A. SOOO HOUSE - ELI: VATION 
VOL. XXXVI. No. 1 ;*.I 
WHOLE No. 14 44 . i 
- _NEW YORK CITY. SEPT. 89 . 1877 . 
lorcd .,‘._-..r.lin. to Act of Conim..., I. tl.o y.-.r IM7. !»■ il... llui-.l I'oUM.lio, Comp.iiy. l. »,,, 0 m„, ,.f tB. Lllir.rl.n of CoMftom »t WMhin«Oii.) 
IP II ICE SIX CENTS 
$2.50 PER YEAR. 
'liiral 3lrr[)iftcturf, 
A COTTAGE COSTING *900. 
BY L. F. GBAETHER, CmL ENGINEER. 
The following outs illustrate a convenient and 
inexpensive cottage, having a good amount of 
internal accommodation and a picturesque out¬ 
side appearance. They exhibit a main building 
of two stories, 13 feet front, by 31 feet 8 inches 
in depth, with a one story wing, 18 feet 6 iuchoB 
by 13 feet. Tho first, story comprises a kitchen 
12 foot by 18 foot, a Hitting-room, 12 by 13 feet, 
an entrance hall, (5 by 12.) with staircase, and 
a bed-room 10 by 12 foot. Tho second story (see 
plan on next page.) has two largo bedrooms be¬ 
side hull and linen closet. 
A wide veranda (8 by 18) stretches across 
tho roar, and a smaller one ((! by 12,) gives 
protection to the front windows of tho kitchen. 
Ono and tho same roof answers for both kitchen 
and verandas. All these rooms are 12 foet high 
in tho cloar. The kitchen answers for both din¬ 
ing-room and kitchen. The second story, being 8 
feet high in tho cloar, alTords two largo sleeping- 
rooms and a hall with a large linen closet, pro¬ 
jecting on each side 6 inches beyond tho first story 
of the main building. All tho rooms aro lighted 
by largo windows aud aro in communication 
with each other by spacious doors. The main 
ontrance to tho hall is on the side, protoctod by 
a porch. 
Tho external appearance of tho building pre¬ 
sents a neat aud pleasing character, attained at 
a small cost. The houso is framed, covered 
with clap and vortical boarding filled in with 
bark plastering, aud rests upon a substantial 
platform, screened underneath by lattice work. 
Within, tho cottage is finished plainly but neatly: 
there are neat wooden mantels to tho fire-places, 
and the interior walls aro hard-finished. 
The pitch of tho roof is sufficient to permit 
shingles to be used. The chimney Bhafts aro of 
bricks. The houso is properly painted in differ¬ 
ent tints. Tho cost of the building is made up of 
the following items, viz: 
Csrpen tor-work.$581 oo 
Mason-work. US oO 
Painting.,. 00 
Sundries..... uo 
Total. $87» (W 
The whole is simple and inexpensive in 
character and has nothing sufiiciently distinct¬ 
ive to require special description or 
remark. 
A BIRD HOUSE-SEE PAGE 203. 
This little dwelling houso for birds, 
as represented by the diagram, has 
a very neat appearauoe and differs 
very favorably in this respect, from 
a great many of its kind, which wo 
have seen. It is no donbt a hand¬ 
some and useful ornament for any 
gentleman's residence, and is in every 
way vary appropriately arranged for 
its purpose. 
Composed of h!x little houses, A, A, p' 
whoso ground-plans are equilateral ^ 
triangles, it forms a regular liexa- ^ 
gonal trunk of an inverted pyramid, 
or in other words, it has the shape -'TO 
of a crown. Each little house is 
partitioned into live breeding-cages 
(aviaries,) making in all thirty dif- 
foreut apartments for the whole 
dwelling. The building is fastened _r'sP^cf 
to a hexagonal platform, C, 0, C, C, 
leaving a shelf, B, B, B, B, all ^ 
around for the birds to sit on. The 
ornamental work, with little chain jffpgppjgg 
and ring and weathercock on the 
top of the house, is designed for a 
roost; as likewise are the little chains and rings, 
which drop from the piojecting corners C, C, C, 
otc. The wholo is fastened to a strong pole from 
15 to 20 foot in bight., as soon on the diagram, 
and may be constructed of sheet iron, tin or 
wood. To make the comfortable appearance 
of this dwelling complete, vinos, such as 
hops, grapoH, etc., should bo planted to run 
up the pole. 
Jficll) Crop. 
FALL TREATMENT OF YOUNG CLOVER. 
BV WM. J. FOWLER. 
Soon after wheat harvest, every summer, most 
wheat fields present a sorry sight. Farmers, 
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Tho bnilding should be painted with faint 
colors, tho roof of it should lie colored brown- 
red, and the ornaments, knobs, rings, etc., may 
bo gilded. Just like a girl’s inexpensive dress 
neatly mado and tastefully trim mod, accessories 
of this kind round the homestead owo their at¬ 
tractiveness, and indeed their ornamental value, 
less to tho price paid for them than to the beauty 
of their design, and little tasteful touches here 
and thero that sot this off to advantage. 
35 Buyard St., N. Y. 
aud tho passer-by scarcely less so, are annoyed 
at seeing millions of annual woods springing up 
in the stubble and often choking out the valu¬ 
able clover and grasses. This is especially true 
on poor, thin, and dry land. If tho soil is rich 
and moist the grain will keep down the weeds 
till harvest and tho clover will do ho afterwards. 
I have seen many snob a field where only hero 
and thore an occasional rug weed would peer 
above tho douHe mat of clover, and yet I knew 
tho soil was full of the seeds of noxious weeds. 
It is wonderful how entirely clover will occupy 
the land when the conditions are just right, and 
it thus becomes one of the very best means for 
cleaning the ground. The weed-seeds start but 
are smothered down and the plants perish. Too 
often, however, the reverse is tho case. It is 
the weeds that grow vigorously and the clovor 
that is smothered. The great cause of difficulty 
in most, oases is too early and too heavy pasturing 
while tho olovor plant, is yet young. Cattle and 
especially horses and sheep, eat tho olovor as 
closely to the gronnd as possible, and what is 
even worse, their hoofs bruise and tear the olovor 
roots, inflicting severer damage than their crop¬ 
ping. As cattle won't touch tho weeds these are 
loft to grow unmolested and occupy the ontire 
ground. The law of natural selection does not 
in Ibis case result in the survival of tho fittest, 
unless we accept vigor and hardiness as tho only 
criterion of fitness. 
Wherever from any cause stubble fields become 
weedy, tho Moytho or mower should bo at once 
put in and the woods cut. down to tho ground. 
If they are large they should bo raked up and 
carried off so as not to smother the clover, which 
is peculiarly liable to injury from this cause. 
This is not necessary on atubblo fields that aro 
to be plowed for rail seeding, but even boro weeds 
should be cut down, if for any reason thero is 
danger that they will seed before being plowed 
under, rr in cutting the woods, some of tho 
highout olovor loaves are clipped it will bo no 
loss. It is quite possible to have clover got too 
largo and forward a growth the fall after seeding. 
Tho evil effect of pasturing is mainly in tramp¬ 
ing the roots aud especially while tho clover is 
very young or tho ground is wot. 
A year ago I saw a piece or young olovor which 
was a perfect mat on ijhe ground, and tho first 
of September it would out nearly or quite a ton 
pur acre. The owner thought it would help tho 
crop next year and so let it fall on the ground 
aud rot without pasturing. Now for the result. 
This clover not only blossomed but much of it 
perfected its seed. Going over the field last 
spring, I found clover seeds thickly scattered 
over tho gronud as they had fallen from tho 
clover heads. But I also saw that many of the 
clover plants were dead, and tho last summer, 
though what clover lived grew luxuriantly, tho 
crop was thin. Tho farmer believed that the 
heavy snows last winter had killed the clover by 
smothering it. This may be tho true theory; 
but I thought then and utill think that tho only 
clover that died was that which ripened its good 
tho year boforo. Glover is a bien¬ 
nial, growing one year and ripening 
its seed tho next. If we can pre¬ 
vent it from seeding, it may bo 
kept a third year or possibly longer. 
If wo can make it ripen Its Heed the 
first year it will die then, and be 
only an annual. If by early sowing 
wo make a garden radish or beet 
seed the first yoar, the plant will 
die, though these plants are proper- 
S fe ? ly biennial, the same as clover. 
Farmers aro learning to keep their 
stock from clover after harvest. 
This is well. All tho growth of 
loaf aud top wo Can got the first 
year is so much gain, provided tho 
sfflWlgJw plant does not blossom or seed. 
About the first of September turn 
U, in a few head of cattle, or pasturo 
lightly with calves or sheep. Cows 
nro beH ^ ®* oe Pt tor thou- heavy 
gOBs-® hoofs, for they will go ovor tho 
yj&Xr XL*,. bolds and eat tho olovor blossoms 
KOiysyPlfc as fast as those sweet morsels ap- 
MgaJ&gKft pear. Take care however not to 
pasturo too closely. Enough stock 
to eat tho clover blossoms will make 
tho plant grow all the more vigorously 
and bo an advantage in every way. 
