AMERICAN AGRICtJLTURlST. 
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1. ,_, 
Small, Convenient, Cheap Houses. 
BV NARKAOANSET. 
Snu!^, convenient, and clictip cottages, fur 
pooiilo of small means, arc a great (Icsiflci'atum. 
Tliey who have wealth in alumdanec, can build 
large houses and provide for every luxury. But 
is it impossible that the poor nnm sliould have 
a comfortable, convenient home ? Prom tlio 
many ill-contrived, small dwellings that li.avc 
been carelessly thrown together for the discom- 
fort of those who inhabit them, it might be in- 
ferred thai, in the poor man's vocabulary, were 
no s\ieh words as "com/orf" and " convenience." 
Because a house is small, it need not be incon- 
venient. But to combine desirable conveniences 
within .a limiled and economical space, requires 
more thoughtful study than where .an abundance 
of room is at one's command. And this 
thoughtful study the poor man often has not 
lime to bestow ; those he may employ to con- 
struct his dwelling may bo too incompetent 
(n- iudilTi'rent to supply it, and tbc result is, 
that when the building is completed, it is lack- 
ing in many of those little coutrivanccs which 
so much contribute to the comfort of a family, 
and which, if seasonably provided for, might 
have been enjoyed without any additional cost- 
There have been, from time to time, nurny 
little bits of Krnciful architecture placed before 
the public, under the stylo of " Cottages for the 
Poor;" but, while charming to look upon ex- 
teriorily, they have, for the most part, tuithin 
been destitute of those essenti.al features that 
contribute to the re.al wants of those who would 
live respectably, but who must live economically. 
With no disposition to disparage the attempts 
to n\ake a house externally attractive, we deem 
it of still higher importance to provide for its 
interior convenience ; but we believe that 
neither point need bo sacrificed to the other. 
In illustration, we present a plan for a cottage, 
adapted to the wants of any laboring man, with 
a family of four or five children. In this plan, 
covering 18x30 feet, we have the following ac- 
commodations : — A large living I'oom (i), serv- 
ing as parlor and kitchen ; a good sized bed- 
loom (/!) opening fron\ it, witb a clothes-closet 
(0) of good dimensions, — a convenience often 
wanting in small houses, — and a snug little 
closet, with shelves, by the chimney. There 
is a spacious pantry (P), where stores may 
1)0 deposited, such as flour and meal barrels, 
etc. On the opposite side of the sitting room 
)3 a convenient Gliina closet (Ct*), with a slide 
connecting it with the back cntrj', in which a 
sink {S) is placed. The window here may 
be of less dimensions than the others, only fur- 
nishing sufficieut light for the sink; the space 
beneath the sink should bo closed up as a 
kettle closet, From the back entry is a 
descent to the cellar. From the fnnit entry 
is the stairway to the attic (.1), closed from the 
entry by a door at the foot of the stairs. Above 
are two large bedrooms (B, 7?), each of which is 
supplied witli a good closet, and each, when 
necessary, can have the comfort of a fire. Over 
the front entry is a large linen closet (C), which 
may be supplied with shelves, and used for the 
packing away of bedding, etc. In the outer attic 
is a space, sueh as every house reiiuircs, for put- 
ting trunks, chests, stoves, etc., when out of use. 
Any one who has lived in a house, where, iu 
case of sickness, it was impossible to kindle a 
fire in a bedroom, for the want of a chimney, 
will appreciate the conveniences which this 
plan affords. They, also, who have been obliged 
to garnish the walls of their sleeping rooms 
with the various articles of their wardrobe, will 
understand the comfort and great convenience 
which the closets afford. And every good 
housekeeper, though she bo pecuniarily poor, 
will know liow to value the spacious pantry 
and convenient china closet. AVe have made 
no provision for a parlor, separate from the 
living-room, for in families whose wants this 
plan was designed to meet, little use is made of 
such a room. They ordinarily keep but one 
fire, and live in one roou> ; and, with the con- 
veniences furnished by closets and pantry, the 
living-room may always be kept iu a prcseut- 
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ATTIC PLAN. 
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GROUND PLAN. 
ripr. 2.— yl, Attic; n, U. ll. lii-ilrooms; V, C, C, Closcta; FD, 
Front Door ; /., Living I'ooni ; J', I'lintry ; S, Sink. 
able condition. Willi the convenience of a 
back entrance, the front entry may always be 
kept clean and neat. It affords space for cloak- 
hooks and umbrella-stand ; and, with a bit of 
oilcloth upon the floor, may be as genteel as 
many of much larger dimensions and more am- 
bitious pretension. Against the blind end of 
the house, (having only an attic window,) if ex- 
posed to the south, a trellis might be raised, 
and a grape vine trained, which would be at 
once fruitful and ornamental also. 
While we have aimed mainly at internal con- 
venience, we think, also, that the exterior of 
our cott.age is not without attraction. What 
every building requires, to give interest to its 
outline, is expression, — something that shall break 
up the monotony of a plain, dead surface. This 
we have secured by the little front gable, the 
projecting roof, and the simple hoods above the 
doors and windows, — which are plain pieces of 
2-inch plank, supported by the simplest form 
of a bracket underneath, as shown in fig. 3. 
These do for the house in regard to expres- 
sion, what the projecting lines of mouth, chin, 
nose, and eyebrows do for a man's face. They 
cast shai^mvs, and thus, though inexpensive, give 
character and expression to the building, and im- 
part an interest it would not otherwise possess. 
A man's face might be as flat as a board, and 
his eyes, nostrils, and mouth but so many per- 
forations through it, and they might still answer 
every absolutely necessary purpose of his physi- 
cal being. It is the projecting 
lines of his features, across 
which play the light and shade, 
that allbrd that variety of ex- 
pression, of the study of which 
wc never tiro. By the applica- 
tion of this same principle, a 
house may be made more in- 
teresting than a mere sugar- 
box. In the above design, the 
posts should be at least twelve feet, the lower 
rooms nine feet between joists, and the roof be 
pitched at a right angle, — as they say, at a 
quarter pitch. 
3. WINDOW CAP. 
Gravel-wall, or Concrete Buildings. 
No one will seriously consider the erection cf 
gravel-wall buildings for his own use, who is 
not situated where sand, gravel, and larger 
stones may be readily obtained. Where these 
are at hand, the subject is well worth the con- 
sideration of every one who is going to build. 
First, decide who will do the work. If yo;; 
must trust it all, or chiefly, to a professional 
stone-mason, brick-layer, or builder of any 
kind, lake his advice and uso stone, brick, or 
wood. If you cau attend to it yourself, and, at 
least, siqH-rintend the whole, you will do well, 
The materials rerinisite are sharp sand (frco 
from dirt), gravel (free from dirt), and well-burn- 
ed lime. The presence of stones, even of the size 
of one's fist, among the gr.avel, is no disadvant- 
age, and, if not present, they may be added. If, 
however, no stones of an intermediate size be- 
tween small gravel and large flat stones exist, 
as is very often the case, the stones may be 
broken up, or laid in the wall with the mortar. 
Such a wall, however, is a departure from the 
proper concrete wall, though perhaps equally 
good, if well laid. It may be laid in " flasks," 
or " curbing," like concrete. The lime need 
not be of such quality as is necessary for fine 
smooth mortar ; no matter how coarse it is, if 
it be only freshly burnt, and capable of making 
a strong mortar. If it sets quickly, so much 
more rapidly the work may be pushed forward. 
Oyster-shell lime answers perfectly well. It 
ought to bo thoroughly burned, and unslaked. I 
Do not buy and transport the slaked shell ; 
lime with one-fourth of its -weight of water, i 
When the ground is dry, and well-drained | 
naturally, the foundation may be of concrete, j 
made by using one-third good hydraulic cement t 
with the lime. A wide course of flat stones j 
is perhaps the best arrangement to base a ( 
foundation wall upon. In case springs arc en- 1 
countered, or the ground is of a wet nature, j 
it is well to lay a tile drain outside the founda- f 
tiou. With proper care, even in such a soil, 
hydraulic concrete may well be used, but it is \ 
usually better to lay a good stone foundation i 
where the soil is veiy wet. I 
There are several methods of carrying up } 
tlie walls, which are worthy of attention. Tho 
simplest consists in placing a "curbing" of 
boards on each side and puttiug In tho concrete 
thus formed, where it sets. With a little con- 
trivance, corners m,ay be turned very accurately 
and well. The difficulty with this method is 
the care requisite to carry up a smooth, even 
wall, with square corners. Another method. 
