Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1950-03-16, Page 71W u•aH .0a Per be. 90m l;el. ith etn M, ts. too ce, Says Thatched Roofs Are Best Of All 'No method of covering roofs has yet,been invented which can equal thatch in being both weatherproof and resistant to extremes of tem- perature.' declares William Martin, a thatcher for fifty years, who emphasizes that 'there must be no attempt to cheapen the work at the expense of the craftsman.' During the thousands of years of progress since men first built oases, it is really rather remarkable that no method of covering roofs has yet been invented which can equalthat in being both weather- proof and resistant to extremes'of temperature. Not only does •the thickness of the thatch makes the house warmer in winter and cooler and sun-inier, but the reeds have an effect like a cavity -wall, with simi- lar insulating properties, As a thatcher of some fifty years' standing, I have always found the ,job very interesting, 1 actually • started work with my father and grandfather when a boy of about ten years of age. It is a highly skilled job, if properly done, requiring a good eye and plenty of patience, but it is work ,of which ,anyone can be proud. Now what about the materials? This is, where the farmer comes in, for he can produce for thatching practically . everything,, needed on the farm. The timber can be :freshly cut from the woods—ash, hazel, : fir -poles ,and so on. The rods and spars can also be got from the Underwood—the hazel' and witlhy. The straw of straw -reed, too, is grown on almost every farm. In the south-western counties of England, the wheat straw reed is very popular. This is wheat Out through a special attachment called a reed -comber, winch is fitted to an ordinary threshing machine. It comes through the machine cleaned .of all corn, and flag and weed and the butts are all one way and un- bruised. This straw -reed is sold usually at about twice the price of ,ordi"ry straw. To thatch an average -size root .of fifteen squares with wheaten straw-reed—a square is 100 square feet—would cost $500 to $600. This is the cost of an entirely new roof —if put on to an existing thatched roof it would cost aout $350. if, however, all materials are suppliid by the farmer, the cost would not be likely to exceed $150. And how long, you may would such a roof last? I should say that, with straw -reed, from thirty- five to fifty years, with the excep- tion of the ridge, which requires renewing about every ten to twelve years. Norfolk reeds will last much longer, but the cost' is very much higtler. Very often, ivlhen I am working .on a roof, people stop and ask me questions about thatching. They admire the neatness of the thatched roofs, and many ask what is being ,done to preserve this craft, and e no take h m ours and t w ore o Y young up such satisfying work. r that, It is perfects} true at, dtlrrll g recent years, there has been a steady decline in thatching. The cause of this, in my opinion, has been the low rate of pay the thatcher received for his work, as a result of which the thatchers' sons refused to ,take up the craft. At last, however, the tlhatchcrs are getting an adequate reward for the service they render to the com- munity, and if thatching is to sur - wive, there must be - no attempt to cheapen the work at the expense of the craftsman. There are at present 778 full-time that -tiers in this country, but 600 'of these are over forty years of age.. These are far too few in number to cope with the work needed, but the Rural Industries Bureau is doing all it can to en- courage young men to take up the craft. I am pleased to say are are meeting with a certain amount of A fere's An Idea Leers In Grew British Election Struggle F -or Busy Mothers s.•+-r2.mgs Via., rr w,r.'�:t,.•...,F`�z'':. ,'>.,..Usx.�'.,.�.. C •���';..�,ck.<-aa d.. :,:: s. ,, :. ...:.,.�. s,..h.•xa: ,c�z.. s ..�a.�WINEn ILttl(S Bobby Seaman has been h � / r.' 'N, z� `E { t o 1. Y Cleme success, as there are now about forty trainees learning the work,' but more are still required. Thatchers' associations, too, are being formed to maintain and im- prove standards df work, and this is a step in the right direction. I am often asked if thatching is a dying craft, and my reply is `definitely no.' In the south-western countries of England, I find many people are buying old cottages and having them reconditioned with a coat of thatch put on the old roofs. In many cases, unsightly gal- vanized iron and asbestos sheeting is being removed and entirely re- placed by thatched roofs. How long, you may ask, does it take to learn to make a good thatcher? This is not an easy ques- tion to answer. As I have already told you, I have been thatching myself for nearly fifty years, with all kinds of material, and 1 am not too old even now to learn a point or two. 1 gi v, J i r� r Et�ia Axl A n Q Held By Czech; — Aldon Johnson 45one'.of` wo Mor- mon 'missionaries seized by Czechoslovakian- officials in .Moravia Jan . 27. The Czech foreign office said Johnson and -Stanley E. Abbott are being held for trying to enter a prohibited area• American officials in Prague expressed "grave concern" over the case. '1Jp And Atom.—Sumner Pike. (left), who will tape over as act- ing chairman of the Atonanie 'Energy Commissioli, colaifers with retiring chairman :David i.,ilienthal'Pike who had been vice- chairmati, will serve as head of the . Ec until Pre"tident a Truman appoittts a permanent chairman, nt Attlee Grandma, Grandpa, Meed Milk Too Milk is no longer just for the children. Scientists are finding out new reasons why all the members of the family need it. Mother' needs it, especially if she's nervous. Dad needs if if he doesn't want to get old before his time. ' And Grandpa and Grandma neecl it. Then they aren't so apt to get laid up with a broken hip. We know that milk furnishes a digestible protein—that's why it's such a perfect food for babies. it also furnishes minerals. Calcium is the mineral that your body needs in largest quantity. And it's the one that your diet is most apt to be short of. it's what snakes up the time pftrt of the bones. Alilk is one of tile besf sources of digestible caTciunh'"r; Why is it old people's bones break so easily? Experiments point to a lack of calcium in their diets. You can't maintain strong bones on 'simply tea and toast. It's hard to think of such things as your bones dissolving away. But tests have shown that calcium is leaving the body all elle time. And since 99 per cent of the body's calcium is in the bones it has to come from them. You've heard about the "Lagged" atones (radioactiveisotopes) that let one trace these particles of mineral as they move through the body. Such borne -building mineral was fed to some white rats. The scientists found that at first it located in the bones. But later it was excreted and had to be re- placed with a new supply. For ootain,shg this required cal- cium milk is a good rood to tie to. For example you'u have to eat seven pounds of carrots or cabbage or 27 pounds of potatoes, to get as much calcium as from drinking dust one quart of milk. Une quart (four glasses) of mnik a day will furnish all the calcium needed for the average child. The amount of calcium needed by ad- ults is practically as much. In adolescence, children need one and a half times this amount. The pregnant woman needs as much or more than the adolescent. if one is out of the habit of arink- ing this much hnilk, there are other ways of working it into the diet, Some liquid milk with the meal Winston C Sketc: it helps you keep the qualities of youth—to postpone the signs of age. Sounds like the "fountain of youth" idea, doesn't it? But here's a part of the explanation science gives: Your body cells need ribo- flavin in order to use the oxygen brought by the blood. This better use of oxygen is like taking deep breaths, You get a seihse of well- being, which is one of the charac- teristics of youth. So, if you feel nervous and run- down, get plenty of riboflavin. Then blue Mondays (we hope) won't seem quite so blue. The Taie, i,:ot The Tail, Of A milt Esther Butler is a Scot, a fervent Scot, and she maintains her Scot- tishness while she is in the South 'of England by stitching at kilts for dear life. "In thirty-seven years, . stated Esther in an air. interview, :I've sewn enough tartan to stretch round the world." She was a girl of fifteen,"making coats for a Glasgow firm, when the famous Variety artist Sir Henry .Lauder came in and or- dered a kilt. She was not experienc- ed enough then to make it, for -him but later in life she became a kilt maker. She came South fifteen years ago and now sits comfortably and snugly in a country caravan listen- ing to the birds singing outside as she works. By keeping hard at it from early morning till late at night, , Esther Butler manages to make six kilts a week. There are eight yards of tartan in each, every sh tch is sewn by hand with silk and match- ing the pleated back and plain front of a kilt is the tricky job, for the check has to look the same all the way round. She has to know more hurchill i from photo by ICarsh, Ottawa, than fox hundred different tar,ans .--for each Highland clan has its own tartan, anu were are dress and hunting tartans, modern and ancient ones. Nine out of ten of Mrs. But- ler's kilts are exported to America. She can recognize her own work anywhere and one day when she was in a London Hotel talking to a friend and they sat near two ob- viously aristocratic Scots, the girl wearing a kilt that Mrs. Butler in- sisted was her work. Her disbeliev- ing friend, bet her a pound that it was not. Mrs. Butler went up to the lady and asked her naive. "When she told me I nearly fell through the floor because of my impudence," she said, "but it was hey kilt," "Butter" From'Mud" In the latter part of the year 1869 someone applied to the owner of a wharf on the Thames for space on which to erecta butter factory. The extravagant rent offered in- duced the owner to investigate. He discovered that the tenant really intended to make something that would pass for butter, and this from the Thames mud. After some chemical treatment, a pure, white fat could be obtained from the mud. The product sold svell. Quiz Question A motorist was 100 yards from an open railway crossing tearing along at 60 miles an hour, A train, com- ing down the track. at the same speed, was an equal distance from tintersection. n. ho inter se t o Problem: Did the motorist get across? Answer: Yes—a beautiful marbko cross purchased by his widow from -his insurance motley. playing Indian for nearly sibs months—ever .since he was three rthontfls old. Today, like any good little pa- poose, he enjoys nothing better than being toted around Boston's Back Bay, strapped securely to his cradle board. This papoose -style perambulating started when two active Boston mothers sought to be freed from baby sitting—or pushing. Mr, and Mrs. James McDonough enjoyed hitting and mountain ' climbing, but when little Jean ar- rived, they quickly realized they couldn't push her carriage up over the trails. So they scouted around and hunted up pictures and read an article about Indian cradles or car- rying boards. Improvising a bit, but following specifications closely, they built one for jean, using an old army ruck- sack carrier and webbed army belt- ing. Discarding the Indian squaw's forehead strap, they substituted the belting, attaching it so that it slip- ped over Mrs. McDonough's sihoul- dcrs Sliorily after Mrs. Richard Sea- man met her neighbor carrying Jean — papoose 'style. She, too, lilted the idea immensely, since she and her husband enjoyed outdoor sports and also were seeking some method by which Bobby might be inclthded. So they copied the cradle, laced Bobby inside his blanket, strapped the whole contraption over Mrs. Seaman's shoulders—and off they went. Lo, the happy little Indian[ AULD SCUOTIA (From A Reader Who Enjoyed "What Heather Means To The Scots!) Ye tak' me back tae my Heifan" Hame, Tae a wee Cfaclhan in th' Gleax; Tae a Heather thack'd Hoose, wi' it's wa's sae white, Like the Sna'-tapp'd mountains that I ken. Whaur th' Heather blooms an' Brackan' grows, An' tumblin' burns roll t'wards th' Sea; Whaur Skylards sing their sangs in Spring, That's whaur I lang tae be. Whaun day was done at set o' sun, We'd sit 'roun' th' auld static hearth; Write, read or sew, by fire-licht glow, Th' happiest folks on Earth. A thing now rare, we'd say a prayer, Thank God for His mercies shown; 'Ere rest oor head on a Heather bed, That t'would a treasure be to own. It's noo lang syne, but' wi' tochto sae fine, Ye've brought tae me o' Hame; I've seen this Worir fr ac end tae end, But there's naething quite ta same, Like oo • lheather'd hill an' bonnie Glens, s Oor rugged coasts an' raging sea; Unconquered still auld Scotia, stands, .By God's will, she'll aye be free. y b is always reconlnhended. Out It can be used liberally in tike cooking, too. .Dread made with dried milk furnishes the calcium. Calcium does other things to you ' besides snaking harder bones. It's <t• necessary for tine clotting of blood''�� 6� in wounds. It helps regulate the beat of the heart. And it helps " Ty t � keep your nerves stable. .` Vitamins of ti -it .B complex have something to do with nerves, too. e One of these — sometimes called i� , Vitamin' B-2, at other tithes called .'.E>.. .:tea`':, Vitamin G (to stand for growth)-- 'Copte' For Cold -Weather Rescues—This is an artist's conception of the first Air Force you now generally shear by its par- lielleopter designed especially fon' use in Arctic rescue operations, the Piasecki H-21. Big as titular Haute, riboflavin. an airinueI. the craft will be able to land on snow, ice, varater, tundra or 411?i'slilalids, A All adults should want to get s plenty of riboflavin. For it is hydraulic swivel hoist enables it to haul in litter cases and mance other pickups at spots called the vitamin that "helps ex- where landing is impossible. For etnergency purposes, the H-2 can carry 27 passengers and tend the best years of life." That 's two crewnlen,