Gravel-wall, Or Concrete Buildings

No one will soriously consider the erection of gravtsl wall buildings for his own use, who is not situatod where sand, gravel, aud larger stones may be readily obtuiüod. Whero thesa are at haud, the subject is well vvorth the eoDsideration oí' every ono who is going to build. First, decide who will do I he work. Jf you must trust it ill, or chitifly tu a pruft;iooal stone-iuaaon, brick-layer, or builder pf aoy kind, take bis adviee and use stoiie, biick, or wood. If you can attund to it yourself, and, at least, su perintend tbe wholc, you will do wtll. Tho raaterials requisito are sfiarp sand {free íVom dirt,) uruvel (freo from dirt,) aud well burued lime. The presence of utones, eveu of the size ot' one's fist, among the gravel, is no disadvuntago, and, if uot present, they may be added. If, however, do slones of an intermedíate size betweeu suiall gravel aud largo flat stoues exist, as is eery often tbe case, tho stones may be broken up, or laid n the wall with the niortar. Such a wall, however, is a departure from the proper coucrete wall, though perliaps equally good, if well laid. It may be laid in " flasks," or " curbiug," like concrete. The lime Deed not be of such quality as is necessary for fine smoctb ínortar ; no matter how coarse it is, if it be ouly freshly burnt, and capablo of making a strong mortar. If it sets quickly, so much more rapidly the work may be pushed forward. Oyster sbell lime answers perfectly well. It ought to be thoroughly burned, and uuslaked. Do Dot buy and transport the slaked shell lime with one-fourth of its weight of water. When the ground is dry, and welldrained naturally, the foundation maj be of concrete, made by using one third good hydi-aulic cement with the lime. A wide course of flat stones is perhaps the best arrangement to baso a foundation wall upou. Iu case springs are cqoountercd, or the ground is of a wet nature, it is well to lay a tile drain outside the foundation. With proper care, even in such a soil, hydraulic concrete inay w.ell be used, but it is usually better to lay a good stoue fouüdatioii where the soil is very wet. There are several niethois of carrying up the walls, which are worthy of attention. The siinpleot consists iu placing a " curbing" of boards on each side and puttiüg in the concrete thus formed, where ít seto. With a little coatrivance, corners may be deterrained very accurately and well. ïhe difiiculty with this uiethod is the rcquisite to carry up a smooth, even wall, with square corners. Another rnethod, bighly reconimended by somo who have had experienoe in this matter, is to construct regular ■' fhsks," or moulds, inade, say 3 feet long, 14 inehes high, as wide as the wall is Ihick, and made to take apart. In these tho concrete is placed, and wheu it has set, the flaska are removed, and after a few days, thesa artificial stones beconie sufficiently firm to be handled, when they are iaid in the wa!l, in mor tar exactly liko hewn stones. Ooe advantage claimed for this method is, that the work may go on during etorms or rainy weather, as well as at any other time, for it is done under sfeeds. Other advantages are, that the walls are evener, and that they have more the appoarance of stone work - which is perhaps no recommendalion. The blocks may be formed rouDd a " core," or cores, and thus the benefits of a hollow wall seeured, posaessing the advantage of fluea ior ventilation, and chiinney flues, in any part oí the house. These however are easily provided a the common way of making the concrete wall, at the time it is Iaid'. Yet another method is to lay up stone or brick "piers," at the corners at least, i and perhaps at other points in the wall if it has a great leugth. Between the piers tho wall ia laid of concrete, the boards, or " curbing," beiag kept in place by the piers, so that the irregularities incident to careless work, when do piers are built, are avoided. The use of the blocks of concrete above deseribed, instead of stone or brick, tolay piers, has been recommended, and would, doubt less, be an excellent and very convenient way to secure perpendicular corners and regular walls, without the use of stone or brick. We are inclined to commend this idea, for, if properly carried out, it will enable one to finish the wall very roughly, while the corners and piers are smooth, the effect of which is very agreeable, and the fake look of stucco, blocked ofl to represent hewn stone, is avoided. No matter how simple or elabórate the structure, any false representatioa is a fault. Wood should be wood, and nothing else, and stone, stone. When we represent stone work by wood, the appearance may be good at a distance, but the near view reveáis the fraud. It is only the constant employment of the architectural frauda that leads us to tolérate them. In another article, we purüose to consider the best way to make the "curbing," how to keep it in place, and how to make an even, regular, substantial wall, - American Agriculturist.