292 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[August, 
and fit degree of moisture, while the process of 
germination cannot be watched without disturbing 
the seed. When paper or cloth is used, the seeds 
are liable to be disturbed, or come in contact with 
each other, or surrounding materials, in such way 
as to do injury, and there is danger that the cover¬ 
ing will be allowed to get so moist as to exclude 
access of air, or so dry as to injure the germination. 
Nobbe’s apparatus has all the advantages of sim¬ 
plicity, cleanliness, and convenience, oilers abund¬ 
ant room for spreading out the seeds, so that they 
will not come in contact, while those that have ger¬ 
minated may be removed without disturbing the 
others, provides for the entire exclusion of light, 
plentiful access of air, maintenance of a proper 
temperature, uniform and fit degree of moisture, 
and allows the seeds to be examined at any mo¬ 
ment and the whole process of germination to be 
followed with the utmost convenience, and with no 
danger of injury, whatever. 
I have just been out to look at a corn field on 
which the proprietor is carrying out a series of ex¬ 
periments,on the plan sug¬ 
gested in some of these 
articles last spring. So far 
as we could judge, the 
plots to which nitrogen, 
phosphoric acid, and pot¬ 
ash were applied singly, 
are doing but little better 
than where no manure 
was added. On the one 
where nitrogen and phos¬ 
phoric acid were applied 
together, in the form of 
a high-grade nitrogenous 
(“ ammoniated ”) super¬ 
phosphate, the corn look¬ 
ed very little better. But 
where the nitrogen, phos¬ 
phoric acid, and potash 
were all used together 
as a “ complete ” fertilizer, the growth seems to be 
equal to that where a heavy dressing of stable ma¬ 
nure was applied. But the appearance now, and 
the baskets and scales at harvest time, may tell two 
different stories. 
A gentleman who has been making a somewhat 
similar experiment on grass land in Virginia, re¬ 
ports that phosphoric acid, in the forms of bone- 
black, superphosphate, and fine ground bone, has 
given most excellent results, while potash and ni¬ 
trogen in other fertilizers, seemed to be of but lit¬ 
tle use. I am very much obliged for these reports, 
and am looking forward with a good deal of interest 
to the full accounts from a large number of these 
field experiments when they are completed. Let 
me once more ask the gentlemen who are conduct¬ 
ing them, to make their reports full and accu¬ 
rate as possible. I shall be happy to send more 
blanks for the reports, if desired. I feel sure that 
when the accounts are collected and compared, we 
shall be able to derive some facts and conclusions 
from them which will be valuable. 
W. O. Atwater, 
Wesleyan University, Middletown , Conn. 
with openings in the center of each of its 4 sides, 
and is divided from the parlor by large folding 
doors. The Parlor is of good dimensions, has large 
windows opening to the floor, and leading to the 
piazza. The Piazza is 12 feet wide, affording shade 
and ample protection from storms, and may be 
used in pleasant weather to enlarge the capacity of 
the parlor. The Dining-room is entered from the 
main hall, and communicates through the pantry 
with the kitchen. The Kitchen has windows front 
and rear, giving a good circulation of air, and is 
furnished with a range, boiler, sink, and pump, 
connected with the necessary piping, with supply 
from the cistern. Private stairways lead to the 
second story, and to the cellar ; the necessary pan- 
tries are provided. The one-story Addition is di¬ 
vided into three parts, making a work-room or shed, 
inclosing the well; a servant’s bed-room, and a 
store-pantry_ Second Story, (fig. 3.)—This 
story contains a hall, 5 good-sized chambers, 7 clos¬ 
ets, and a bath-room. The Hall has 9 doors lead¬ 
ing to the several apartments, 2 stair landings, and 
a window, while it occupies but little space. The 
Bath-room has a bath-tub, seat-closet, and pipes for 
cold and hot water- Attic, (fig. 4.)—A Hall 
and 2 Chambers are finished in this story. The 
stairs leading to it are inclosed, and have a door at 
the foot. The hall is lighted by a dormer window 
in one end. At the opposite end a door leads to 
the space under the wing-roof, where the tank is 
placed, immediately above the bath-room_Can. 
struction.—The hight of the cellar is 65 feet, 
of the first story 101 feet, of the second story 8 ft., 
of the attic 7 feet. The Foundations are of brick¬ 
work, and show 2 feet above the final grades. The 
Chimnies are of brick-work, and have 6 open fire¬ 
places, with hearths to each, adapted to the use of 
either wood or coal fuel. The Plastering is “ hard- 
finish,” on 2 coats of brown mortar. Stucco cor¬ 
nices and centers, of simple design, are put in the 
first story of the main house. Marble Shelves with 
stucco truss-supports are put above each fire-place. 
A well and cistern are included in the estimate. 
The depth of the former is put at 30 feet, as the 
average. To avoid the danger of the caving in of 
the sides while digging, it is best to make the exca¬ 
vation 41 feet square, (not circular as is usually 
done.) Rough planks, 41 feet long, with their ends 
Fig. 1.— ELEVATION OF FRONT OF HOUSE. 
A House Costing $3,200. 
BY *. B. REED, ARCHITECT, CORONA, LONG ISLAND, N. Y. 
These plans were designed for a summer resi¬ 
dence near Toms River, N. J. They are especially 
adapted to situations where the more pleasant 
views are to the rear, making it desirable to have 
the principal rooms on that side of the house.... 
Exterior, (fig. 1.)—The Swiss-like style is due 
to its bold roofs, wide projections, and rustic de¬ 
tails of finish, there being no attempt at architec¬ 
tural display.... Eirst Story, (fig. 2.)—The 
Hall, which is unusually large, is entered from the 
front porch through double doors, contains the 
main stairs, and communicates with the library, 
parlor, dining-room, and a passage leading to the 
kitchen. A Closet is finished under the stairs open¬ 
ing from the passage. The Library is nearly square, 
Fig. 2.—PLAN OF FIRST FLOOR. 
notched half way across, are slid in to lock with 
each other closely against the banks, as the excava¬ 
tion proceeds, making this part of the work per¬ 
fectly safe in any kind of earth. The depth of the 
well should be sufficient to secure at least 4 feet of 
spring water. Of course it would be impracticable 
to lay the brick-work under water that depth, and 
therefore a circular curb 3 feet 3 inches in diameter, 
and 6 feet long (inside measure) must be made of 
ordinary boards, with an interior 4-inch timber rim 
at the bottom, and let down into the well as soon 
as water is reached. The rim forms the founda¬ 
tion of the brick-work. After laying a few courses 
around, say to the hight of one or two feet, their 
added weight will force them, (curb and all) down¬ 
wards under the water as fast as the depth is in¬ 
creased. The clear inside diameter, when finished, 
is 2 feet 10 inches ; the top courses of brick, to the 
depth of 3 feet, should be laid in cement mortar— 
all others laid “dry.” The Cistern is constructed 
entirely of brick and cement mortar, in the earth— 
7 feet across, and 8 feet deep in the clear. The 
Frame of the house is of 6 pruce timber, siding of 
clear pine, beveled clapboards, laid on sheathing 
felt. Roofing of cedar shingles, laid “three thick” 
on spruce lath. The Cornices have projections of 
2 inches for each foot of their hight from the 
ground, which is appropriate for buildings of this 
character, but is double that of the usual styles. 
These projections are ceiled underneath with 
tongued and grooved boards, and bracketed with 
chamfered timber trusses. Openings are made 
through the gable cornices to allow for the escape 
of heated air from under the roof. The Flooring is 
of 9-inch tongued and grooved spruce plank. All 
windows above the cellar have 11 -inch sash, and 
CHAMBER. 
K.XI4. 
mu,.. . 
lll 
CHAMBER 
Fig. 4.— PLAN OF ATTIC. 
outside blinds. Doors are paneled and moulded. 
The inside trimmings are quite plain, single mould¬ 
ed with bold members. The upper framework of 
the piazza is left exposed on the underside, and is 
neatly dressed and chamfered. The first story 
stairs are strongly constructed of pine, with newel, 
rail, and balusters, of black walnut. 
Estimate of materials and labor: 
93 yards excavation at 25 cents per yard. *23 25 
30 feet digging well, at $1 per foot. 30 00 
19,000 bricks, (cellar, foundation, chimnies, cistern, and 
well, furnished and laid, at $12 per M.228.00 
4 barrels cement, at $2.50 per barrel. in.00 
1200 yards plastering, at 28 cents per yard...336.00 
5974 feet of timber, at $16 per M . 95.60 
1 girt, 4x8 in. 32 feet long. 11 sill, 4x8 in. 313 feet long. 
8 posts, 4x7 in. 20 feet long. 1 plate, 4x6 in. 313 feet long. 
45 beams, 2x8 in. 12 feet long. 61 beams, 2x8 in. 20 feet long. 
30 beams, 2x8 in. 17 feet long. 20 beams, 2x8 in. 13 feet long. 
35 beams, 2x8 i.n. 11 feet long. 12 girts, 4x6 in. 30 feet long. 
700 wall strips, at 13 cents each.91.00 
500 clapboards, at 14 cents each. .70.00 
350 shingling lath, at 6c. $21; 9,650 shingles, at 2c. $193 214.00 
150 feet gutters, valleys, and leaders, at 10c. 15.00 
1500 feet dressed lumber in cornices, at 4c.60.00 
513 flooring, at 27c. $138.51; 30 windows, at $12, $300...498.51 
250 lbs. felt, at 5c., $12.50; 35 doors, at $10, $350.362.50 
5 marble shelves, $6, $30; stairs, $100.130.00 
Closet finished, $50; well curb. $12 . 62.00 
Range and plumbing, $'280; nails, $20 . 300.00 
Carling, average 1 mile, $40; painting, $230. 270.00 
Carpenter’s labor, $300; Incidentals, $104.14.104.14 
Total Cost, complete.$3,200.00 
