The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-10-01
SToRERooM IN THE HOME.
THE sToREROOM for food may b,
the tiny closet Of the flat dweIle,

lie SIOhEROOM for food may be
the tiny closet Of the flat dweIler
in q city or the cellar of the vii
lage or farm house. In the last ease
it often has commercial as well as
household value, since it keeps fruits
and vegetables in good condition un-
til marketed, as well as until they are
needed for the home table; but in any
case, it should be dry, clean and regu-
LARRY aired. 1t may be we'll to de-
scribe a cellar that is badly built and
earelessly kept, in order to see what
should be exactly opposite conditions
A Disease-Breeding Cellar.
Such cellar may be dug in wet
ground, without sufficient drainage of
the subsoil; it may even be in contact
with open sewers or drains which have
been proved in certain cases to con-
tain specific organisms capable Of pro
ducing disease. In many cases the eel
lar built against an earth wall is not
protected from dampness by = layer
Of moisture-proof cement, and the wa
ter may stand in drops on its surface.
Again, it may be dug to such an ex-
tent below the surface of the ground
that the windows are wholly made
quate for lighting and ventilation.
1t may have an earthen floor, or one
of badly matched boards impossible to
keep clean. 1t will probably have a
musty odor, proof positive that mold
plants are there and ready to attack
any fruit and vegetables stored on
its shelves or in its dirty bins. If, in
addition to this faulty construction, the
cellar is badly kept, bits of rotting
fruit and vegetables being left about,
not only will these conditions favor the
spelling of food, but they may prove
injurious to the health of the family
living above stairs.
A Cellar for Health.
A cellar that meets modern require
ments must be dug in ground that is
well drained, either naturally or by
artificial means. 1t must be remem-
bered that cellar is not, first Of all,
a storeroom. 1t is an essential part
Of a well-planned house, especially
necessary in our northern states, in
helping to keep an equable tempera
ture, and if its walls and floors are
what they should be it prevents damp
ness and ground air from rising into
the house.
If the house is set close to the
ground the cellar windows must be
wide enough to compensate for their
lack of height, and must be set oppo-
site each other in order to insure good
draft. A method that is sometimes
used is to dig out space in front Of
window, making a little area which,
laid in either brick or stone, may be
whitewashed and reflect light into the
cellar; it also allows Of sinking the
cellar windows deeper and obtaining
better ventilation.
Cement and Whitewash Necessary.
The walls and floors of the cellar
should be constructed of cement to
keep out moisture, and the walls and |
ceilings should be whitewashed twice a
year. Even if cellar is kept very
clean, the earthly smell of vegetables
that arises from it when it is we'll
stocked is not agreeable-another rea-
son for good ventilation and frequent
airing. A separate room may be par
off from the cellar in one
corner for storage purposes.
This can then be kept darker than
one would wish to keep the rest of the
cellar. Such room must, of course,
be aired now and then. In this storage
room should be placed movable safe
with wire netting sides and swinging
shelf; and broad shelves should be
built high enough SO that barrels may
be stored under them.
Tiles for Floor and Walls.
The writer once saw in Holland a
cellar that met every possible require
nent Of hygiene. The floors and side
walls were of closely matched tiles laid
n cement, making it as tight as dish
md as easily cleaned. 1t was not large,