282 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[July, 
Shellac knots, and putty all nail-holes and splits. 
Oil and shellac the newel, post, rail, and balusters. 
Estimate of Work, Materials, Etc. 
Digging Cellar and Drain.$30.00 
Well, complete. 30.00 
52 Yards Stone Work, @ $2.25. 117.00 
10,000 Brick for Chimneys and Piers, @ $10.00, laid_ 100.00 
Drain, $32.00 ; Stone Cesspool, $14.00. 46.00 
576 Yards Lath and Plaster, @ 25 cents. 144.00 
Stone Steps. 3.00 
Slate Mantel and Grate. 28,00 
$498.00 
Hemlock Timber. 
Sills, 6 by 8 in. 238 feet in length.952 ft. 
2 Sills, Tank. 6 by 8 in. by 18 ft. long.. .144 ft. 
25 Collar Beams,2 by 6 in. by 14ft. long.350 ft. 
6 Wood-house Sills,'4 by 6 in. by 13ft lg..l36ft. 
18 Kafters onKitch’n, 2 by 6 in.by 12ft...216 ft. 
3,229 ft.. @ $17.00, 54.89 
150 Wall Strips, 13 ft. long, @ 14 cents... 21.00 
50 Joists, 2>4 by 4 in., 13 ft. long, @ 18 cents. 9.00 
150 Roof Boards, 6 in., 13 ft lg, < heml’k culls;, @ 8 cts.. 12.00 
225 Sheathing, 10 inches wide, 13 ft. long, at 15 cents... 33.75 
Spruce Timber. 
34 Floor Timbers, 3 by 8 in. by 16 ft. lg.. 1,088 ft. 
40 Floor Timbers, 2 by 8 in. by 16 ft. lg.. 840 ft. 
40 Rafters, 2 by 6 in. by 14 ft. long. 560 ft. 
2,488 ft., @ $22.00. 
18,000 Best Pine Shingles, @ $4.75. 
160 lbs. Sheathing Paper, @ 5 cents. 
610 ft. 114-inch Pine,for Frames and Casings,@ 4 cts. 
400 ft. 114-inch Inside Frames and Casings, @ 4 cts.. 
2,500 ft. Clap boards, @ $24.00 per M. 
86 “ Novelty Siding,” 6 inches wide, @ 16 cents. 
820 Matched Pine Planks, 1 14 by 6)4 in., @ 20 cts. each. 
Stairs, Rail, and Newel, complete. 
1,000 ft. 54-inch Pine, for Casings, ® 4 \ cents. 
430 ft. Narrow Beaded Ceiling, ) 4 -inch, @ 4 cents_ 
500 ft. 10-inch Matched Pine, @ 3 cents. 
450 tt. 2-iuch Plank, @ 4 cents..... 
50 ft. Cherry Thresholds, @ 5 cents. 
40 ft. Ash for Mantels, @ 5 cents... 
S00 ft. Shelving, @ 3 cents. 
10 Pairs Sashes, 2-Light, 18 by 30 by 114 in., @ $1.60.. 
4 Pairs Sashes, 2-Light. 18 by 28 by 1)4 in., @ $1.50.. 
2 Pairs Sashes, 2-Light, 18 by 21 by 1 )4 in., @ $1.40.. 
3 Pairs Sashes, 4-Light, 13 by 30 by 1)4 in., @ $2.00.. 
2 Pairs Sashes, 4-Liglit, 13 by 28 by 1)4 in., @ $1.80.. 
6 Pairs Cellar Sashes, @ 50 cents.... 
Blinds for all, except Cellar Windows.. 
1 Pair Front Doors, 4 ft. 6 in. by 7 ft. 6 in. by 2 in. 
9Doors, 2 ft. 8 in. by 6 ft. loin, by 1)4 in., at $2.25. 
1 Door, 2 ft. 6 in. by 6 ft. 10 in. by 1% in. 
3 Doors, 2 ft. 6 in. by 6. ft. 6 in., at $1.75. 
8 Closet Doors, @ $1.25... 
Pantry Doors. . 
1 Door, 2 ft. 10 in. by 6 ft. 10 in. 
All Hardware. 
Plumbing, $146.00 ; Painting, $85.00. 
Carpenter Labor, not included above. 
Range, $35.00; Cartage, $25.00. 
Total Cost.•. $1 
i, 54.74 
85.50 
8.00 
24.00 
16.00 
60.00 
12.76 
61.00 
38.00 
45.00 
17.20 
15.04 
18.00 
2.50 
2.00 
9.00 
16 00 
6.00 
2.80 
6.00 
3.60 
3.00 
26.00 
8.00 
20.25 
2.00 
5.25 
10 . 0 ' 
6.40 
2.40 
110.(0 
231.00 
350.00 
00.00 
,969.04 
Wood-Burning Heating Furnace. 
In the Prize House Plan given in the American 
Agriculturist of May last, pages 194-5, from Mrs. 
W. H. Burr, of Redding Ridge, Conn, she partially 
described what she called the “Farmer’s Furnace,” 
in which 4-feet lengths of wood, of large size and 
knotty, are burned, and which has given excellent 
results. This has called forth a great number of 
letters of inquiry, and in response to our request 
Mr. Burr kindly constructed and brought us a 
model, on the scale of 1 inch to a foot, from which 
engravings and descriptions are given herewith : 
The Heater, f, is made of Boiler Iron, one-quarter 
inch thick, and firmly riveted at all joinings. It is 
6 feet long, and 3 feet in diameter, with door, d, 18 
inches square. The front end, or head of the 
heater, is of cast iron, 11 inch thick, and the door 
is also cast iron. Below the door is a sliding plate, 
with three-quarter-inch holes,matching correspond¬ 
ing holes in the end plate of the furnace, so tl;at by 
moving this slide when the door is closed, the air 
admitted can be reduced to any amount desired,' 
and the fire he thus under complete control.—The 
smoke chimney, 9 inches in diameter, rises from 
the interior end with an elbow, and is brought out 
in front, where an ordinary stove-pipe is attached, 
and extended to the chimney. As this pipe is in¬ 
accessible for repairs, save by removing the brick ¬ 
work, it is made of strong one-eighth-inch iron 
plate, well riveted. The front end of the furnace 
is supported by the brick wall, and the rear end by 
a fiat bar of iron, 4 inches wide, and half an inch 
thick, bent to fit the bottom of the furnace, its 
ends being supported by the brick-work. An up¬ 
right strong iron tube, e, 4 inches in diameter, is 
attached to the side of the furnace. It is closed 
at the bottom, and open at the top. This is for 
holding water, to be evaporated into the warm air 
to moisten it. (A good supply of moisture is 
important in all heating furnaces, as we have fre¬ 
quently explained, and we suggest that this evap¬ 
orator have an open surface of at least 100 square 
inches—of any form, instead of round, say 8 by 12, 
or 6 by 16, or5by 20 inches.) An inch pipe extends 
from this through the front wall, terminating in a 
funnel, for pouring in water. The top of the fun¬ 
nel must be no higher than the top of the evap¬ 
orator, and the bight of water in the funnel tube 
will show the state of the supply inside. This 
evaporator being inaccessible, and liable to rust, 
should be of boiler iron, or it may be of cast iron. 
The furnace is surrounded with a tight brick wall 
arched over, with as many openings, h, h, h, as are 
desired for the tin air-pipes which convey the warm 
air to different rooms. The inclosing walls should 
be at least a foot thick, or better 15 or 18 inches, to 
prevent any escape of heat into the cellar. They 
absorb a good deal of heat and give it out slowly 
long after the fire has gone down in the furnace. 
For economy the end and side walls may be built 
of stone if this is plentiful; bricks will be needed 
for turning the arch, in which they may be set 
end down, and thickened by additional layers over 
them. In the engraving a part of tbe wall and arch 
is omitted to exhibit the furnace in the interior. 
A VIEW OF THE FURNACE. 
We suggest that in building the wall, a door, say 2 
feet wide and 3 feet high, be left in the front side 
with an arch or heavy iron bar, or strong flat stones, 
over it. This door can be filled iu with brick or 
stone, which can be taken out without disturbing 
the rest of the wall, should there ever be occasion 
to enter the interior, as there will quite likely to be, 
in after years. A solid foundation must be provided 
to support the weight, and the interior and exterior 
flooring is covered with a heavy coat of cement or 
concrete, with smooth surface. Cold air is admit¬ 
ted through a broad box pipe, of which the edge is 
shown at C, which opens outside the house through 
the cellar wall, IF, the outer opening being protected 
by a wire screen nailed over it. This cold air box 
is made of inch boards, its interior say 15 to 20 
inches by 5 or 6 inches. It enters about the middle 
of the side wall and extends under the center of the 
furnace so that the cool air will rise uniformly 
around it. A sliding cut-off board should be in¬ 
serted in this cold air box for conveniently shutting 
off too much cold air when a driving wind strikes 
directly upon that side of the house. The enclosing 
wall and arch should be large enough to leave an 
open space of 12 to 18 inches at the sides and at the 
rear end of the Heater and above the smoke pipe. 
In the model before us, the interior is about 7 feet 
long, 6 feet wide, 64 feet high. The tin heat-carry¬ 
ing pipes should be of ample size, equivalent to 
10 or 12 inches diameter for the first story 
rooms, and 7 to 9 inches for the upper rooms, 
to which the draft is stronger. If all were 
of the same size the upper rooms would take 
most of the heat. This, however, can also be 
regulated, and should be, by having dampers in 
the pipes near the furnace, so as to shut off the heat 
or lessen it for any rooms, as desired, though the 
registers in the rooms, if closing tightly, will regu¬ 
late the entrance of warm air. The tin pipes can 
be of any form desired, round, square, or otherwise. 
They are best put in when constructing the house, 
as they can then be carried up through the partition 
walls. But great care is always needed to keep 
them well protected from contact with wood. 
When warm-air or smoke pipes are carried up 
through plastered walls, fasten them firmly at a 
distance of 3 inches from the studding on each 
side; and instead of wood lath, put iron lath on 
both sides. These are strips of common sheet iron, 
2 or 3 inches wide, long enough to be nailed to the 
studding at each of their ends, and with their edges 
curved over sufficiently so to hold the mortar. 
The cost of the main furnace Mr. Burr reports as 
$50, two years ago, and of the whole (furnace, en¬ 
closing wall, smoke and air pipes, registers, etc., for 
the whole house) as a little under $150.—At present 
prices, the cost would be considerably increased. 
But such a furnace is desirable, even at a much 
greater cost. It saves fuel, and risk of fire if the 
air-pipes be properly put in ; it 6aves trouble, the 
litter and dust of stoves and fire places ; and a flow 
of warmed fresh air from out-doors, if properly sup¬ 
plied with moisture, is greatly conducive to health. 
Seeding on Sod. 
We have been experimenting, from force of cir¬ 
cumstances, in seeding on sod the present spring, 
and infer from present developments, May 20th, 
the date of this writing, that it is entirely practi¬ 
cable to get a fair catch of clover and grass seed 
on neglected pastures and meadows without plow¬ 
ing. The seed sown was red and white clover, 
herd’s-grass, and red-top, mixed. The land experi¬ 
mented with was an old meadow, naturally moist, 
springy, with water upon the surface, in spots, 
during winter and spring, neglected for a dozen 
years or more, grass cut and carted off, and nothing 
returned—brakes and weeds more plenty than 
grass on all parts of it. The sowing commenced 
early iu April and continued until the middle of 
May. On small patches a mixture of wood and 
coal ashes was spread, and the ground raked over. 
Here the catch is good, and the young clover 
and grass is promising. On other patches loam 
was spread and the ground raked over, and the 
seeds have started well. There were bare patches 
under the walls, where leaves had rotted for 
years, and in this leaf-mold the catch was all 
that could be desired. In another patch, several 
loads of spent tan-bark that had been rotting for 
ten years was spread, and the ground raked over. 
The seed did not come so quickly in this, but there 
is quite enough, if it lives, to make a good sod. 
On the larger part of the meadow there was no 
top-dressing, and the 6eed had no protection but 
the very thin growth of grass and weeds, just 
starting. The catch is not so good here of 
course as in the dressed patches, but is better 
than could have been expected. Of course the 
better way of seeding is to plow, manure, har¬ 
row, and bush, but all this takes time and costs 
a good deal of money. If we can get a good 
catch of clover upon neglected meadows and 
pastures, we can put them upon a course of im¬ 
provement at small expense. Wherever the clover 
plant will grow, it will enrich the soil, and pre¬ 
pare the way for grains and grasses. It would 
have been better to sow the grass and clover seed 
in March upon the snow ; but as it is, the experi¬ 
ment is quite satisfactory. 
Ten Years’ Gain in Popnlatlon. — The 
relative gain in population by the different States, 
from 1870 to 1880, is shown by the following figures 
of percentage, calculated from the Census Reports. 
The “Westward march of Empire” is well seen 
in comparing the northern New England States 
with those west of the Missouri River. Vermont 
gained little more than half of one per cent dur¬ 
ing the ten years; that is to say, for each 190 
inhabitants in 1870,there were 191 in 1880; while in 
Nebraska, for every 190 inhabitants in 1870, there 
were 699 in 1880—a gain of 268 per cent. The total 
population of the several States in 1870 and 1880, 
is given in the American Agriculturist for February 
last.—The following are the percentages of gain in 
the different States between 1870 and 1880 : 
Increase Per Cent. 
Colorado...S87 S. Carolina 41 Missouri... 
Nebraska...268 W Virginia 40 N. Jersey.. 25 
Kansas.173 Michigan... 38 Kentucky.. 25 
Texas.94 Mississippi 37 Wisconsin.. 25 
Oregon. 92 Iowa. 36 Tennessee. 23 
Minnesota 78|Georgia 80 Virginia. ..23 
Arkansas.. 66 IN. Carolina 30 Massachu's 22 
California. 54 |Louisiana.. 29 Pennsylv’a. 22 
Nevada.... 47 Alabama... 27 Illinois . 21 
Florida... 43 R. Island... 27 In the whole country. 
Maryland.. 20 
Ohio.20 
Indiana... 18 
Delaware.. 17 
Connectic’t 36 
New York.. 16 
N. Hamps’e 9 
Maine. 4 
Vermont... M 
