222 CHEAP A^'D DURABLE STRUCTUUES. 



Experiments to ascertain the qualities of atiy Earth, 

 Sioipl* expeii- Take a small wooden tub without a bottom, dia a hole in t!ie 

 the goodness gi'ound, hx a piece of stone or flag at the bottom, "place the 

 ..faay earth tub tipon the stone, fill round it the earth you dus, out and 

 ma-Y ue tried. -^ n ^ , ■ 



., ram it well to prevent the tub from bursting ; then ram into 



the tub the earth you intend to try, a little at a time, as de- 

 scribed. When the tub is full, loosen the earth around it, and 

 take it out with the compr^;-sed earth in it, thep.tura the tub 

 upside down, and the jjise will come out. . If not immeaialol)', 

 let it stand to dry, and it will fall out of itself, Leave'the lump 

 to stand some time; and if it do' not crack, but increase in 

 liardness, it is fit for building. This experiment may be. made 

 in a small box, in the hand. Every person in walking over his 

 grounds -may make little balls of earth, and press them, as 

 Unnly as he can, between his hands. If he b;;ngs them home, 

 and pnts marks on them, he will by that means know the 

 quality cf every piece of land,, and also be a judge of the 

 mixture it will be necessary to make. 

 ytmpiicrty of All the operations of tliis art are simple and easy. There is 

 nothing to be done but to dig up the earth, break the clods 

 with a shovel, and lO lay it in a heap, where the large lump^ 

 are to be drawn away by a rake, in which there may be in- 

 tervals of an inch and a quarter between the teeth, that the 

 stones and pebbles, of the size of a walnut, may remajn. 

 Bmders or ' It is necessary to lay in binders or bonds when the first 

 'Bk^fid'^"^'^" ^ course is laid and the mould fixed for the succeeding one. Lay 

 in at the bottom of it a board, rough from the saw, about five 

 or six feet long, eight or nine inches broad, and about an inch 

 thick. There will be some inches cf earth on each side, 

 by the wall being so much thicker. This will entirely conceal 

 the board in the .wall and prevent its rotting. In the next 

 course, or in the middle of the mould, there may be short ends 

 of boards, laid across so that they shall not come through, but 

 be concealed also in the wall. Tiiese may be at two or 

 three feet intervals, and crossing each other at the angles. This 

 will serve much to equalize the pressure. Wfien tlie wall is 

 completed to the heigiit of a story, boards of three or four feet 

 \n length should be placed on the pise, in tho^e places where 



the 



