326 



Thatching. 



Vol. I] 



tion on the subject of "Thatching." If it be 

 at all acceptable, I can only give you some 

 practical information, on the subject of your 

 enquiry. A thousand bundles of rye straw is 

 worth sixty dollars; supposing the straw to be 

 of a good quality, it would produce six thou- 

 sand thatches, which would make as much 

 roof as an ecpial number of shingles, that would 

 cost nine dollars a thousand. The straw 

 would cost .... $60.00. 

 The Shingles, ( Pine. ) - 54.00. 



$ 6.00 

 There would be a balance of six dollars in 

 favor of the shingles. A well made thatched 

 roof will last from twenty to twenty-five years. 

 I iiave known thatched roots to last thirty 

 years and turn the rain. 



A farmer, or tobacco planter, who has the 

 straw and need not purchase it, would proba- 

 bly have nearly as good and certainly a clieap- 

 er roof than by purchasing pine shingles, 

 rails, &c. 



Respectfully yours, 



John Gardner. 



Centre Square, Pa., 1st mo. 30th, 183S. 

 To J. S. Skinner: 



I observe in the last "Cabinet," over the 

 above signature, an article on the subject of 

 " Thatching," with a number of queries which 

 I feel a willingnt-ss to endeavor to answer in a 

 private way according to the best of my 

 knowledge on that subject, having been 

 acquainted with it from my youth up to tiiis 

 time, say fifty years. " In what part of Penn- 

 sylvania is it most used or best understood V 

 1 am unable to say ; but in the neighborhood, 

 or part of the country I have lived, it is more 

 or less practised by most farmers, generally 

 for the covering of barracks, hog- pens and 

 hen-roosts. Rye straw is the article alto- 

 gether used for that purpose, and the best of 

 any thing we have. If the straw is good, 

 bright and well put on, it will cast rain fit- 

 teen years, and with a little repairing will 

 often last several years longer. With re- 

 gard to a comparison between that and other 

 kinds of roofing as to cost, it would be ditfi- 

 cult to decide with any degree of accuracy, 

 as the different articles mentioned in the 

 communication, vary so much in price in differ- 

 ent parts of the country; but 1 think I can 

 put the thing in a way so that thee can 

 calculate it near enough for the neighbor- 

 hood of Baltimore. For instance, fifty good 

 bundles of straw, say two bundles to twelve 

 slieaves of rye, will cover from sixteen to 

 twenty square yards according to the thick- 

 ness it is put on. I do not think it the belter 

 tor being too thick. With regard to thatching 

 houses with straw, wherein there is stove 



wood fires used, I have no faith in that prac- 

 tice, though I never have seen it tried, but 

 we may easily tbrm an idea what would be- 

 come of it, if the chimney sliould happen to 

 get on fire and burn out. I am not aware 

 that I can describe the process so as to be 

 understood either by "a printed description 

 or a diagram," although the process is so very 

 simple, that I think 1 could teach any man 

 of common understanding the whole myste- 

 ry in less than ten minutes, if I had him 

 here, though it is like many other things 

 '■'■■practice makes perfect.'''' But I have no 

 doubt that any handy man afler a few days 

 practice, would be able to put on from 30 to 

 40 square yards of straw roof in a day, on be- 

 ing well attended with tiie material in good 

 order. The wages much the same as for 

 other common work. " Could a man be had 

 in Pennsylvania, to come into Maryland to 

 thatch Tobacco houses !" I tiiink such a man 

 could be had, but would suggest that it would 

 be more profitable to tlie proprietor to send a 

 man here, and we would soon teach him the 

 whole art for nothing, and then he might go 

 back and set up for himself. The frame 

 work is much the same as for shingling. — 

 Rafters may be about 3J feet distant. Lath 

 further apart, say 15 to 18 inches, according 

 to length of straw or other material used, and 

 two inches wide by one in thickness, and if 

 there was a false lath tacked half way be- 

 tween the better, to keep up the butts of the 

 straw, as when one course is put on the butts 

 will hardly reach to the next lath above; 

 something like a split hoop-pole would an- 

 swer very well, but secure all the straw to 

 the first mentioned lath. I will however 

 proceed and try to describe the process of 

 thntching. In the first place when the 

 frame work is prepared, the operator may set 

 himself on the lower lath at the eaves, having 

 the straw well shook so as to dispense with 

 all the shorter particles, and tied up in small 

 bunches of about the size both hands will en- 

 close, secured withabout half a dozen straws 

 round the middle and then handed to the ope- 

 rator, who will place it on the lath so 

 as to tie about twelve inches from the butt 

 tucked with a small band, say ^ of an inch 

 diameter after being twisted, but not under 

 as in binding a sheaf, still drawing a small 

 pircel out of the above hand-fiill or last 

 hand-full put on, either up or down; but not 

 drawing it entirely from under the few straws 

 or band that secures it to the lath, and then 

 twist that last drawn so as to fasten in with 

 the ends of the first band, and when well 

 twisted together, bring it over the second 

 hand-full and under the lath, giving the hand- 

 full a pound with the other fist while drawing 

 in order to settle and flatten it, and so on till 

 the first course is done, which will be all 



