American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1881-01-22
Concerning Cellars.

The value of good cellar to family
living in the country can hardly be esti-
mated. 1t not only affords protection
against frost, to fruits and vegetables
OF all kinds, but furnishes the best stor-
age for milk, butter and cooked food
during the summer. 1t is also valuable
for keeping salt meats and fish and
eggs. The value Of good cellars has
been shown during the present winter.
Those that had the advantages of them
were able to preserve their apples, po-
tatoes and garden vegetables, notwith-
standing the severity of the weather,
while those that had no cellars, or very
poor ones, lost most of their farm prod
ucts. In the opinion of many half the
winter apples harvested in the North
western States have been injured or
completely destroyed by the frost, on
account of lack of protection. The loss
of potatoes has also been very large.
The entire extent of the loss in potatoes
will not be known till next spring, as
large quantities of them were buried in
pits or covered with earth in the fields.
A good cellar should be cool in sum-
mer and tolerably warm in the winter; it
should be so constructed and arranged
that the temperature of it can be easily
kept above the freezing point. 1t should
have good facilities for ventilation, for
if the air it contains is foul it will i'm
part bad odor and flavor to the
various substances stored in it. 1t
should contain thermometer so that
it will be easy to see when the tenn
perature approaches the freezing point.
1t should also contain small oil stove
or some other means ofgenerating heat
in case of very severe weather. The
temperature of a cellar may be raised
several degrees on the approach of
very sudden cold "wave" by taking a
kettle of hot Goals into it or burning
saucerful of alcohol. 1t should DO
provided with good drain that is not
liable to clog. fill up, or get out of
order in any manner. In most respects
glazed tile drain, of good size,
laid under ground its entire length,
win be found to answer the purpose
best Care should be taken to provide
agood outlet to the drain at a consider
able distance from the cellar.
The walls of cellar should be con-
structed of stone and mortar, and if the
lower part of the cellar is inclined to be
damp the mortar should be made of ny
draulic cement. The best floor is also
made of hydraulic cement, unless flat
stone can be procured at moderate
plank, resting on scantling, but such a
floor Is certain to give trouble after q
few years. The boards and timbers on
which they rest will rot, and it will be
necessary to remove them. Their de-
cay will give rise to unpleasant odors
that will permeate not only the cellar
but the house above it, if there is one.
Besides, the space between the floor and
the ground will afford lodging place
for rats, mice and smaller species of
vermin. If the wallis and floor of the
cellar are constructed entirely of stone,
mortar and cement it will be proof
against the incursions of rats and mice.
1t will also be easy to keep it clean, as
every portion of the interior surface
can be washed. The walls can also be
whitewashed and the appearance of
mold prevented. A cellar made of the
materials named will last a century.
A good cellar should be provided
with steps made of stone and door
way opening outside the building that
is over it. The doorway should be suf
ticiently wide to allow Il barrel to pass
through it when rolled. A good cellar
should also be provided with windows
for the admission of light and air.
They should be hung on hinges SO that
they may be swung open during warm
weather. 1t should contain lamp and
reflector suspended from the wall for
convenience in lighting. If the air in
the cellar is damp, provision should be
made for rendering it dry. This is
done in most fruit-preserving establish
ments by the use of some cheap alb
sorbent of moisture. The refuse of
salt works. generally known as bittern,
is used. If it cannot be readily oh
tanned, calcium chloride may be en-
ployed. Either of these substances
will readily absorb moisture from the
air when exposed in an open dish.
They will continue to absorb moisture
even after they have become dissolved.
They may then be prepared for use
again by evaporating the moisture over
n stove. The same material can be en-
ployed for the purpose an indefinite
time Chicago Times,