BUILDING NEW HOUSES 69 



used just water enough to thoroughly mix the sand 

 and cement; and when tamped into the mould a little 

 water will stand on the surface. When the cement in 

 the mould is sufficiently set the mould is unlocked, the 

 block carefully taken out and placed in the shade or a 

 moist room and sprinkled a few times until thoroughly 

 hard. Soft cement may be poured into the mould and 

 when fully set in a day or two it is taken out and the 

 mould refilled. This, however, is a slow process. 



Concrete walls, either solid or of hollow blocks, are 

 very desirable for stables and other outbuildings, espe- 

 cially for the foundation, basement, and first story, 

 where there is a large amount of moisture, which would 

 rot a building made of wood. It makes very clean and 

 serviceable floors for stables, carriage and tool rooms. 

 Sidewalks are now largely made of this material, some 

 cities having miles of it that will apparently be as durable 

 as cut stone. This material is very valuable for floors of 

 outhouses, cellars, wood-sheds, etc. 



HEATING THE COUNTRY HOUSE. 



Country houses are generally more difficult and more 

 expensive to heat than those in thickly settled villages 

 or towns, in part perhaps because of their cheap con- 

 struction, but more because of their exposure. A house 

 built of good material, closely fitted, and lined with 

 paper over the entire covered surface, ought not to be 

 difficult or unusually expensive to heat unless fully 

 exposed to prevailing winds. One of the most important 

 points to be considered in the plan of the house is the 

 method of heating. 



Wood Fires. 



In the country where wood is abundant and cheap the 

 year's supply may often be obtained by thinning out 

 the poor and surplus growth from the wood-lot, and if 



