San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-07-20

more specific. and hope to render tn
whole mystery plain and level to tn
lowest capacity.
The material used for the Russian
furnace seems unimportant. Som
employ common bricks, others stone
one builder told me he preferred tt
mix one part Of sand to two of clay
In his judgment this mixture retain
ed heat longer for radiation through 0
house. The position of the furnace is
naturally as central as possible, be.
cause heat tends to diffuse itself on all
sides alike.
Furnaces will, of course, vary in
size with the size of the houses. A
good model is this: Length, Eve feet /;
height. six, and width. two and half.
The bricks employed are about six
hundred, unless the walls be Of extra
ordinary thickness. The structure
may be said to have six stories. /, the
ash box 2, the fire. boz; 3, the oven;
4, smoke passage; 5, hot.air chamber
6, smoke passage either to chimney or
to drum in an upper room.
Many questions have been asked ME
as to the size of the fire or fuel-box.
Its length is about four feet, its width
and height each about foot and
half. It is asked, How is the grass
pressed or prepared for the fre-box ?"
1t Is not prepared at all, but is thrust
in with fork as one would throw fod.
der into a rack. People suppose they
must be putting in this fuel all the
time. This is not the fact. At the
house Of Bishop Peters (4SxN feet,)
which is large one fort new country,
the grass or straw IS pitched in for |
about twenty minutes twice, or, at
most, three times in twenty.four hours.
That amount Of firing up sufices both
for cooking and comfort.
1t will be observed that the heated
lir strikes the oven, and also the res
,rvoir Of hot air both above and be-
low. and that no particle Of hot air
reaches the chimney till after turning
our corners. 1t works its passage.
Tbe iron plates, doors and shutters
re such as any foundry can furnish.
they are inexpensive. In a case
Ehere l inquired the cost, it was S..
Near score of years ago, when !
rst pushed west of the Missouri my
ceiling was. "Whata corn and wheat
rowing capability here runs to waste
What myriads of butfaloes have been
hot merely for the petty d..inty of
leir tongues p So now in the light
{ Mennonite experience. many
ankee in Nebraska sees that he has
,rown away a cooking and warming I
over that had millions in it. He D
ng ago laughed at his father smoth-
ing bees in order to secure their p
oney, at his neighbor who put in r.
his stove the corn which he
light have sold, the same year.
r a dollar bushel. He now =
ughs with the other side of his mouth
himself for burning out doors that
airie produce which, if burned in
'ors, would have saved him too many
dollar. He who thus laughs will -
ed no preaching to make him square =
5 practice in the matter of cookery N
d house warming according to the "
enuonite plan, His faith will be
onger than ever that the Providence
Itch created quinine where chills AS
wall, as well as perfumes where ne o.
'es are most numerous, and provided
ffalo chips for the Indians in the far
est, has there also furnished fuel for
civilized settler; grass of the felGI
ich to day is, and tomorrow is cast Da
o the oven"-a gift which if he An
kes full proof Of it, will be sufficient =
all his needs. X
'traw and old prairie grass have tie.
n thought as useless as grave stones s sT0
sr the resurrection. But the recent -
lizing of them is in keeping with the d
rit of the age-with developing I'LL
ent flour best suited to human uses n
n that part of wheat which had
n the food of hogs, and with plan Con