if you have
an old tin roof on one of the extensions of your house or on your house
itself, do not be in haste to replace it with a new one. Remember that
most of the modern sheet tin is made by modern methods and its life is not
an extended one. The sheet _steel_ they often use in place of sheet _iron_
rapidly disintegrates and such a roof will not last you half the time that
a properly patched old one will.

The roof of the house in which I am writing this article is made of tin
and was made about sixty years ago; it has been patched and mended but to
no great extent, and it bids fair to outlive me. Had it been made of sheet
steel it would have been necessary to renew it many times since that
period. So, if you find that the tin roof to your farmhouse, bungalow, or
camp leaks in consequence of some splits at the seams and a few rust holes
patch them yourself. Fig. 301 shows the only material necessary for that
purpose. You do not even need a pair of shears to cut your tin, for it is
much better folded over and hammered into shape, as shown by Fig. 301.
Fig. 302 shows a crack and some rust holes in the tin roof. Take your
carpet-tacks and hammer and neatly tack down the edges of the opening, as
shown by Fig. 303. If there is any difficulty in driving tacks through the
tin roof, use a small wire nail and hammer to first punch the holes. Put
the tacks close together. With your paint-brush thickly coat the mended
parts with white lead, as shown by Fig. 304. Cut a strip of a rag to fit
over the holes and tack it at its four corners, as shown by Fig. 305. Now,
then, cover the rag with a thick coat (Fig. 306) of the white lead. Next
tack the tin over the wounded spots, putting the tacks close together, as
shown by Fig. 306. Afterward coat the tin with a covering of white lead
and the patchwork is done. The roof will not leak again at those spots in
the next twenty years. This will leave white, unsightly blotches on the
roof, but after the white lead is dry a few dabs with the red roof paint
will make the white patches the same color as the surrounding tin and
effectually conceal them.

Do not forget the importance of carefully going over your roof after it is
mended and make sure that every joint is properly covered, tacked, and
thoroughly coated with white lead. Cover all joints, nails, and caps with
a coat of white lead. Water will not run through the tin roofing, but it
will find its way through nail holes, rust holes, an