52 THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 



moved from one place to another, or turned up on one side, with 

 out any more danger of injuring them than there would be if 

 they were framed. I am aware that those even good mechan 

 ics who have always been accustomed to nothing but heavy 

 frame timber, will scout at such a building, and, without any 

 hesitancy, prognosticate that it would go to the winds before it 

 could be half finished. But any good engineer who is at all 

 acquainted with the strength of materials if he has never before 

 heard of such a mode of building, will unhesitatingly pronounce 

 it a most complete triumph over the costly manner of building 

 with heavy frame-timber ; and that such buildings may be safely 

 "taken up ly the hair" and tumbled about like a huge box. 



51. Such buildings require just as much siding, and lath, and 

 roofing materials, and joists, and it will cost just as much to 

 inclose them, and finish them off; but any mechanic who can 

 make a window frame and hang a door, and nail two pieces of 

 timber together at right angles, can erect such a building without 

 the assistance of a loss. 



52. The lumber for a balloon frame may be sawed of any 

 desired dimensions ; but for an ordinary building, the studs should 

 never be less than four inches wide ; and the joists should be 

 not less than eight inches wide if sixteen feet long ; and for 

 twelve-feet joists seven inches wide is sufficient ; and for rooms 

 eight feet wide joists six inches wide will be sufficiently wide. 

 The foundation must be as permanent and substantial as for a 

 brick building. Now, lay a joist on the foundation walls on 

 every side for the sills, and halve the corners together, and nail 

 them well. Joists two inches by eight will be sufficiently large, 

 although there can be no objection to using sills of timber or 

 larger joists. Now, if the rooms are to be nine feet between 

 joints, and the upper and lower joists eight inches wide, and the 

 building is to be two stories or more high, make a pattern for 

 the studs of a half-inch board, just ten feet and four inches long, 

 with a gain cut in it, just at the under side of the upper joists, 

 an inch deep and four inches wide. If the building is to be 

 covered with vertical siding, gains must be cut in the outside of 



