On the Construction of Cottages. 
359 
an inch thick, is introduced. This plan prevents the dust from 
fallinc^, but exposes the " stays." Neither this plan nor ceiliujo^ 
between the joists is worth adopting, in my opinion. Filleting is 
excellent for granary-floors. 
Filleting. 
Clay for building should be a clay-marl. If the clay is not 
good, chalk and road-grit should be mixed with it. The propor- 
tions of clav and chalk may depend on the goodness of the clay, 
and the facility of procuring chalk. With moderate clay, say 
seven-tenths clay, two-tenths chalk, and one-tenth road-grit. 
The clay and chalk are raised and carted to a convenient spot 
of hard ground, where they are beaten to pieces by a heavy prong, 
and the stones picked out, and formed into a circular bed 1 foot 
thick, and 20 feet diameter. 
The bed is well watered, and trodden by horses; and, while 
trodden, one man shakes short straw upon it with a fork, while 
another pulls it about with his prong, and throws the outside por- 
tions under the feet of the horses, and supplies a sufficiency of 
water. It can hardly be too much trodden. The clay-dauber's 
joke is, " You spoil it, if you tread it too much." A small cart- 
load of straw, or the buck of a waggon-full, may be used to such 
a bed as I describe. It is then rounded up, and covered with 
straw till wanted for use. When used, it is somewhat moister 
than brick-earth prepared for moulding. 
A pinning of stone-work 14 inches thick and I foot out of the 
ground is prepared ; the clay is carted and laid in heaps beside 
the pinning. One man gets upon the pinning with a small three- 
tined fork ; his partner throws up to him small lumps of clay, the 
size of a double-fist, which he adroitly catches on his fork, and 
deposits smartly on the wall, walking backwards. A height of 
20 inches or 2 feet is built at one time; at intervals, as the work 
proceeds, the workmen coax the sides of the wall with their tools, 
and get it straight and erect : it is then left to dry for a few days 
or longer ; all depends on the weather. When sufficiently dry 
another course is laid on till the requisite height is obtained. As 
the wall rises, window-frames and door-frames are fixed ; and 
when the roof is on, the dauber with his trowel cases the wall 
inside and out with clay, corrects all defects and irregularities, 
and leaves it smooth and white. The clay for casing is prepared 
with more care than for the body of the wall : old clay-wall 
worked up afresh makes the best casing. 
