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Vol. LXVI. No. 2972 . 
NliW YORK, JANUARY 12 , 1 U 07 . 
VV1CICK I.V, <fl.<M) 1MCK V If. A It 
CONCRETE BLOCKS FOR BUILDINGS . 
/I New Style of Block. 
A. S. C<. Department of Auriotilltire, page 012, says, 
"I do nol think tlifit* need lie any danger of such blocks 
falling even when made hy farmer," hmn experience 
of my own and friends, I am of the opinion that where 
a form is used and consider¬ 
able numbers are to he made 
it will pay to have an expert 
come on and spend a couple of 
days, showing some one the 
kind of Hand to use, the 
amount of cement according to 
the grade of both sand and 
cement needed, the proper con¬ 
sistency, and the amount of 
pressure required for best re¬ 
sults. I used one load of a 
fine, loamy sand for a stable 
floor in cold weather, and will 
have to replace it. I used 
clear gravel and it is as hard 
as .a rock. There arc a great 
many circumstanccn that re¬ 
quire consideration for the 
very best results. Almost any 
body Using almost any mate¬ 
rial with good cement, liberal 
ly used, will get a hard block, 
if allowed plenty of lime to 
dry. 'I his is to he the com 
ing material for all buildings, 
and is to day better and cheap¬ 
er than lumber. With the 
new patterns to imitate stone, 
rough or cut, plain face, frescos, 
and ornaments of all kinds, a 
beautiful residence can be 
made. lie says “There is 
one difficulty, however, that has 
been much encountered, that is 
due to the fat I that the cement 
blocks are porous and build 
digs are dan p bur dwelling 
house construction Ihi- means 
that some sort of a treatment 
has to be given the blocks in 
order to render them im¬ 
pervious to moisture,” I le 
speaks of waterproofing mix 
lure., but does in>1 know any¬ 
thing as to their value. In 
veil tors have known of ihi . 
fault for a long time, and have 
tried to counteract this tend 
eney with varying success. Up 
to the present time the only 
way to he sure was to set up 
studding inside and lath and 
plaster. This makes a great 
expense and is to be avoided 
if possible. I billow blocks 
were made, and were belter 
than solid, hut both frost 
and moisture came through 
where the solid ends came to 
get her, and lathing was still 
required to insure dryness. 
Recently a practical mason 
with the space between the ceiling and lloor of second 
story. Any cold, frost or dampness coming through 
the outer wall come, in contact with this air space and 
cannot pass across and through the inner wall. No 
lathing is required, and the inner surface of the wall 
is plastered direct. 'I here is an immense saving of lime 
and material hy this system, and a perfectly dry and 
Is MAKNS AND STOCK IN WIN IKK TIME, I'm. h. 
air from the space in the wall. This hot air would 
circulate between the joists and ceiling, making a wartn 
floor for the baby. As the inside walls would always 
he kept warm and dry one should have a very uniform 
temperature, and as the walls would not get cobI dltr 
ing the night, as they do in farmhouses with wood or 
coal slov".', the cost for fuel should be reduced one 
half. 'I here would he a ma 
to rial saving in the cost of 
the system of warming, for 
there would not he any pipes 
or radiators to be put in or 
paid for. 'There would be 
much better and more con¬ 
venient rooms, of greater 
beauty by the absence of the 
pipes. 
The future building should 
be one built for all time. The 
walls should be stable, lire, 
frost and damp proof, so that 
the interior decorations shall 
not he injured. A two piece 
block of the right shape ac 
complislic i this. I lie blocks, 
window sills, water tables and 
caps can be made in a cellar 
cheaply and be ready to lay 
in the Spring. With every¬ 
thing ready a building is rap 
idly laid up with the minimum 
of high priced labor. The two 
pieced block is lighter, and 
does not require a derrick to 
raise them to second story, as 
did the heavy solid ones. I 
would like to hear from build 
ers as to the practicability of 
the heating, as this has never 
yet been tried. 
C. K. CHAPMAN, 
u 
INVISIBLE DIRT . 1 
and contractor and a 
scientific man at Cornell got together and devised a 
new block, which not only does away with all expense 
of furring out lath, but disposes of the moisture ques 
lion, without any walei pointing. Ibis v loin of shape, 
is such that while the wall is bound and iulc.lanli.il, 
there is continuous air space an inch wide in the center 
of the wall from the bottom to top, ..unicaling 
AFTER THE SNOWSTORM IN NEW YORK. Km. t) 
warm bouse assured, I have suggested to the inventor 
the idea of warming the house by use of this air space, 
and wish Tint R. N.-Y. readers would give their 
opinion of tin plan I would ronneet the hot air pipe 
from the furn,ace into the wall in the Cellar. I he 
hot air would fill the spare and the whole house would 
he surrounded hy a column of hot air, Registers in 
the wall would open into each room, letting in warm 
W<* undertook In hoard a 
new farm hand last Summer. 
Ills diet was exclusively of 
milk, and as wr expect him to 
he our prop and stay in our 
declining years, we tried to 
give him the best that could 
he got, When milking time 
came we would get a glass jar 
a piece Of ehrrse cloth, and 
some absorbent cotton, I he 
jar and cheese cloth, after 
being washed, were boiled be¬ 
fore each milking. The cheese 
cloth was laid nvrr the mouth 
of the jar, some cotton placed 
on lop, then another piece of 
cheese rlolli placed on lop of 
the cotton, and the whole kept 
in place by a rubber band, ll 
seem, like a good deal of 
trouble to go through with 
twice a day all through the 
Summer, but any father nr 
mother who could see Imw that 
baby grows v/nuld say that the trouble is a . dust in the 
balance compared to the r<• •,u1 1 , obtained, I• 11 1 perhaps 
some one will say that all that trouble was not necessary; 
that if the milk had simply been milked into a clean 
bucket the results would have been the same, I do not 
think so. Wc had no ice last Summer, and during the 
sultry days of August milk would he sour at night that 
was milked in the morning. One morning, after taking 
