How He Ventilated the Cellar.
The effect of foul air upon milk, cream, and butter was often alluded to at the Dairymen's meeting at DeKalb. A great bane to the dairyman is carbonic acid gas. In ill ventilated cellars it not only has a pernicious effect upon milk and its products, but it often renders the living apartments unhealthful, and brings disease and death to the family. In the course of the discussion Mr. W. D. Hoard, President of the Northwestern Dairymen's Association, related the following incident showing how easily cellars may be ventilated and rendered fit receptacles for articles of food:
"In the city of Fort Atkinson, where I do reside, Mr. Clapp, the president of the bank told me that for twenty years he had been unable to keep any milk or butter or common food of the family in the cellar. I went and looked at it, and saw gathered on the sleepers above large beads of moisture, and then knew what was the matter. The cellar was full of foul air. I said to him, 'Prof. Wilkins is here and will tell you in a few moments how to remedy this difficulty, and make your cellar a clean and wholesome apartment of your house.' I went down and got the professor, and he went up and looked at the cellar, and he says, 'for ten dollars I will put you in possession of a cellar that will be clean and wholesome.' He went to work and took a four-inch pipe, made of galvanized iron, soldered tightly at the joints, passing it down the side of the cellar wall until it came within two inches of the bottom of the cellar, turned a square elbow at the top of the wall, carried it under the house, under the kitchen, up through the kitchen floor and into the kitchen chimney, about four feet above where the kitchen stovepipe entered. You know the kitchen stove in all families is in operation about three times a day. The heat from this kitchen stove acting on the column of air in that little pipe caused a vacuum, and nature abhors a vacuum, and the result was that in twenty-four hours that little pipe had drawn the entire foul air out of the cellar, and he has now a perfect cellar. I drop this hint to show you that it is within easy reach of every one, for the sum of only about ten dollars, to have a perfectly ventilated cellar. This carbonic acid gas is very heavy. It collects in the cellar and you can not get it out unless you dip it out like water, or pump it out; and it becomes necessary to apply something to it that shall operate in this way."
This is a matter of such importance, and yet so little thought about, that we had designed having an illustration made to accompany this article, but conclude the arrangement[x] is so simple that any one can go to work and adapt it to the peculiar construction of his own house, and we hope thousands will make use of Mr. Hoard's suggestion.
An Old Roman Wedding.
As far as the nuptial ceremony itself was concerned, the Romans were in the habit of celebrating it with many imposing rites and customs, some of which are still in use in this country. As soon, therefore, as the sooth-sayer had taken the necessary omens, the ceremony was commenced by a sheep being sacrificed to Juno, under whose special guardianship marriage was supposed to rest. The fleece was next laid upon two chairs, on which the bride and bridegroom sat, over whom prayers were then said. At the conclusion of the service the bride was led by three young men to the home of her husband. She generally took with her a distaff and spindle filled with wool, indicative of the first work in her new married life—spinning fresh garments for her husband. Five torches were carried to light her.
The threshold of the house was gaily decorated with flowers and garlands; and in order to keep out infection it was anointed with certain unctuous perfumes[y]. As a preservative, moreover, against sorcery and evil influences, it was disenchanted by various charms. After being thus prepared, the bride was lifted over the threshold, it being considered unlucky for her to tread across it on first entering her husband's house. The musicians then struck up their music, and the company sang their "Epithalamium." The keys of the house were then placed in the young wife's hands, symbolic of her now being mistress. A cake, too, baked by the vestal virgins, which had been carried before her in the procession from the place of the marriage ceremony to the husband's home, was now divided among the guests. To enhance the merriment of the festive occasion, the bridegroom threw nuts among the boys, who then, as nowadays enjoyed heartily a grand scramble.