THE CULTIVATOR. 
145 
rather less (in the average) in cubic contents, than black 
walnuts, 5 parts of clean sharp sand, and 3 parts of the 
best hydraulic lime. If the cement is not of the best 
quality, the fragments should be reduced to 8 parts; oys¬ 
ter shells, when convenient, may be advantageously sub¬ 
stituted for brick-bats. 
The cement and sand are first thoroughly mixed, care 
being taken that no more water is used than is just suffi¬ 
cient to produce a slight cohesion; the great mistake is 
often made of employing too much water. After (he 
mixture has been well worked, the fragments are aiided, 
with a little more water if thought necessary, and tho¬ 
roughly incorporated with the other ingredients. When 
fit for use, the mass must present a perfectly homogeneous 
appearance. This condition of things is essential to suc¬ 
cess. It is then to be immediately removed before it has 
time to set , to the place which it is to occupy, to be de¬ 
posited in a layer sufficiently thick for the purpose de¬ 
signed, and hard rammed with quick short strokes, until 
it is quite solid, and gives no more under the rammer. 
This operation will bring a good deal of water to the 
surface, from what had seemed to be a mass of materials 
but slightly moistened. After the whole floor has been 
formed in this manner, and before it has time to dry, it is 
sluiced with watex*, covered with clean straw, to retard 
evaporation, and at least twice a day for 12 or 14 suc¬ 
cessive days, deluged with water. At the end of this 
period, the straw is removed, and the floor is permitted 
to dry, when, if the cement has been of good quality, and 
all the operations have been properly performed, it will 
be found to be as hard and as firm as a solid rock, which no 
moisture can effect, no vermin penetrate, and that will 
wear as well as the best mica-slate pavement. To give 
it a smooth surface, it will be expedient to plaster it with 
a thin coating of coal-gas-tar sprinkled with sand. When 
this is quite hard and dry, the house may be occupied. 
I have recently employed cement manufactured in the 
manner just described, for the floor of a meat house much 
infested with rats, with complete success. 
A barrel of cement costs in Baltimore, $2,25, and is 
sufficient with the other materials, to make about 168 
square feet of floor, 2 inches thick.* It would, however, 
I think, be better to form the floor 3 inches thick, which 
would make the barrel equivalent to about 112 square 
feet. 
There is but one entrance to the house, which leads 
into a room 16 feet square in which is placed a large 
cooking stove. This apartment serves as a kitchen, and 
communicates with a back room of the same dimensions, 
in which is fitted a Franklin stove for the purpose of af¬ 
fording an open and cheerful fire. This may be called 
the living room, to which the people generally retire on 
coming in from labor, and to dry themselves in wet 
weather; but when not at work, they usually occupy 
both rooms indifferently. They have each two windows 
of 6 by 10 glass. 
On the ground floor are eight dormitories, opening in¬ 
to the large rooms, each 8 feet square. They are light¬ 
ed by windows of 4 panes of glass, so arranged that they 
may be opened by moving the sashes aside 
An easy flight of stairs leads from the back room to the 
second floor.—under the stairs is a back closet for the 
convenience of the cook. The landing place on the se¬ 
cond floor is in an open space 18 by 12 feet. Into this 
space, the rooms of this story open. Thay are appro¬ 
priated to married people and children. The four small¬ 
er rooms are 8 by 10 feet—the two marked E' are 16 by 
10 respectively, and the one marked E" is 15 by 12. The 
whole of this portion of the building is kept warm and 
comfortable in the coldest weather, by a large sheet iron 
drum, heated from the cooking stove. From the drum, 
a pipe is carried to the chimney through (he room E". 
In each partition, separating the dormitories, on both 
floors, a lattice is fitted, ranging with the gable windows, 
and over each door is left a space 6 inches square for 
the purpose of ensuring a nearly uniform and agreeable 
degree of warmth throughout the building, in wet and 
cold weather, and a free circulation of pure and dry air 
t Coals, lime, &o., are usually sold by imperial heaped measure, 
which makes the bushel equal to 2,815 1-2 cubic inches nearly, and 
t think the barrel contains about 3 bushels, or 4 8-9 cubic feet nearly. 
whenever the state of the atmosphere will permit the 
windows to be open. The vacant space in the 2d story 
is occupied by the children as a play room and for dry¬ 
ing clothes in wet weather, and in summer, some of the 
boys prefer to sleep in it. As soon as the hot season sets 
in, the cooking stove is removed to a detached building, 
and is not brought back to its place till the return of cold 
weather. In the mean while, when necessary, a fire is 
burnt in the Franklin stove. 
It will be obvious to the most superficial observer, that 
in planning this house, the leading objects have been 
comfort, economy, and the saving of fuel, in the accom¬ 
modation of a considerable number of persons, rather 
than the study of architectural effect; and yet, as the per¬ 
spective drawing shows, the tout ensemble is quite agree¬ 
able to the eye. This is owing to the good proportions 
of the building, the flat and projecting roof, and a slight 
degree of simple ornament. It still wants what may be 
cheaply supplied, a rustic porch at the entrance. This 
might be formed by entwining the boughs of cedar trees, 
inserted in the ground for the pillars, and covering them 
with creeping vines. These quarters afford more room 
for their occupants, in proportion to numbers, than the 
best permanent barracks usually extend to the soldiers 
of an army; while on the score of privacy, warmth, ven¬ 
tilation and general comforts, they are also superior. 
Two objections may, with some propriety, be urged 
to these arrangements for the accommodation of labor¬ 
ers: 1st, the risk of fire—2d, the greater danger from 
contagious and infectious diseases. To the first, it may 
be answered, that there are but two fires in a house, and 
both of them on an incombustible floor. And to the se¬ 
cond, that from the dryness and cleanly nature of the 
floors, and the careful ventilation which may be alw T ays 
attained with little trouble, there will be less liability to 
contract sickness, especially typhus fever, than if they 
occupied (as they too often do) small and badly construct¬ 
ed houses; and that if a contagious disease should break 
out on a plantation, it would be as likely to spread among 
the people, from the fact of their working so much to¬ 
gether, in the one case as in the other. 
The cost of these buildings w r as about $700 each, and I 
am satisfied that similar structures might be erected in 
any part of the State of Maryland and Virginia far that. 
Very respectfully, your ob’t serv’t, 
Geo. W. Hughes. 
GROWING LETTUCE EARLY. 
Mr. Tucker —Those who are fond of lettuce, usually 
desire to have it as early in the spring as possible, and 
before other products of the garden are ready for the ta¬ 
ble. An obvious means of procuring the article early, is 
the hot bed; but that is not convenient for every one; 
though materials for constructing the hot bed should be 
at command, the attention and watching which it requires 
may not in all cases be readily spared. This considera¬ 
tion led me, some years ago, to make it a subject of spe¬ 
cial inquiry, whether it was not possible to have early 
lettuce without the hot bed. 
Lettuce, it was noticed, will bear uninjured, a hard 
frost; under some circumstances, that w r hich comes up in 
the fall, will live over winter; in which case it will grow 
to a proper size for eating much sooner than the spring 
sown plants. It seemed natural therefore to conclude 
that we had only to protect it from very severe and long- 
continued frost, in older to preserve it alive till spring. 
With this view, I tried covering it with straw, corn¬ 
stalks, stable litter, leaves, boards, mats, but invariably 
without success; it would all perish. This result was 
unexpected. What killed the lettuce thus protected ? It 
could not be frost, for care was taken in each case to co¬ 
ver the lettuce so that it should not be exposed to greater 
cold than it endures without the least injury. Perhaps it 
was smothered: that is, deprived of a sufficient supply of 
air. But I had taken care, in one instance, to cover it 
with a box large enough to enclose an ample store of 
air. Yet here the lettuce died. While reflecting upon 
this subject, it occurred to me that the death of the let¬ 
tuce might be owing to its seclusion from the light; 
which we know to be essential to the healthy growth of 
