THE PLATE AND THE GUTTER. 33 



is annoying, it may be caught in a little trough and carried 

 away. The best trough for this purpose is made from a pine 

 strip i# inches thick and 2 inches deep, with a V-shaped 

 groove sawed in the top. This trough, freshly painted on 

 the back, is nailed to the wall in such position that the 

 bottom of the groove lies directly beneath the corner of 

 the plate. 



All tenons or mortises should be avoided upon the plate, 

 or in any other place where the wood is likely to remain 

 moist. The simplest and most efficient union of sash-bar 

 and plate is shown in Fig. 20 (page 37), in which the bar is 

 nailed on top of the outward slope of the plate. Figs. 24 

 and 25 (page 39) show a similar construction, except that 

 the rafter is used and is toe-nailed to the inward slope of the 

 plate. If much water is likely to follow down the sash-bar, 

 it is a good practice to place a tin shoe or trough under- 

 neath the foot of the bar (between it and the plate) to 

 carry off the water, as illustrated in Fig. 21 (page 37). 

 Where the sash-bar strikes the ridge-pole, a notch or half- 

 mortise may be used, as in Fig. 22 (page 38), but even here 

 it is usually preferable to simply toe-nail the bars on, as in 

 Fig. 23 (page 38). 



The gutter is ordinarily built of lumber, a heavy plank 

 forming its bottom, as in Figs. 24 and 25 (page 39). In 

 order to keep this plank from warping, it is advisable to 

 saw a slit across each end and to drive a bar of iron into it, 

 as seen in Fig. 26 (page 40). The life of the gutter may be 

 much prolonged by tinning it. A sharp fall will also add 

 to its life and to the ease of keeping it clean. In some 

 cases, the entire house is built upon a pitch in order to give 

 a proper fall to the gutter, but in general it is best to 

 build the house level and to give the gutter an indepen- 

 dent slope. Upon masonry walls, a good gutter is made 

 by leaving a trough on top and plastering it thoroughly 

 with Portland cement. 



Walls. The best side walls, in point of durability, are 



