The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1878-05-24
How the NHenmOnites Burn
Grass.


Grass.
The grass furnace or stove is moth
ing costly, or complicated, or liks-
ly to get out of order. On the 9th
er hand it Is q Continuance so sim
pie that many will say of it as one
man did when he first saw a rail-
road track: Nobody but fool
could have thought of so simple a
thing" In word, as the Irishman
made a cannon by taking large
hole and pouring iron around it, so
the Mennonite mother OF food and
warmth is developed by piling
brick or stones round q hollow.
Aware that such generalities are
too vague, will make my descrip-
ton more specific, and hope to rem
der the whole mystery plain and
level to the lowest capacity.
The material used for the Russian
furnace seems unlmportant. Some
employ common brick, others stone !;
one builder told me he preferred to
mix one part of sand with two of
clay. In his judgment this mixture
retained heat longest for radiation
through q house. The position of
the furnace is naturally as central
as possible, because heat tends to
difFuse itself on all sides alike.
Furnaces will, of course, vary in
size with the size of the house. A
good model is this: Length, five
feet; heighth, six; and width, two
and a half. The bricks to be en-
ployed are about six hundred, un-
less the walls be of extraordinary
thickness. The structure may be
said to have six stories ; LIST, the ash
box; I'd, the fire-box; Sd, the oven ;
h,smoke passage; 9th, hot-air
chamber; 9th, smoke passage, eth
er to chimney or to drum in an
upper room.
Many questions have been asked
me as to the sizs of the fire or fuel
box. Its length is about four feet,
it's width and height, each, about a
foot and q half. 1t is asked, "HoW
is the grass pressed and prepared
for the fire-box2 2" It is not preper-
ed at all. but is thrust in with q fork
as one would thrust fodder into a
rack. People suppose they must be
putting in this fuel all the time.
This is not fact. at the house Of
Bishop Peters (48x24), which is a
large one for a new country, the
grass or straw is pitched in for
about twenty minutes twice, or al
most three times, IN twenty -four
hours. That amount of firing up
sufices both for cooking and COM
fort.
II will be observed that the heat
ed air strikes the oven, and also the
i <af hot ar hAfk oh
below, and that no particle of hot
air reaches the chimney till after
turning four corners. It works its
passage. The iron plates, doors
and shutters are such SO any foun,
dry can furnish. They are mex
pensive. In case where / enquir.
ed the cost, it was S.
Near score of years ago. when
fret pushed west of the Missouri
my feeling was, what corn and
wheat growing capability here rum
to waste What myrisds of Buffalo
have been shot merely for the dain
sy of their tongues /" So now il
the light of Mennonite experience
many Yankee in Nebraska see
that he has thrown away q cooking
and warming power that had mil
] lions in it. He long ago laughed 3
J his father for smothering bees in or
der 20 secure their honey-and q
his neiehbor who put into his stow
J the corn which he might have sold
the same year for dollar 8 bushel
, He now laughs with the other sid
of his mouth af himself for bnrninI
: outdoors that prairie produc
J which, If burned indoors, wouI
have saved HIM manyse dollar. III
: who thus laughs win need n
! preaching TO make him square hi
! practice in the matter Ofcookery an
: honse-warming according to tn
) Mennonite plan. His faith will
i stronger than eyer, that the Provi
: Edence which created q1inine wheK
! chiIls prevail, as well as perfume
{ where negroes are most nnmerou
{ and provided bl6alO chips for Cd
, 1ndian IN tie far West, has there q