The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-12-02
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
Burning Charcoal In Kilns.

obliged il you would instruct us in re-
gard to construction of briclt-kiln for
burning charcoal, the mode of using,
ETC., that we may estimate the expenses
Of building and using.
Reply.-The kilns used by charcoal
burners are of two kinds, oblonQ, with
an arched roof, and round and conical
like an old fashioned straw beehive,
The former is generally built to hold
eighty cords of wood, or, thirty-two feet
long, sixteen feet wide, and twenty feet
high. The walls are brick and a half
thick, and are carried up to height of
sixteen feet before the arch is sprung.
To resist the thrust of the arch, as we'll
as the pressure of the gas which accu-
mulates Turing the cooling of the wood,
the skin Is strengthened with series of
timber posts set in the ground about
four to six feet apart on each side, and
into which, at the top, are mortised
cross beams that reach from post to post
above the arch. AT each end there are
iron doors fitting tightly in an iron frame,
and other doors twelve feet up, by which
the top of the kiln is filed. 1t is con-
venient TO have the kilns built at the
foot of bank, so that a gangway can be
made from the bank to the upper doors,
upon which the wood can be wheeled in
with wheelbarrows. At the bottom of
the wall air holes are made by leaving
out brick here and there. Each of
these is easily closed by putting in
brick and plastering over it with clay.
1t requires nearly one month to fill,
burn, and empty one of these large kilns,
the product being about four thousand
bushels of coal. The latter kind of kiln
is usually made to hold forty cords of
wood, which require it to be twenty four
feet in diameter and twenty feet high.
The Walls are usually one brick in
thickness, and are strengthened by one
or two bands of iron, placed where the
walls begin to narrow in, and Just below
that point. These bands are made SO
that their ends can be drawn together
tightly by meansof screw-bolts and nuts,
and thus bind the brickwork together
solidly. There are two iron doors and
frames, one on the ground, and one near
the top, for filling in the wood. The
top Of the arch consists of cast-iron
plate, held in its place by bolts or straps
built into the wall. One of these kilns
may be coaled i'll sixteen to twenty DAYS
or less, and will produce about 1900 to
2,lO0 bushels of coal. Air holes are
made rs before mentioned. The kilns
are filled with four-foot cord-wood,
and are MS tightly packed as possible,
every vacant space being filled with
short small wood cut purposely. The
kiln Is fired by means of light wood or
half-coated brands laid from the air
holes to the center when the fire is do
ing well, the air holes are managed pre-
cisely as in burning coal in pits. When
the wood is properly coaled, every crack
In the doors and walls of the kiln is
closely plastered with soft clay well
tempered, until the fire is out. A sup
ply OF water should be kept on hand,
lest on opening the kiln the fire be not
complete smothered and should kindle
again. In this case, if the fire cannot
be quenched with water on the instant,
the kiln should be closed. Any coal
burner who can manage pits can manage
kilns If they are well built. Such kilns
as are here described cost from $500 to
$1,000, and the cost of coaling the wood
is reduced one-half by their use.
Household Hints.
Half pound of borax, finely pulver-
lied and scattered around where cock
reaches frequent, will clear an infested
house thoroughly. One advantage of
this application is the harmless nature of
the borax.
Various experiments made in Franco
on the best method of preserving eggs
show that the best, and at the same time
one OF the simplest, consists in rubbing
some vegetable oil Qinseed especially
on the eggs.
Potatoes are adapted to be eaten with
lean meat-the starchy potatoes furnish
ing the fattening and heating elements
which lean meat lacks, while the lean
meat supplies the bone and muscle max
ing elements not afforded by potato or
fine flour bread. Fat meat affords heat
ing and fattening element, like potato,
but in form less easily digested by most
Grease or paint spots in clothes are
easily removed by oil of turpentine, or a
hot iron pressed on the place over coarse
brown paper, after scraping all that can
be got of with a blunt knife. Stains
may be removed from light colored
clothes. such as drabs, bluffs, or whites,
with fuller's earth, but this is apt to take
the color out of dark cloths. It should
be dissolved in a little boiling water, put
on the spot when hot, held to the fire to
dry, and then brushed out. Pitch is re.
moved, first, by rubbing the place over
with grease OF oil, and then taking out
the oil by the application of spirits of
turpentine.
About Butter Packages.
A correspondent, writing from Guern-
sey county, Ohio, to the american
Patron, says: The business agent for
this grange has on hand number of
tin and glass buckets, which will hold
eight pounds each, this being the
amount usually purchased by consumers
at one time. The buckets are placed in
boxes, with ice packed around them, SO
that the butter is kept perfectly cool
while being transported. After the but
ter has been consumed, the buckets are
returned free. We have purchased, dur
ing the season, several packages of but
ter from commission houses; it was
packed in wooden buckets, with closely
lifting covers. This butter seemed all
right when examined by the tryer, but
when we used it, we found that it was
good only in the center on the top for
several inches it had acquired very dis
agreeable taste from the wooden cover
the bottom and sides the same. This
butter was made at the factory, and
would have been very fine if it had not
been spoiled with-these wooden buckets.
When DrO1ucars ora SAILING buttar of