BUILDING 17 



to go to expense in building, is the house erected by 

 means of walls of " pise." or rammed earth, which 

 is fully described in that handy book for all amateur 

 builders, carpenters, etc., " Every Man his own 

 Mechanic," published by Ward and Lock, pp. 576- 

 582. Space does not admit of my attempting to 

 deal with the process here, but it is fully and lucidly 

 explained by means of diagrams in the work referred 

 to, which is obtainable at most public or lending 

 libraries, and would amply repay study, not only 

 on this particular subject, but others of great value 

 to settlers in a new country, who are compelled to 

 turn their hands to all sorts of mechanical work. 



I cannot hope, in the small compass of a manual 

 such as this, to deal exhaustively with the subject 

 of building requirements on the Canadian prairie, 

 even if it were possible, without the aid of in- 

 numerable diagrams and lengthy explanations, to 

 make my meaning sufficiently clear to be of service 

 to you. In the course of your work as a hired man 

 you will have ample opportunities of looking round 

 for yourself and noting the various modes of con- 

 struction of dwellings, stables, corrals (pronounced 

 x" kraal"), cattle-sheds, root-houses, etc. You will 

 be greatly impressed sometimes by the ingenuity 

 displayed by some ranchers in devising means for 

 providing shelter both for themselves and their 



