536 
AMEEIOAl:^ AGEICULTUEIST, 
[December, 
A Cottage Costing $1,500. 
S. B. REBD. 
This Is a very desirable cottage of eight rooms, with the 
necessary halls and closets. It is well suited to the re¬ 
quirements of a small family. Several houses have been 
built from tliese plans. In some cases, where persons 
desired to occupy only a single lot, the kitchen has been 
placed in the rear, instead of at the side, as shown. The 
cost is the same in either case. The construction is 
shown in the following abstract of the specification: 
The hight of the cellar is six feet six inches ; of the 
first story, nine feet; and of the second story, eight 
feet; all in the clear. The cel¬ 
lar is excavated to the depth of 
three feet, and the loose earth 
used to grade around the house, 
at completion, leaving two and 
a half feet of the foundations 
exposed to sight on the outside. 
The foundation for the main 
house is of broken stone, laid 
in good mortar, eighteen inches 
thick, to the hight of three feet 
six inches ; the balance is of 
hard brick and mortar, eight 
inches thick,and three feet high, 
neatly pointed where exposed 
to view. The chimneys are of 
hard brick and mortar, laid with 
close joints, with separate and 
continuous flues from each fire- 
place to the top, and thimbles 
where required. The interior 
side walls and ceilings of the -s;, 
two full stories are hard-finish¬ 
ed on two coats of best brown 
mortar, and seasoned lath. The 
frame is of sound timber, pro¬ 
perly framed, raised, and se¬ 
cured with hard-wood pins. 
Beams and rafters are placed 
two feet apart from centres; 
studding, sixteen inches apart. 
The beams are bridged. All 
window frames have plank 
stiles, and timber sills of clear 
pine. The sash are an inch- 
and-a-half thick, glazed as in¬ 
dicated in the plans, and hung to balance-weights 
with good cord. There are outside blinds to each 
window above the cellar, properly hung and fasten¬ 
ed. The outside of the upright frame is first sheathed 
over with hemlock boards, next covered with rosin-sized 
paper, and finally inclosed with pine clap-boards, to the 
hight of the belt course. Above this it is shingled with 
eighteen-inch pine shingles, laid to two lines three- 
quarter of an inch apart, the shingles alternating, ex¬ 
cept in the front gable, where the butts are rounded and 
laid to curved lines. The clap-boards show four-fifths 
of their width, and the shingles one-third of their length 
to the weather. The porch and bay window are con¬ 
structed of clear pine, resting on locust posts, and lattice 
work. The ceiling is narrow boarding, and the columns 
stairs are constructed of clear pine in the best manner, 
with newel, rail, and ballusters of ash; cellar stairs are 
strongly constructed of plank, and the outside steps are 
made as shown in figures 1 and 2. All jambs are rabhett- 
ed plank, with three-inch grounds, and four-and-three- 
quarter reeded architraves, with foot and head-blocks. 
Panels are formed under each window in the two stories, 
and the base in all parts matches the trim. The closets 
are shelved and hooked in the usual manner. Molded 
hard-wood saddles are placed to doors, and turned stops 
where required. The doors are seasoned pine, panelled 
and molded, the outside and room doors being one-and- 
a-half inch; closet doors one-and-a-quarter inch thick. 
The front door, outside, is heavily molded, and has 
Ipump and sink (complete). 12,0() 
Porches (complete). 87.00 
60 feet tin work, ® 10c. per foot . 6.00 
S kegs nails, @ $3 per keg. 9.00 
Carting... 15.00 
Painting (complete). 150.00 
Labor, not Included above. 175.00 
Incidentals. 24.25 
Total Cost. $1,500.00 
Fig. 1.— FRONT ELEVATION OF COTTAGE, COSTING $1,500. 
heavy butts (loose joint), lock with night-latch, and bolts. 
All other doors have suitable butts and mortice locks, 
w’ith brass bolts and keys, knobs of white porcelain. 
Sash fastening to all windows. 
All outside work usually painted, has two coats of 
best paint, inside stained, filled, and hard oiled. All 
knots shellacked, nail holes and other defects stopped 
with putty before painting. Colors and stains as direct¬ 
ed. The estimate of material and labor are as follows: 
55 yards excavation, @ 25 cts. per yard.$ 18.75 
12,000 bricks in foundation and chimnies (complete), 
® $15 per M... 180.00 
82 feet blue stone (complete), at 30c. per foot. 9.60 
500 yards plastering (complete), ® 30c. per yard... 150.00 
2M wall strips, @ ISc. each. 32.50 
2,750 feet timber raised (complete), @ 80c. per M_ 82.50 
100 Joints, (g( 18c. each. 18.00 
What Can he Eaised in Central Dakota. 
B. G. NEWTON. 
First and foremost raise trees for protection, fuel, and 
timber. For the first two needs the Cottonwood and 
White Willow take the lead, on 
account of the ease with which 
they can be procured, their rapid 
growth and perfect adaptation 
to the climate. Among Ever¬ 
greens, the Scotch Fir will prove 
valuable for shelter belts. It 
can be raised from seed with, 
better success and less expense 
than most other Evergreen trees. 
Seedlings a foot high, set this 
spring, have made a fine growth. 
European Larch seed treated in 
the same manner, has either 
failed to germinate, or else the 
few that did, just peeped above 
the ground and died. The strong, 
and rapid - growing Russian 
Sunflower can be successfully 
grown. The first use is for pro¬ 
tection. Plant the seeds in rows 
through the garden, eight or ten 
inches apart in the row, with the 
rows ten to sixteen feet apart. 
The • plants will ward off the 
winds, and between them can 
be grown any vegetables of the 
tender varieties. They will also 
prove valuable between straw- 
beri-y beds. If the stalks are 
allowed to stand, they will hold 
the snow on the beds through 
the winter. The heads, gather¬ 
ed when ripe, yield one of the 
best kinds of food for the poul¬ 
try yard. The stalks furnish a 
far better fuel than hay or corn. All the grains, wheat, 
oats, barley, succeed here, and most of them can be grown 
in the highest perfection. Many persons come here with 
the idea that they can put in their seed in the most slovenly 
manner and secure good crops. They would be heartily 
ashamed of such farming where they came from, but 
here—we are sorry to say, they sometimes succeed. In 
the long run good farming always pays the best here as 
elsewhere. Flax on sod will yield quick and sure re¬ 
turns, and corn is a fine and profitable crop in Dakota. 
For root crops this region cannot be excelled. Pota¬ 
toes grow as large, sound and mealy as the most exacting 
could desire. Turnips and beets are large, sweet, and 
tender. Radishes are more crisp and tender than we 
ever raised at the East, and pumpkin, squash, and melon 
are six inches, turned. The roofs are of eighteen-inch 
pine shingles, laid five-and-a-half inches to the weather 
on shingling lath. The ridges are saddled with pine 
boards. Cottage gutters of tin are “laid-in” on the 
second course of shingles, and three-inch tin leaders 
convey all roof-water to the ground. The porch and 
stoop flooring are of one-and-a-quarter and four-and-a- 
half inch clear T. & G. pine. Inside floors one by seven 
inch T. &G. spruce, all thoroughly nailed to each bear¬ 
ing. The outside floors are laid in paint. The main 
11 locust posts, @ 30c. each. 3.80 
175 sheathing, ® 13c. each. 31.50 
145 lbs. papei', ® 4c. per Ib. 5.80 
220 clap boards, @ 18c. each. 39.60 
200 shingling lath, @ 6c. each. 12.00 
60 bunches shingles,® $1.50 per bunch. 90.TO 
40 narrow ceiling, @ 20c. each. 8.00 
Cornices (complete). 20.00 
1,330 feet flooring, @ 4c. per foot.i... 53.^ 
13 large windows (complete), @ $8 each. 104.00 
7 small windows (complete), at $4 each. 28.00 
18 doors (complete), at $7 each. 126.00 
2 mantles (complete), at $12 each. 24.00 
2 stairs (complete). 40.00 
vines act as if they disliked to see so much idle ground, 
and do their best to occupy it to good advantage. 
The success with all kinds of live stock attained in 
every part of the Territory, is sufficient guarantee of the 
ultimate triumph of this branch of farming. The plentiful 
supply of wild grasses, with their well-known fattening 
properties, the ability to grow the best of the tame 
grasses, and good water in abundance, all combine to 
prove that Dakota will soon excel in raising live stock. 
The winters compare favorably with those in New York. 
