St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-11-25
agricultural.
The Farm House Cellar.
IMPORTANCE OF ITS VENTILATION.


We hear very much nowadays of
sanitary measures and reforms of the
proper and thorough ventilation of
houses and all public buildings. Even
our tobacco sheds and poultry houses
are well ventilated that the leaf may
cure thoroughly and that the hens may
lay. Very little, however, is said and
done in regard to our cellars, the natu-
raj home of scents and etfiuvia emanat-
ing from vegetables of divers kinds. A
peep into the cellar often discloses far
more than household stores. 1t is akin
to the garnet, for while the former con-
tains what we have put off the latter
contains what we are to put in. The one
has to do with the past, the other with
the future. The garnet is a sort of ba-
Ear; curiosity shop" disclosing a
great variety of cast OFF and forgotten
things. The cellar, however, unlike its
upper and perhaps more pretentious
neighbor appeals to the palate rather
than the eye, hence it is more frequent
ly visited, sometimes because il con-
tains solid food and again when it is
preferred in liquid form.
Descending the stairway we come
face to face with former occupants of
the garden of every variety and form.
The potatoes keep their eyes on the
turnips, while the squash nestles close
To its kin, the pumpkin. The carrots
cannot be beat (beets) though their
next neighbor is. The onions and cab
bages repOse in one corner giving forth
variety of Oders not unlike those of
the city of Cologne as described by Col
eridge. The vinegar barrel keeps a
sharp look out Oh the cider cask, while
canned fruits in great variety are scat
tered here and there like so many flow
er vases on lawn. Some cellars are
light and airy, others dark, gloomy,
full of filth and as destructive to health
as IA pest-hOuse. Many have a nice
smooth surface and often the bottom is
bricked or cemented, while in others
the surface is so uneven that unless
one has light he is liable to stumble
like Bunyan's pilgrim.
The hatchway door about Thanks
giving time closes the cellar from the
outside world for a long season. The
entrance now is from the inside and
now it begins its work like laboratory
compromising and Analysing the vari-
GUS smells it is about to palm on the
occupants above. You can rest assur-
ed if You give it chance it will do its
work well. No colony of bees ever la
bored more industriOusly to lay by
sweets than do the vegetables of the
cellar to let the family know that they
are i'll the house, or directly under it.
And yet, but very few think that the
cellar should be ventilated. During
some of our warm winter days perhaps
the cellar door is opened and for awhile
the odors escape. The windows in the
cellar are never opened unless per
chance one of the lights is gone, very
desirable thing, provided the contents
of the cellar do not freeze. The hatch
way door should be so constructed that
proper ventilation may be secured
Then, too, the cellar should be kept
clean, not only the farmers but those
i'll the city as well. Possibly the latter
contains more kindling wood and coal
than potatoes and onions, and yet Oul
city cellars are not always overswept
or clearly. 1t is strange that cleaning
day has nothing to do with the cellar
while the housewife will clean every
other spot from the sink-spOut to the
garret-door. Perhaps the reply to this
query may be that this part of house
cleaning belongs to the men since it il
sort of vegetable granery, and il
they had not had enough of putting VI
and moving stoves they can clear
around the cellar to their hearts con
tent.
A farmer recently invited the writer
to visit his cellar, inspect its content,
and sample its stores. 1t was as neal
and tidy below as above and even the
floor had recently been swept. No cob
webs were on the cider barrels nor de
cayed vegetables in the corner. LUIS
ciOus apples were placed in large and
convenient bins, while here and there
were stored the various vegetables OF
garden growth. The windows were
opened and the air was pure and sweet
On the shelves were stored roll after
roll of "gilt-edge" as far removed from
foul odors as though stored i'll the pan
try. 1t is easy and inexpensive to pro,
vide proper ventilation while it is be
yond all question conducive to cOmfor
and health. Possibly this subject i:
attracting attention, more particularly
in our cities, but it is equally impOr-
tant in the country where variety, botl
of produce and Odors, is one of the fea,
tuIes of the cellar Weekly Spring
field Republican