1882 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
147 
invalid, and its space 
be in part added to 
the pantry, and in 
part to the bedroom 
as a closet, of which 
there can hardly be 
t-oo many in any 
house. Besides, it is 
hardly appropriate to 
have such a room 
with its earth closet 
openiug into the pan¬ 
try. The Parlor is 
rather small, hut per¬ 
haps sufficient for all 
ordinary purposes. A 
foot or two larger, 
one or both ways, 
would not add great¬ 
ly to the expense. 
There should be an¬ 
other window on the 
side or rear,' a6 the 
two front windows are darkened by the verauda 
roof. It would be convenient to have the front 
windows extend down to the floor, but this 
would increase the expense. For a Physician, 
■or Justice of the Peace, the first story bedroom 
might be used as an office,making a door of the front 
■window, with steps—perhaps adding a veranda. 
Second. Story (fig. 5). — Hight, 8i feet. 
The engraving shows the arrangement. The smaller 
Fig. 7.— PLAN OF ROOF (REDUCED SCALE). 
front bedroom might have 6 to 12 inches more 
room, taking it from the hall. There is no way to 
heat this room, but all others have chimney flues 
* Estimate of Materials and Cost. 
Sills, Girders, Posts. 
6 pieces. 6x8 in.xl4 ft., 336 ft. 
3 pieces, 6x8 in.xl6 ft., 192 ft. 
4 pieces, 6x8 in.xl8 ft., 288 ft. 
2 pieces, 6x8 in.x20 ft., 160 ft. 
2 pieces, 8x8 in.x 6 ft., 64 ft. 
1 piece. 8x8 in.x 8 ft,, 43 ft. 
1 piece, 6x6 in.x 6 ft., 18 ft. 
3 pieces, 4x4 in.x 8 ft., 32 ft. 
1,133 ft. 
Rafters. 
4 pieces, 3x6 in.x20 ft., 120 ft. 
2 pieces, 3x6 in.xl8 ft., 54 ft. 
14 pieces, 2x4 in.xlO ft., 93 ft. 
34 pieces* 2x4 in.xl2 ft., 272 ft. 
48 pieces, 2x4 in.xl6 ft., 512 ft. 
1,051 ft. 
Stud Partitions. 
70 pieces, 2x4 in.x 9 ft., 420 ft. 
60 pieces, 2x4 in.xlO ft., 400 ft. 
820 ft. 
Outside Studs. 
3 pieces, 4x4 in.x20 ft., 80 ft. 
4 pieces, 4x4 in.xl2 ft., 64 ft. 
57 pieces, 2x4 in.x20 ft,, 760 ft. 
6 pieces, 2x4 in.xl6 ft., 64 ft. 
4 pieces, 2x4 in.xl4 ft., 37 ft. 
55 pieces, 2x4 in.xl2 ft., 440 ft. 
1,445 ft. 
Joists. 
36 pieces, 2x8 in.xl2 ft., 576 ft. 
8 pieces, 2x8 iu.xl4 ft., 149 ft, 
9 pieces, 2x8 in.xl5 ft., 180 ft. 
25 pieces, 2x8 in.xl6 ft., 533 ft. 
7 pieces, 2x8 in.xl8 ft., 168 ft. 
1,6067b 
Ceiling Joists. 
40 pieces, 2x4 in.xl2 ft., 320 ft. 
26 pieces, 2x4 in.xl6 ft., 277 ft. 
12 pieces, 2x4 in.x20 ft., 160 ft. 
757 ft. 
Total, 6,812 feet Board Measure, @ $22 per 1,000 ft.$149.86 
2,500 feet Flooring, @ $30 per M. 75.00 
20,000 Shingles, @ $2.85 per M. 57.00 
2;600 Siding, @ $22.00. 57.20 
2.200 feet Ship-lap Sheathing, @ $22.00. 48.40 
65 Shingle Lath, @ 8 cents. 5.20 
1,400 feet of inch Boards, @ $30 per M. 42.( 0 
550 feet of inch Boards, @ $20 per M. 11.00 
4 Windows and Blinds, complete, @ $8.00. 32.00 
13 Windows and Blinds, complete, @ $7.40 . 96.20 
3 Windows and Blinds, complete, @ $2.50. 7.50 
2 Bay Windows (complete, except framing & roof) 50.00 
6 Cellar Windows, @ $1.30. 7.80 
Books, complete: one Front, $18; nine @ $6 each; 
five @ $7 each; two @ $6.25 each; thirteen Closet 
Doors, @ $2.50 each. 152.00 
Pantry, finished complete, $14; 2 Cupboards, do., $12.. 26.00 
Closet, Shelving, and Hooks.,. 13.90 
Stairways: Main,$28; Rear, $10.50; Cellar,$4.42.50 
Plastering, 675 square yards, complete, @ 25 cents. 168.75 
4.200 Bricks, laid, @ $11.50 per M. 48.30 
1,540 feet Stone Work, @ 7 cents. 107.30 
150 cubic yards of Excavation, @ 18 cents. 27.00 
250 feet of Spouting, @ 10 cents. 25.00 
Cresting and Finials. 30.00 
Painting, $130; Nails, $30. 160.00 
Range, Baths, and Fixtures.. 110.00 
Carting not included in above. 36.00 
Carpenter Work not in above estimates. 275.00 
Sundry Incidental Expenses. . ■ ■ 38.59 
Total Coat of Building complete.$1,900.00 
for stove-pipes; the one from the 11x12 bedroom 
will have to enter the chimney through the closet. 
“The Heating throughout the house is by grates 
aud stoves. The foul air escapes through venti¬ 
lators, or perforated base, to the space between the 
sheating-boards and the siding, and thence to 
ventilators iu the roof.— Construction: —The 
joists are to be stiongly bridged ; all work to be 
first-class of its kind. All work plain, except Parlor 
and Sitting Room.” The materials described will 
6how the character of the work. The prices named 
appear to be about the average through the 
country generally. Common labor is reckoned at 
$1 to $1.25 per day ; skilled labor, $1.50 to $2.50. * 
Produce Speculation Injuring the Country. 
If left to their natural course, prices are fixed 
mainly by the relative supply and demand. But 
wealthy speculators, aided by a multitude of those 
whom they induced to follow their lead, undertook 
early last autumn to buy up and control the avail¬ 
able supplies of grain, pork, bacon, and lard, 
and hold them at very high prices, prices quite 
above those prevailing abroad. They argued (to 
others) that there was a short supply in the world, 
and that before another harvest consumers would 
have to.take their stock at any price they choose to 
ask. Some of them possibly believed this ; others 
of these shrewd manipulators calculated that, how¬ 
ever the markets might eventually turn out, they 
would themselves unload in time to make large 
profits, and leave the mass of their followers, the 
“lambs,” to bear whatever losses might occur. 
And unfortunately they found plenty of these, 
many thousands of them in all ranks of society, 
who bit at the bait, aud invested their five, ten, 
twenty, and up to hundreds or thousands of dol¬ 
lars in “margins.”—What is the result? European 
countries which would have taken all our surplus, 
at paying figures, though below what speculators 
have held them at,have scoured the world,and drawn 
out from the remotest points far larger supplies 
than were ever before obtained, or would have 
been thought of but for the course of the specula¬ 
tors here. Take Great Britain for example. Dur¬ 
ing five months ending Feb. 1, that country re¬ 
ceived the following supplies from three other 
countries alone, aside from that obtained from Aus¬ 
tralia, Egypt, Turkey, France, Chili, Canada, etc. 
(The flour is reduced to its equivalent of wheat.) 
BUSHELS OF WHEAT. 
From 
1880. 
1881. 
18S2. 
British India. 
1,500,917 
3,534.634 
9.025,712 
Russia . 
5,635.618 
1,162,804 
5,855,555 
Germany. 
3.786,997 
2.001,258 
4,513.098 
Total. 
10,923,532 
6,697,696 
19,394,365 
United States. 
42,193,111 
38,844,973 
31,895,423 
These figures show th it Great Britain gathered 
nearly Thirteen Million bushels more of wheat from 
Germany, Russia, and India, than during the same 
period the previous year, and of this excess five 
and a half million bushels were brought from dis¬ 
tant India. These Thirteen Million bushels have 
lain all the while in our store-houses and elevators, 
and would have been taken from us at good paying 
prices, and the cash returned, had gambling specu¬ 
lators not prevented it. And what is worse, not only 
have new sources of supply been opened, and larger 
production stimulated to compete with us in the 
future, but Great Britain has practically secured 
and within sight so large a 6tock that we are likely 
to lose this season the sale of much we have to 
6pare. In proof of this, note that for the last five 
months, ending Feb. 1, there have been thrown into 
the British markets of home-grown aud foreign 
wheat, the following amounts in pounds of wheat 
and flour, not including a small amount exported : 
1882. I 
4,937,219,168 | 
1881. I 
4,909,515,632 | 
1880. I 
4,576,716,368 ] 
1879. 
4,772,770,586 
These figures show that up to February 1, Great 
Britain had already secured of wheat and flour for 
consumption, 27,703,536 lbs. more than at the same 
date last year; 360,503,800 lbs. more than in 1880; 
and 164,448,592 lbs. more than in 1879. Yet with 
this fact before us, with relatively larger stocks on 
hand here than at same date last year, the specu¬ 
lators would delude the public into believing that 
the present or higher prices will prevail; and they 
will keep this up until they inveigle enough 
“lambs” to take off their hands their enormous 
speculative holdings and contracts. What is 6aid 
above of wheat and corn applies largely to other 
staples, and to hog products—lard,pork,and bacon. 
The following figures show the injury to our 
country by the speculation which has kept prices 
of hog products unnaturally high, or always above 
what foreigners would freely pay for them, and 
thus overstocking our own markets, led to the ex¬ 
port of gold instead of these products, and stopped 
the receipts of gold that would have come to us. 
Note these figures for 6even Atlantic 6ea-bord ports : 
Exports from Nov. 1, 1881, to Feb. 25, 1882. 
Pork... 
Bacon.. 
Lard... 
1880-1 
2-1,721,800 lbs. 
328,356,470 lbs. 
144,844.571 lbs. 
1881-2 
21,198,2i 0 lbs. 
191.212,900 lbs. 
104,391,189 lbs. 
Decrease 
3,523,600 lbs. 
137,143,570 lbs. 
40,453,382 lbs. 
Total 
497,922,841 lbs. 
316,802,289 lbs. 
181,120,552 lbs. 
As against the evil effects of developing other 
competitors for the future, and the disturbance of 
the country by the locking up of such vast sums 
in speculative stocks and margins, which ought to 
have been circulating in regular channels of busi¬ 
ness, and the fact that to this date twelve million 
dollars of gold have gone abroad instead of the 
produce that should have gone, there is only one 
satisfaction, to wit:—All producers who have been 
able to get their grain and pork to market, have 
realized a little higher rates than they would have 
done had prices been left to take their natural 
course—though this single present gain is quite 
likely to be offset in the future by the great stimu¬ 
lus given to wheat culture in India, Australia, 
south-eastern Europe, northern Africa, and else¬ 
where, which will compete with us hereafter in the 
European markets; and our farmers are thus likely 
to lose in the end far more than they have gained 
by the great grain speculation of 1881-2. 
Cotton. — Much that is said above applies 
equally to our great cotton staple, both as regards 
developed competition for the future, unnatural 
present prices, etc. While speculators maintain high 
rates by cornering the markets, keeping a firm grip 
upon stock's, etc., it is well to note the following 
figures showing the latest visible supply in this coun¬ 
try, in ocean transport, in Great Britain, and at 
continental ports, reckoning bales at 450 lbs. each 
1882. I 1881. I 1880. I 1879. 
1,405,847,250 | 1,316,767,050 | 1,133,776.300 | 1,170,942.300 
Over 1881 :-89,097,750 lbs.; 18S0272,070,950; 1879 :-234,904,950 
If with the above statements aud figures before 
them, the mass of smaller speculators, merchants, 
mechanics, professional men, clerks, and many 
farmers even, are disposed to continue buying and 
putting up margins to help out the leading specu¬ 
lators, they will well deserve the current title given 
them of “lambs.” Those producers still holding 
their various products for higher prices, must be 
their own judges as to what course they shall pursue. 
