40 



HINTS TO YOUNG ARCHITECTS. 



Cornice to eaves to be formed of 

 Memeldcal, framed, glued, block- 

 ed, and moulded as drawinir, with 

 rain-v.-ater gutter, of the clear di- 

 mensions figured, and having a 

 falling bottom formed in the upper 

 part/ {Page 122.) 



Every observer who is conversant with 

 the state of architecture in the United 

 States, at the present moment, must be pro- 

 foundly sensible that we are in the midst of 

 a new era in the art. Cities, towns, and 

 villages are not only being built as rapidly, 

 or more rapidly, than they have been at any 

 previous periods of our history, but there is 

 a large class of professional architects 

 springing up in various parts of the coun- 

 try, and there is, at the same time, a grow- 

 ing attention and interest felt in the sub- 

 ject, by our whole intelligent population. 

 Hundreds of persons, in various parts of 

 the countr}% "who, ten years ago, were igno- 

 rant that domestic architecture could as- 

 sume any other variety than the two oppo- 

 site extremes of a Dutch barn and a Greek 

 temple, are now alive to all the beauties of 

 the various classical and picturesque styles. 



It is in the artistical cultivation of the 

 more intelligent class of our landed propri- 

 etors, that we place our hopes of the final 

 prevalence of sound principles of taste in 

 architecture and other fine arts in America. 

 While we rate, as highly as any other in- 

 dividual, the great value of the highest 

 professional talent, we also attach the great- 

 est importance to a general cultivation of 

 the mind of the country at large, in the 

 principles of beauty and utility in these arts. 

 This Avill at once raise the standard of the 

 works demanded — whether it be houses, 

 books, pictures, etc. ; and it will prevent the 

 public from being imposed upon by the many 

 pretenders, and quack-architects, that will 



always be more or less common in a coun- 

 try like ours, where the demand for labor 

 and talent is always greater than the sup- 

 ply. 



We offer this work, then, to the public 

 generally, or at least all that part of it who 

 build houses — as one which will greatly as- 

 sist them, in no inconsiderable degree, in 

 attaining that kind of knowledge which 

 must be of eminent practical value to them 

 in all operations that demand the skill and 

 labor of the architect, builder, or mechanic. 

 It will enable them to build more correctly, 

 more cheaply, more satisfactorily, and more 

 agreeably, than any person, deficient in 

 this kind of information, possibly could do ; 

 since half the difficulty of doing a?iy thing 

 will vanish, when we know how it should be 

 done. 



To young architects, and indeed to most 

 of those already well versed in their pro- 

 fessions, we need scarcely commend this 

 work as an invaluable assistant to their 

 daily labors. A single glance at its pages 

 will show them that we have not over-rated 

 its merits in this respect, 



A Dictionary of Modern Gardening ; by Geo. 



W. Johnson. Edited, with numerous additions, 



by David Landreth. Philadelphia : Lea & 



Blanchard. 1847. 12mo.pp. 635. 



A VERY useful compendium of all the chief 



points of interest in horticulture, arranged 



in that old and most accessible of forms — 



an alphabetical one. 



Mr. Johnson has not attempted, in this 

 volume, so far as we have examined it, to 

 add much to the already existing stock of 

 ideas before the public, but to array them 

 in a concise and simple manner, so as to 

 afford the requisite information on a given 

 topic in a small space. Nearly all the lead- 

 ing authors of the day have been laid un- 

 der contribution, to make up the different 

 paragraphs ; and the result is a very good 



