56 THE SMALL COUNTRY PLACE 



If the location is in the country where native lumber 

 is obtainable, good building material may often be ob- 

 tained at a much less cost than that from the North or 

 West, especially if one has teams and can draw it to and 

 from the mill. Native lumber is generally not as true 

 and free from knots as that sawn from large old trees 

 and sorted and graded before it is shipped to the dealers, 

 yet for sills, posts, lining and roof-boards, lining of 

 floors, sheathing and floors in stables, etc., is as good 

 and can be purchased at first hand sometimes at half the 

 cost. 



The Frame. 



Lumber for frames may be of chestnut, spruce, pine, 

 etc., the first especially for sills where there is much 

 moisture and the others for the frame above the sills. 



Cover Boards. 



The cheapest cover boards for sides and roof are native 

 pine or hemlock, the latter only largely obtained from 

 northern sections, where it grows to perfection. The 

 shingles most used are of cedar, of which there are 

 many grades offered by dealers. The extras and No. i 

 clear butts are most used for roofs, though special lots 

 of No. 2 clears may be found with but few knots in 

 them and sound and very serviceable. This grade of 

 shingles is largely used for covering the sides of poultry 

 houses and other outbuildings. Other materials for roofs 

 were discussed in the previous chapter, which see. For 

 corner boards, saddle boards, window casings outside, 

 spruce and pine are most used, with clapboards of 

 spruce, and cedar shingles for covering the sides, the 

 latter being used largely on low modern houses. 



