dozen diseases of turkeys that might result 
in a blackening of the head, and many people who do 
not understand those conditions group them all as black¬ 
head. 
A complaint came from a nearby locality that the 
p<»tilts were dying of blackhead, and the ipecac was in¬ 
effective as a remedy. Dr. Wegeforth was notified and 
came himself to investigate. An autopsy of a number 
of the dead poults showed that the cause ,,f death was 
eoocidiosis, but the owner "as very sure il was black¬ 
head. Dr. Wegefvvrth recommended the use of catechu, 
which is a specific for eoocidiosis, and the trouble was 
cleared up at once. 
[The United States Dispensatory states that catechu 
is an extract prepared from the wood of Acacia Cate¬ 
chu. it is a powerful astringent, often used to check 
diarrluea and other bowel troubles. The wood and nuts 
are often chewed by natives of India.—Ens. | 
I might further say that the Wegeforths have raised 
about 130 turkeys this year, on ground thoroughly in¬ 
fected with the disease, without the loss of a single bird 
from blackhead Therefore, they do not hesitate to say 
that ipecac is a sure remedy for true blackhead. 
Dr. Wedeforth’s pamphlet is a reprint from the 
Journal of Pharmacology and E.rp. Therapeutics, 
April, 15)21, and is very complete, but too long for 
the columns of The R. X.-Y. 
It might be well to give the first symptoms of 
Table Queen Squash. Fig. 38. See Page 102 
l laekhead. Usually a slight lameness in the left 
leg. the droppings become liquid and frothy, then 
the bird becomes logy, closes its eyes, and opens 
them slowly. The head has a bluish green color, the 
feathers on the rump begin to rise, and the wings 
and tail to droop; sometimes death occurs within 24 
hours, but not usually until the second or third day. 
I hope those who have written me will read this 
Improved Flue with Floor Register. Fig. 39 
article, as it is more complete than my letters. The 
dose as a cure is 10 drops—in the mouth—of the 
fluid extract of ipecac, three times a day for three 
days, then once a day for the same time. As a pre¬ 
ventive. a teaspoonful of the powdered ipecac on 
enough wee mash for 20 birds, fed twice a week, 
commencing when tiie poults are two weeks old and 
continue until three months old, then once in 10 days 
is sufficient. 
The amount need not be given in one feed, on any 
one day, but may be divided among the feeds for 
that day. george a. cosgrove. 
How I Killed Quack Grass 
I SAW in a recent issue ail inquiry from a reader 
in regard to the eradication of quack grass, and 
as I have had a very successful experiment. I felt 
that I would like to give this reader the beuefit of 
this experience. 
We bad a seven-acre piece of laud right next to 
tiie barn that we knew was as good land as we had 
on the farm, but could not get a crop on it. For 
two years we had given it the best culture we could, 
one year sowing it to barley, and we only got 9S 
bushels on the seven acres. The next year we fol¬ 
lowed with wheat, and the result was just about the 
same, so, you see, that there was evidently some 
grass there. Two years ago we bought a tractor and 
l went into this lot early in May, plowed it about 
eight or nine inches deep, rolled it down, and left 
until the grass began to show the least bit. Then I 
put tractor on three-section drag harrow and gave it 
a thorough dragging, rolled it down, and left it 
again until the grass just began to come through, 
mid repeated the harrowing, but did not roll it any 
more. I kept this up until the first of July, and 
sowed it to buckwheat. It took two of us to sow 
ir. on account of the grass roots that we had dragged 
to the surface, one of us to keep the teeth clean and 
the other to drive. We got a nice rain on it the 
night after we sowed it, and the buckwheat came up 
quickly and grew very fast, covering the ground 
before the grass had a chance to get started, grow¬ 
ing to a height of about four feet. When we cut the 
buckwheat in the Fall, there was only here and 
there a small patch of quack grass left, so the next 
>ear we plowed the lot early in June and kept it 
worked about every two weeks, and last Fall, when 
we cut tiie buckwheat, there was not a sign of the 
grass anywhere. This was the worst piece of quack 
that 1 have ever seen, but this method has certainly 
cleaned it out, and we still had the use of the ground 
and got good crops from it. Both years we got over 
30 bushels per acre. fred w. white. 
New York. 
Fumigating for Vermin 
I have leased a 30-acre farm. Before moving in 
house I would like to fumigate it thoroughly. Would 
like to know if I could use the carbon bisulphide to get 
nd of any bugs, etc., that might be in it. Wind quan¬ 
tity should be used in six medium-sized rooms, how 
applied and quantity in each room V c. s. r. 
New Jersey. 
I LPIIUR burned in each room will be more 
effective for such fumigation than the bisulphide 
of carbon. The latter is excellent where it can be 
confined. It produces fumes which are heavier than 
air. and work down. Sulphur fumes will penetrate 
everywhere. Make each room air-tight and burn 
two or more of the sulphur candles inside, leaving 
the door closed for a full day. 
