Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1856-01-26
AGRICULTURAL.
(From the New England Farmer1
HOW KFEPYOURH HOUSE wApu
IN THE COUNTRY.


BY HENRYF. FRENCH.
Back Plastcring-Donble Windows-Cold Air moi
Always Pure Air-Furnaoes or Stoves, that is tho
queston-tuinaces for Wood-Ar-Tirhts NOT
necessarily Fata-Primary School Room in Exc.
ter-Practcal Objections to Furnaces Ventila-
ton the Main Point
In my former article, on tins subject lomit.
ted to allude to one idea, which is all important.
1t is this,-if you would keep your house warm
make it tight. In building see that air. as well
as water is excluded, except through proper
openings. The cheapest and best mode of rem
derlng the walls of a wooden house tight. is,
by back plastering-plastering between the
studs before the usual lathing is put on. This
should be done by Turing ont, say an inch from
the boarding and lathing, so as to leave an air
space between the boarding and back plasterinp
and there will be another air space between this
ana the common pastering, which will be far
better protection from cold, than solid walls Of
the same thickness, Of any material.
Next, TO make your house tight put on douJic
,rindoirs, upon the rooms usually occupied -
lhey should be made whole, and screwed upon
'he outside, rabbiled into the window frames. or
otherwise nicely adjusted, with one or more
panes IN each room, hung on hinges for yeniila-
ton, unless better means are provided Tben
ottne outer thsn, arr nnsy-5e aurtt,eo sot,ns,o,
reqires.
These suggestions will, Of course. be met. by
those who do not think much on the subject. but
only think they are thinking" with the OBJ
lecuon, that Our houses are too tight now for
healih' and that the very difficulty is tina, we
nave not fresh air enough, All this is very
true, as to not having fresh air enough. Lu,
furnishes no reason for admitting the winds of
Heaven through all sorts of cracks, in unlimited
quantities. Were one to advise us because va.
Ter is essential to health and comfort. in our
houses, 10 leave leak holes all over it, TO adj
MT poper supply, none of US wonld be likely
10 ADOPT that mode in preference to aaueduct
plpes' which we can control as we please. -
somewhat akin to- this absurdity, is the idea.
that, because fresh air is essential. we should
allow it to blow through our houses witbon, an.
struction.
But there is another consideration. which
must not be forgotten, as to double windows
Ai'hnugh glass is, comparatively, non.con-
uucior, yet single thickness, OF an inch. be-
tween the temperature Of zero without. and sew.
eniy degrees within, is an insufficient protee.
non The glass becomes cold, 50 cold that ice
or frost, as we term it, sometimes forms on the
inside OF 1t, even in a room comfortably warm.
near inc hre and the air of the room is contin-
ua'iy cooled by contact with the glass, without
inc admission OF any fresh air, for no air passes
through the glass, though the heat constantly
escaped through it, The distinction between
coId and fresh air, must not be forgotten. The
cold that comes through the glass, il we may
use an expression not quite philosophical. does
not purify The air of the room. We are apt to
associate the idea Of bad air with that of warm
arr but man would die just as soon, bottled
up IN glass jar, for want of flesh air, in cold
as in warm place.
what we need most to provide for, is, not
cold air, but air that has not been vitiated by
breathing. In other words, we require change
oil air in our rooms, and this not by accidental
cracks, left by the unskillulness of carpenters
ana 'nasons, but by some systematic arrange
ment Tor It's admission and escape. The old
luea' mat hight as manfully as we may, against
VIC aumisSion OF air, enough will somehow get
IN must be given up. We can, and. for econ
omy ought to, make ourlhouses tieht, and as WIS
usually build in these days, they are. with stoves
IN them, too close for health.
And now, as 10 the question of 6,rnacc, or
Horfs Tor houses in the country This question
does not depend upon the comparative cost Of
wood and coal, because furnaces are much in
use' In some paris of New England, heated BY
wood They are frequently constructed of d
common cast iron stove, from two to four feet
long, with sheet iron drum on TOP, all epclos.
ed IN brick chamber, from which the hot al,
Is taken directly, by the pipes. This cheap and
simple mode of heating is liable to the objection
mat usually the stove is heated very hot. and so
me arr is vitated before it reaches the porsons
VINO are to breathe il. All furnaces are oh.
noklous to the same objection, in some degree
SO TAR as know, though dare say, science ha.
IN "eory' at least obyialed the difficulty, and
every pa'enlee of furnace in The land will as
sure you, that his invention rather improve.
INA" corrupis the air passing through ii. The
iheory OF furnace, which shall nover be 70,
MOI, where !. comes in contact with the air ,hat
passes 10 The rooms, supplied abnndantly with
nesh an from without, and with water TO coun.
"'ac' the drying tendency of the heating pro.
cess, is nnexcepIionable. A very large omen.
ron the open air, not from the celia. a,
- olen arranged, is necessary for the SUNNY d
;, az and corresponding openings by way Of ven