me owner. Improvements in securing the maximum efficiency from all
types of fuel are being developed continually; and there are now on the
market furnaces, using anthracite or bituminous coal as fuel, which offer
many advantages that were unknown to older types.

_Fireplace Construction._--An open fireplace where wood can be used as
fuel is a great source of satisfaction and pleasure, as well as a comfort,
in country homes. Wood of proper length for fireplace burning can be
readily secured in the country and there is ample room for storing it.
Where the house is small in size, such wood fires can be used for heating
the house satisfactorily in spring and fall and can be used to supplement
other types of heating when desired.

No country home can be considered complete without a fireplace. The
comfort and homelike atmosphere that it gives make it a general asset for
the enjoyment of the family circle. Fireplaces should be constructed so as
to insure a good draft with a maximum of heat radiation. It is desirable
to build in the fireplace flue a damper which can be open when the fire is
burning and can be shut when it is desired to keep heat from escaping from
the room via the chimney. It is also a convenience to have a trap opening
placed in the back of the fireplace on the floor so that ashes may be
removed in this manner, eliminating the labor of carrying them from the
fireplace.

_Sewerage of Farm Homes._--All wastes from the farm home coming under the
term of sewage should go direct to a septic tank. Here the sewage is held
in a quiet state for a period of time, and through bacterial processes,
the organic matter is destroyed. A septic-tank installation consists of
four parts: first, the house sewer from house to tank; second, the sewage
tank, consisting of one or more chambers; third, the sewer from tank to
distribution field; fourth, the distribution field where the sewage is
distributed, sometimes called the absorption field. Plans for sewerage
construction may be obtained from state and local boards of health and
from federal health and agricultural agencies.

[Illustration: (_Courtesy New Jersey Agricultural Extension Service_)

An adequate sewage disposal plant is essential and inexpensive. A
practical one is shown here.]

The Rural Engineering Department of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment
Station recommends that the septic tank have a capacity adequate to hold
all the water used by the family fo