1355 
■Ghe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
• Construction of Cellar 
We are building a dirt cellar, 12x22 
feet; the walls will be stone, five feet 
high. On top of walls we shall put a 
locust timber and locust rafters. Will it 
need ventilation, and where should it be? 
Is this a good way to build a cellar, and 
how much dirt will it need on the roof? 
Highland Falls, N. Y. l. e. g. 
Your plan as outlined seems good, but 
would suggest a few minor changes. As 
you have it outlined, the height in the 
clear will probably be about 5 ft. 10 in. 
If this could be made high enough to per¬ 
mit standing upright inside it would be 
(juite an advantage. The life of the locust 
timbers could be somewhat prolonged by 
treating them with some of the creosote 
oils. liailroad companies figure that the 
treatment that they give their ties with 
this preparation increases their life, as 
far as decay is concerned, 50 per cent. 
Conditions in a cellar of this kind are 
very favorable for decay and although 
locust is very decay-resistant its life is 
limited under these conditions. Though 
somewhat more expensive in first cost a 
I’oof of concrete is the best. By placing a 
jilate lengthwise through the middle of 
the building, six to eight inches higher 
than the wall plates, boards can be bent 
over them forming an arched form for the 
concrete I’oof, w'hich makes a very strong 
construction. If. a timber roof is used it 
will need a row of posts down through 
the center, because of the weight of earth 
required on the roof, in cold climates two 
to three feet of earth being necessary to 
coixserve the warmth. Additional protec¬ 
tion may be given by the addition of corn- 
stalk.s. straw or leaves. If well drained a 
dirt floor is perhaps the best, as it fur- 
nishe.s the moisture so necessary to the 
successful keeping of vegetables. 
It must be remembered that the only 
heat available for keeping the temperature 
above the freezing point is that stored in 
the vegetables and that escaping from the 
floor and walls, consequently over ventila¬ 
tion must be guarded against. A couple 
of six or eight-inch tiles i)laced in the 
ridge of this cellar with similar inlets laid 
beneath the dirt floor of the cellar and 
opening through the side walls to the out¬ 
side air gives necessary change of air. 
These .should be screened to prevent the 
entrance of mice and rate, and should 
be provided with covers, so that the tem¬ 
perature may be regulated. If greater 
ventilation is needed the door may be 
opened. Farmers’ Bulletin 879, Farmers’ 
Bulletin 847, IT. S. Department of Agri- 
culturcj Washington, and North Dakota 
Extension Bulletin 11, as well as the pub¬ 
lications of the various cement companies, 
will give you additional information. 
B. II. s. 
Sand in a casing is another cause of the 
ruination of tubes. It often happens that 
in repairing a puncture on the road one 
permits the tube and casing to pick up 
particles which create friction later and 
eventually small holes. 
Putting undersized tubes in casings is 
a common fault. This strains the tube, 
making the expansion all one-sided, on the 
tread side of the tire, and generally results 
in a sonorous blow-out. 
Sunlight is a natural enemy of inner 
tubes. It dries out the tube, making it 
brittle and unelastic. A cool, dark place 
is the proper storage for the tubes not 
needed in immediate reserve. The effect 
of grease and oils on tubes is well known. 
Many reserve tubes are weakened befoi’e 
they are inserted in the casing from chaf¬ 
ing by tools as the car bounds along. All 
the tubes should be carried well wrapped 
in a newspaper under the back seat. 
Acid from the battery, if allowed to splash 
on the tubes, will start the work of de¬ 
terioration. P. H. 
however, was the first in which they were 
used here, but it was a testing one. As 
the cold air of the house all comes back 
to the central register, there is a notice¬ 
able tendency toward the creation of dis¬ 
agreeable cold air currents in the rooms 
unless they are all pretty uniformly 
heated. M- b. d. 
A Farmer’s Auto Talks—Tubes 
In these times of war economy the auto 
owner should see to it that both tubes and 
tires receive his most intelligent attention. 
Tires for this season have jumped 30 per 
cent, an advance that should encourage 
diligent study of the causes of wear. 
Undue haste in replacing a punctured 
or blown-out tube causes much trouble. 
The most common mistake is pinching 
the tube. The tube is inserted in an un¬ 
even or twisted manner. This causes it 
to overlap or wrinkle, with the result that 
in a short time it will cut through where 
it has overlapped, and there is a leak. 
The same trouble is caused sometimes by 
putting a new tube into the tire just as it 
is taken from the box. When the tube is 
applied there is such an inrush of air that 
it will often buckle up the tube, thereby 
forcing a tiny section beneath the bead 
spreader. 
Especially will this occur if the valve 
stem is not pulled out to its proper posi¬ 
tion. The operator should proceed slowly 
when applying the tube. Before putting 
it into the casing it should be given, a 
couple of shots of air, then it should be 
applied carefully, the inside—the side on 
W’hich the stem is found—being always 
kept inside. When it is in the easing it 
should be talced carefully and the fingers 
forced all around the tire to make sure 
that the talc has been evenly distributed, 
and then, before the loose bead is applied, 
the tire should be given a little more air— 
enough to round it out nicely and prevent 
pinching. 
One should be cautioned against using 
too much talc. Several powders are used 
in keeping the tube from sticking to the 
casing, among these being talc, soapstone 
and graphite, but the use of too much of 
any of these will prove disastrous, as a 
collection of substance at one place eats 
into the rubber. If no powder is used it 
will be only a short time before the heat 
generated will cook the tube. 
Under-inflation is equally injurious. 
When the under-inflated tire passes over a 
stone both casing and tube are jolted 
against the rim and sooner or later a leak 
will develop. All tires should be inflated 
to the standard prescribed by the manu¬ 
facturers. If a tire deflates suddenly the 
car should be stopped immediately, as con¬ 
tinuous Tunning means that the casing 
must slip circumferentially, ripping the 
\,.’ve stem or.t and tearing the tube. 
“Pipeless” Furnace 
Could you give me some information 
about “pipeless” furnaces? Are they prac-- 
tical? Are they economical? Will they 
warm the windward side? E. L. P. 
Perth Amboy, N. J. 
I used a pipeless furnace in my eight- 
room house during the extremely cold sea¬ 
son of 1917-18, and thus far in the pres- 
ent one, and have found it very satisfac- 
tory It is, I think, more economical an 
the use of fuel than the ordinary type of 
hot-air heater, and heats the windward 
side of the house as well as any hot-air 
furnace would. It takes less room in the 
cellar, and gives off less heat to it than a 
pipe furnace would, and is more easily 
installed. Aside from these features I 
cannot see that it has any advantages 
over a pipe furnace, and probably would 
not be as satisfactory in operation if 
there were distant rooms to be heated. 
Since these furnaces are alike in prin¬ 
ciple, the advantage that one might have 
over another would be in quality. In my 
own house the rooms to be heated all 
open together, but a small room at one 
side heats very quickly and ea.sily when 
the door to it is thrown open. There are 
a number of these heaters in farm and 
village houses in my vicinity, and I have 
not yet heard of any user who is not 
pleased with his own. The past season. 
Waterproofing a Concrete Floor 
On page 1264 ,1. R. complains that 
water enters his cellar through the cement 
sides and bottom, and asks for a remedy. 
Water will soak through concrete under 
the following conditions: First, if the 
concrete is too rich in cement. Second, if 
the sand contains any considerable admix¬ 
ture of soil. Third, if the materials are 
not thoroughly mixed, and, fourth, if too 
much water is used in mixing. If one will 
attend carefully to these details there will 
be no difficulty. The correct proportions 
for this purpose are one part cement, two 
and one-half of sand, five and one-half of 
gravel, and a shovelful of hydrated lime 
to every bag of cement. And bear in 
mind that the sand must be clean and 
sharp, and that there must be neither 
sand nor soil among the gravel. These 
materials must be thoroughly mixed, and 
then mixed again, and just as thoroughly, 
to make sure that they are thoroughly 
incorporated, and then just enough water 
is added so that the concrete can be 
worked, meantime mixing the whole so 
that one part is as moist as another. 
If the bottom is of solid clay, there 
should be a layer of coal ashes fully two 
inches thick tamped solidly upon it before 
the concrete is applied. This will pre¬ 
vent the concrete from being broken by 
the expansion and contraction of the I 
clay under the influence of moisture or 
extreme dryness. Also, if there is to be 
a hirnace in the cellar, so that the floor 
will be unequally heated in different 
parts, there must be a double flooring of 
cement, the uppermost being laid in blocks 
about two feet square. Otherwise, unless 
excessively thick, the floor will crack un¬ 
der the Influence of the heat, sufficiently 
to allow water to enter, c. o. obmsbee. 
It shows the important part piston 
rings play in producing power, saving 
gasoline and oil. Tells bow you can 
have a clean, dependable motor. It will 
enable you to judge for yourself the 
claims of all types of piston rings. For 
your own satisfaction, profit and pro¬ 
tection—send for your copy today. 
McOuav-Norris Manufacturing Co. 
]oF 2878 Locust St>, St, Louis, Mo. 
Manufacturers of 
McQuay-Norris \ gA,\<-^oov Piston Rings | 
The young college boy had been work¬ 
ing his way on the dairy farm during a 
particularly beautiful Summer. As Dairy¬ 
man .links came through the barn door, he 
walked over to meet him. “I could stay 
on a farm forever,” said he; “see how the 
dusk settles upon the hills. Note that ex¬ 
quisite mauve and gold in the Western 
sky. See the rich green and grays. And 
the fields of grain are waving so softly in 
the lush twilight.” “Son,” said the dairy¬ 
man, “all of that may be true, but would 
you mind feedin’ the hogs?”—Credit Lost. 
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Samples & * 
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iilB 
SPIREX 
The All-Season Radiator 
Tractors equipped with Spirex Radiators 
can be used in all seasons. They serve just 
as satisfactorily in freezing weather as on 
a mild, spring day. 
This is because the Spirex is the most sci¬ 
entifically designed and durably built 
radiator for tractor service. 
Made of very heavy copper stock with 
extra large water channels, the liability 
of freezing is reduced to a minimum. 
You can use your tractor for all kinds of 
winter work—sawing wood, shelling corn, 
hauling, etc,—with fullest assurance that 
with ordinary care you will experience ab¬ 
solutely no radiator troubles if a Spirex 
guards your tractor motor. 
MODINE MANUFACTURING COMPANY 
RACINE, WISCONSIN 
MODINE 
SPIREX 
RADIATORS. 
