162 The Farmstead 



placing the covering. If it is put on, as it 

 should be, after the window and door frames 

 are set, it is more difficult and more expensive 

 to place than lap- siding. 



No way of covering a wooden house has 

 been found superior to the one -half inch lap- 

 siding with joints tight enough at the frames 

 and corners, in conjunction with the paint, to 

 make water-tight joints. The lap should not 

 be less than one inch, and the nails should be 

 so placed that in case of considerable shrinkage 

 in the siding the inside will give or even check, 

 instead of the outside (z). If made as at y, 

 the outside will check. This implies that the 

 nails are to be driven rather more than one- 

 half inch above the edge of the siding. The 

 nails which hold the outer covering should 

 either be set and puttied, or the heads should 

 be left even with or slightly above the surface 

 of the wood, that the paint may cover all parts 

 of the nail head. If the nails are driven too 

 far in the heads are not fully covered and pro- 

 tected by the paint, in which case they will rust 

 and present an unsightly appearance. 



Some one has said that if a woman's feet, 

 hands, and head are well and appropriately 

 clothed, the balance of the dress may be plain 

 and simple, and yet she will have an elegant 

 appearance. So, if a house has a good founda- 



