•420 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
has not only taken up all the tomatoes raised in 
this vicinity, but has a great many from New York 
to be canned here. It has also made a good market 
for all the pears in JEIookertown, where this fruit 
flourishes, and can be raised in any quantity. At 
present it is taking in apples, pippins, greenings, 
Baldwins, and the wind-falls of most good winter 
apples. These are put up in gallon cans for pie-ap¬ 
ples, and mostly shipped to European markets, 
where there is said to be great demand for this kind 
of canned goods. Another season a much wider 
range of products will be taken in, and I expect 
Jake Frink will be converted, and run a truck 
wagon. So you see, Mr. Editor, the report that 
Seth Twiggs’ funeral had been attended by Mr. 
Spooner, and Uncle Jotham had emigrated to the 
unknown country, and Hookertown in general was 
ailing, is not correct. We are all here, and things 
is lively. The good time has come. 
Bookertoum. Ct., I Yours to command, 
Oct. 1st. 1877. 
Timothy Bunker, Esq. 
Country Cottage, Costing $450 to $550. 
BY ?. B. REED, ARCHITECT, CORONA, LONQ ISLAND, N. Y. 
This plan is in response to many calls for very 
low-priced country houses, “ some as cheap as lum¬ 
ber and nails can make them.” The present one 
approximates that point, and will aid in devising 
others.Two Elevations are given for the 
same ground plan; the first (fig. 1) is for a one- 
story house of the simplest design, with an en¬ 
trance door, a neat porch, and two windows in 
front. The rear is arranged similarly. The roof 
is conspicuous, in keeping with its importance. No 
matter how cheaply one proposes to build a hot _se, 
Fig. 1.—ELEVATION OF ONE STORY 
it is essential not to slight the roof. A roof fit for 
a one-story cottage, would answer equally well on 
a three-story house, so that relatively the cost of 
this part becomes greater, as the other parts be¬ 
come reduced and cheapened. Ground 
Plan, (fig. 2).—The accommodations are quite 
sufficient for a small family, consisting of three 
rooms, two lobbies, a kitchen pantry, and a clothes 
press. The Lobbies protect the rooms from direct 
contact with the autside doors. The Living Room 
is large, and accessible alike from each entrance ; 
it has windows front and rear, and is convenient to 
the Pantry ; one entire side is unbroken, giving ad¬ 
ditional space for furniture, etc. The Pantry is 
shelved on two sides, and has a sash opening from 
the rear lobby, receiving light through the sash 
over the rear entrance door. The front Bedroom is 
of good size—large enough to be used as a sitting- 
room ; it adjoins the rear Bedroom, and a Clothes- 
press, and has a window facing the road. The rear 
Bedroom is the most retired, and has a window 
looking to the rear. The Press or Closet is shelved 
and hooked in the usual manner. The door between 
the bedrooms might be dispensed with, but its con¬ 
venience more than repays its cost. Con. 
struction.— 'The Foundations are of common 
stone and mortar, laid in trenches, so as not to be 
affected by frost, and show 11 foot above ground. 
The supports for the central partitions are stone 
piers, 4 feet apart. The 
Chimnies are of hard 
brick and mortar, pass¬ 
ing through the first 
6tory in two flues, but 
joined together beneath 
the roof, and finished 
above as a single chim¬ 
ney. All the timber of 
the exterior frame is of 
4x6 inches spruce. The 
sills are laid flat-ways 
on the foundation, and 
the upright frame-work 
stands upon them. The 
beams are of ljx8 inch 
spruce planks, they 
are notched 4 inches, 
to fit on the sill, and 
bear on the foundation, 
and are nailed to the 
studding and sills, bind¬ 
ing the whole together. 
The ceiling strips are 
of l£x5 inch spruce, 
resting on the ties, and 
nailed to the studding. 
The rafters are 2x4 
inch wall strips. All 
beams, studding, and rafters, are placed 16 inch¬ 
es apart from centers. The siding is of 10-inch 
dressed pine. The roof is covered with 18-inch pine 
shingles, laid on Hx2 inch shingling lath. The 
porch frame is of dressed 
and cornered timber, and 
is roofed with shingles on 
flooring laid face down. 
The flooring is 11x9 inch 
spruce “milled.” The 
interior is plainly cased : 
for doors and windows 
31 inches wide; base 6 
inches ; chair back in the 
living room 3 inches ; all 
beveled. All sashes and 
doors are 11 inch thick. 
The interior side walls and 
ceilings are white sand 
finished, on brown mortar 
and seasoned lath. Many 
efforts have been made to 
devise something cheap¬ 
er than plastering for 
the inside lining of walls, 
but no substitute has yet 
been found to equal it in 
cheapness or durability. 
Plastering as usually pre¬ 
pared and applied, con¬ 
duces to the healthfulness of any apartment, emits 
no odors of moldiness, has no attraction or harbor 
for vermin, is impervious to air, and a non-conduc- 
and ceilings, otherwise they will be noisy, 
made in any one part will reverberate through the 
house with drum-like suggestiveness. Most of 
such materials absorb moisture rapidly from the 
Fig. 3.—ELEVATION OF STORY AND A HALF HOUSE. 
atmosphere, and when at any distance from the 
house-fires, so as not to be warmed and dried, the 
moisture is retained in them. This is especially 
the case in chambers and closets. Rather than 
seek a substitute for plastering, it is better to ex¬ 
tend its use, and if practicable apply it as an out¬ 
side covering, as well as for inside linings. (I will 
describe such an application in another article.)_ 
Fig. 2.— GROUND PLAN OF HOUSE. 
tor of sound. Where linings of thin wood or paper 
are used, it is necessary to deafen the partitions 
Fig. 4.—SECOND FLOOR. 
The Second Elevation, (Fig. 3,) shows an 
enlargement of the first, by increasing the outlines 
of the roof, giving space for a Second Floor, 
(Fig. 4). Such space, though not immediately re¬ 
quired for bed-rooms, would be valuable for many 
purposes. The appearance of the building is im¬ 
proved by the enlargement, and the extra cost 
will not exceed one hundred dollars. 
Co6t of Cottage—No. 1: 
468 feet stone foundation, at 5 cents per foot. 23.40 
1000 bricks in chimneys, laid, at $12 per M. 12.00 
270 yards plastering, at 25 cents per yard. 67.50 
576 feet of timber, at $15 per M. 8.64 
2 sills, 4x6 in. 80 feet long. I 2 plates, 4x6 in. 32 feet long. 
2 sills, 4x6 in. 33 feet long. 4 posts, 4x6 in. 10 feet long. 
2 plates, 4x6 in. 20 feet long. | 2 gil ts, 4x6 in. 20 feet long. 
160 wall strips, at I3c. each. 2080 
56 rough plank, at 16c. each. 8.% 
70 flooring, at 20c. each, $14 ; 115 siding, at 25c., $28.75 42.75 
156 shingling lath, at 6c. each. 9.35 
27 bunches shingles, at $1.50 each. 40.50 
Cornice and porch materials.. 21.00 
4 windows, at $5 each, $20; 9 doors, at $3 each, $27. 47.00 
Closet finish and nails, $26.09: cartage, $12. . _ 38.09 
Carpenter's labor, not included above . 60.00 
Painting. 50.00 
Total.$450.00 
Extra cost of Cottage—No. 2 : 
3 windows, at $5 each, $15; 70 flooring, at 20c„ $14_ 2900 
25 siding. $6.25; 19 rough plank, $3.04. 9.29 
23 shingling lath, $1.38 : 4 bunches shingles, $6.00. 7.38 
25 wall strips, $3.25; 400 brick, $4.80. 8.05 
Timber, $5; stairs, $20; porch, $5. 30.00 
Carpenter's labor. 16.28 
$It0.00 
[Of course the architect had in view the cheapest 
possible house, but it will occur to almost every 
one, that to extend the porches, to form verandas 
at the front and rear the whole length, will greatly 
add to the comfort and convenience of the family, 
and not add very much to the cost.—E d.] 
