The cellar which is partitioned off into small rooms is more easily
cared for and kept in order than that which consists of just the one
large space. Rough pine-board partitions cost very little, and one to
shut off the furnace (provided there be one) from the rest of the room
is absolutely necessary, since the heat which it generates must not be
allowed to spread and so spoil the cellar for cold-storage purposes,
for warm, damp air hastens the degeneration of vegetables and meats.
Unless some other provision is made in the cellar plan for the coal, a
strong bin, with one section movable, should be built for it in the
furnace room. To the posts of this bin hang the shovels--one large and
one small--used in handling the coal. The premature burial of many a
shovel might have been prevented had its owner only bethought him of
those simple expedients, hammer and nails. A strip of leather nailed
to another post supports ax or hatchet, while near by is the neat pile
of kindling which its sharp edge has made--perhaps out of old and
useless boxes and barrels. These must not be allowed to accumulate,
but be chopped up at once. Logs and large sticks have each their own
pile, while chips, sawdust, and shavings take up their abode in a large
basket or box. The ashes from the furnace go into boxes and barrels
outside of the house.
ORDER IN THE CELLAR
The cellar is primarily a storing place for food, and not an asylum for
hopelessly maimed and decrepit furniture. If there is any which is
mendable, mend and use it; if not, consign it to the kindling pile at
once, there to round out its career of usefulness. Odds and ends of
rubbish collect very quickly and make a cellar unsightly and difficult
to keep in order. If necessary to keep certain boxes for future
packing purposes, pile them neatly against the wall where they will be
out of the way, or else send them up to the attic. When there are no
rooms partitioned off for their accommodation provide bins, or their
cheaper substitutes, barrels or boxes, for vegetables and fruits--boxes
preferably, since they are more shallow and their contents can thus be
spread out more. Vegetables and fruits should be looked over
frequently, and anything showing signs of decay removed. Instead of
placing boxes and barrels, vinegar kegs, firkins, stone jars, etc.,
directly on the floor, stand them on bricks, small stones, or pieces of
board. When so placed, they are more easily handled and moved in
cleaning, and the circulation of air beneath prevents dampness and
consequent decay.
SHELVES AND CLOSETS
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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