213 
PRESERVATION OF PEACH-TREES. 
mere outside show than inside convenience and 
comfort, will make a slave of his wife ; but nature, 
or a bad education, will have made her a fool for a 
husband. 
This plan of building is also particularly designed 
for what is well known about Chicago as a “ bal¬ 
loon frame,” but which, as I presume your eastern 
readers do not understand, I will describe, for it is 
a great saving of expense. 
There is not a tenon nor mortice in the whole 
frame ; except that sometimes the sills are framed 
together; but even that is unnecessary. To begin 
with the house under consideration—first lay a 
foundation of brick or stone, and lay sills, 3 by 6 
inches, locked or halved together at the corners and 
nailed. On these, level the sleepers, made of tim¬ 
ber of the same size as the sills, set edgewise and 
shouldered one inch to fit on the ends and a middle 
sill under the partition between the kitchen and sit¬ 
ting-room. 
The studs should be of oak 2 by 6 inches. 
Saw them off square at the ends, 18 ft. long-cut 
gains six inches wide, one inch deep in the inner 
edge of the end studs 9£ ft. from lower end to upper 
edge of the gain. On the sides a strip is nailed on 
studs to nail ends of floor boards to. In these 
gains a strip 1| in. by 6 is to be nailed to support 
the chamber-floor joists. A strip same size nailed 
on top of studs forms the plates. A like strip 
should also be nailed on the end studs. 
The sleepers should be 32 inches apart; the studs 
16, and the joists 32 inches, having a “ false joist” 
between each pair to lath to. 
The beams 32 inches apart, should project at 
least 6 inches over the plate and lock on with 
a gain two inches deep with a stout spike driven 
up through the plate to hold them down. Also 
spike the end strip to the beams. 
The rafters are bevelled and nailed to each beam; 
and braces firmly nailed from each rafter to each 
beam will effectually prevent either from sagging. 
The studding should be sheathed all over with half 
or three-quarter inch boards, which will be better 
if feather-edged together. When these and the 
siding are all nailed on, the frame will be found to 
be as stiff and in every way as good as one upon 
which the carpenter has expended $50 in hewing 
timber and beating mortices, and framing braces 
that never do any good until after the great heavy 
frame begins to lean, and then it is too late. In 
the place of this house, however, the “ lean-to” 
upon two sides will form good braces. 
Such is a brief outline of a “ balloon frame,” 
which I am confident can be built better and cheaper 
than the old-fashioned frame, at the general compa¬ 
rative prices of timber, labor, and nails, in any part 
of the United States. 
Of course there are some kinds of buildings that 
require great strength of frame; but a common 
dwelling does not, neither do a great many of the 
out-buildings. 
I have thought advisable to annex a bill of the 
principal materials it would be necessary to provide 
for building the first or two-story part of this house. 
The calculation is based upon plastering the north 
and west sides, preparatory to the additions. I have 
not estimated any floor for garret. The other floors 
and siding I allow one-fourth extra for waste and 
working. You will then require— 
2 sills. 
3 by 6 in. 
each 30 
ft. long. 
3 “ 
3 “ 6 “ 
CC 
25 
CC 
20 sleepers, 
3 “ 6 “ 
CC 
15 
CC 
20 joists, 
2 h“ 6 “ 
CC 
15 
cc 
80 studs. 
2 “ 6 ” 
Cf 
18 
cc 
13 beams. 
2£“ 6 “ 
cc 
26 
cc 
26 rafters. 
2 “ 5 ** 
(( 
13 
cc 
20 studs, 
2 « 4 “ 
CC 
9| 
r " 
Roof boards, .... - 750 
Sheathing, - 1250 
Siding,.1500 
Flooring, - ... 1800 
Lath (about),. 6000 
Clear pine, assorted, from £ to 1£ in. for 
finishing,. - 1000 
Strips 1| to 6 inches for plates, and girders 
around studs inside to support chamber floor, and 
for lap studs in gable ends, and partition strips, and 
rafter-braces, &c., &c., say 1000 ft fair measure. 
Eleven windows, 20 lights each, 8 by 10 glass, 
and two six-light windows for the N. W. chamber, 
makes 232 sash lights; 3 boxes of glass; 16 lbs. 
putty; 5000 brick for chimney and foundation; 
10 barrels of lime. 
It will be necessary to buy at least 8000 shingles; 
100 lbs. 3 penny nails (for lath); 50 lbs. 4 d. ; 50 
lbs. 6 d. ; 100 lbs. 8 d.; 100 lbs. 10 d.; 50 lbs. 
12 c?.; 50 lbs. 20 d. ; 20 lbs. 40 d. 
This bill comprises the bulk of the materials, and 
from which any person can make a calculation of 
the expense, or an approximation towards it. 
Whenever my other avocations will admit of it, 
I intend to furnish you with a plan of “ a poor 
man’s house,” which can also be built “ a piece at 
a time.” 
I look upon plans of farm-buildings as the most 
valuable part of a farmer’s journal. For it is a cer¬ 
tain fact that nature has not given the faculty to 
one-half of mankind, to form the plan of the build¬ 
ings they desire to occupy. Solon Robinson. 
Crown Point Lake C. H., Indiana. 
PRESERVATION OF PEACH-TREES FROM 
THE ATTACK OF BORERS. 
As the best method of preventing the destruction 
of peach-trees by borers is a matter of public in¬ 
terest, in different sections of the country, I will 
give my plan of preventing their ravages in young 
trees, and for expelling them from old ones. 
I ascertained several years ago, that sulphur is 
more offensive to most kinds of insects than any 
other substance with which I was acquainted. 
When applied to fruit-trees, it lasts longer and is 
more permanent in its operation than anything I 
have tried. Peach-trees are often attacked by the 
worm in the nursery, which may easily be known 
by a blackish appearance, with exuded gum on the 
stem near the ground, and on the roots. When the 
young trees are taken from the nursery, for trans¬ 
planting, they must carefully be examined and the 
worms removed with a long brad-awl, or a knife. 
Then rub over their upper roots and about six inches 
of the lower part of their stems with a mixture of 
any common oil or grease and the flour of sul- 
