For city residences, and stores, the exteriors are composed of all sorts of building materials, with the exception of wood, from its insecurity in case of fire; brick, with marble, freestone, iron or terra cotta lintels and sills for openings, red brick and straw-colored bricks, brick on rusticated basements, and sometimes brick in alternate stripes with marbles; freestone in a great variety of shades, mostly of a reddish brown, often fawn and drab; marbles white and veined; native and foreign granite; and iron, the use of which in fronts is the invention of our age, and is destined to modify our style of architecture.

All materials are suited for country residences except iron; stone houses may be kept in their native color, but brick or wood should be painted. We extract from Downing the following on the color of country houses. "We think all buildings in the country should be of those soft quiet shades called neutral tints, such as fawn, drab, gray, brown, etc., and that all positive colors, such as white, yellow, red, blue and black should always be avoided; neutral tints harmonizing best with nature and, positive colors most discordant.

In the second place, we would adapt the shade of color as far as possible, to the expression, style or character of the house itself. A large mansion may receive a somewhat sober, dignified hue; a house of moderate size, a lighter and more pleasant tone; small cottages should always have a cheerful, lively tint, not much removed from white. Country houses thickly surrounded by trees, should always be of a lighter shade than those standing exposed. In proportion as a house is exposed to view, let its hue be darker; and where it is much concealed by foliage, a very light shade of color is to be preferred.

"A species of monotony is produced by using the same neutral tint for every part of the exterior of a country house. A certain sprightliness is bestowed on a building in neutral tint by painting the bolder projecting features of a different shade. The simplest practical rule that we can suggest for effecting this in the most satisfactory manner, is the following: if the tint selected for the body of the house be a light one, let the facings of the windows, cornices, etc., be painted several shades darker of the same color. The blinds may either be a still darker shade than the facings, or else the darkest green. If on the other hand, the tint chosen is a dark one, then let the window dressings, etc., be painted of a much lighter shade of the same color."

Thus far Mr. Downing. Most persons must be struck with the justness of his remarks in general, but all are not prepared entirely to ignore white as a color for country houses. We have always fancied in contemplating

an extensive landscape that jottings of white enlivened the scene, and prefer a whitewashed cottage, carrying an air of cleanliness, to the least admixture of neutral tint: neither seems it high art to harmonize always with nature, it often makes a very flat picture.

However we build, or whatever built of, let the building express the purpose, and let the material be suited to it. Let those which are intended for time be of lasting materials, but those that are temporary, be of that most convenient; let not one imitate the other.

Ventilation and Warming.-To the proper construction of all edifices some knowledge of the principles of ventilation and warming are necessary, as the arrangements for this purpose are to be made in planning the building. Air is deteriorated in apartments by the respiration and perspiration of people, and by combustion in heating and lighting. At least 3 cubic feet per minute of fresh air should be supplied for each person occupying the room, this quantity being deteriorated by respiration and perspiration. As to combustion, 1 pound of carbon or charcoal, in burning, consumes 2.6 pounds of oxygen, which is that contained in between 13 and 14 pounds of atmospheric air; and 1 pound of hydrogen, consumes 8 pounds of oxygen, which is that contained in about 40 pounds of atmospheric air. Now tallow, wax and oil contain upon the average from 77 to 80 per cent of carbon, and from 11 to 14 per cent. of hydrogen: the per centage of carbon in anthracite and bituminous coal is more various, but the same calculations may be used. 100 cubic feet of air weighs about 7 pounds, so from the above data the approximate consumption of oxygen by any given quantity of the above combustibles, is easily calculated. The combustion of coal gas generally spoils thrice its bulk of oxygen, or, fifteen times that of air.

The methods of warming most generally practised in this country are by hot air furnaces; in which coal is consumed, in furnaces inclosed within a brick chamber into which the fresh air is introduced from out of doors, heated, and conveyed usually by tin conductors to the various rooms of the building. In this case it will not of course be necessary to find how much air is required for the combustion of the fuel, as the air for this purpose is introduced from the cellar: it is only requisite to determine how much may be deteriorated by persons occupying the rooms, and how much by the lighting. Having determined this quantity, we make provision for introducing the amount through a cold air box to the hot air chamber of the furnace. The velocity of the current in this box, to determine the size of the box, we call 4 feet per second. This box is provided with a slide valve, to regulate the amount of air furnished; in extremely

cold weather the air may pass too rapidly through the chamber without becoming sufficiently heated. The size of the conductors is less in proportionate area than that of the air box, usually not more than half, depending somewhat on the vertical length of the conductor. The higher the conductor the stronger the current, and the less the necessary area. All hot air flues should be removed at least two inches from wood work. Having provided means for the introduction of air, it is necessary also to provide means of egress. In general the cracks of doors and windows provide some little outlet, but hardly adequate to the requirements of public rooms. There should be ventilating flues, somewhat larger than the hot air flues. It is the general practice to introduce the hot air into the room at or near the bottom, and there is considerable disagreement where the openings of the ventilators should be, whether at top and bottom, or top only or bottom only. In the English Houses of Parliament, the hot air is introduced at the floor, and the ventilating flues are in the ceiling; in our House of Representatives exactly the opposite course is to be pursued, the hot air is forced in by a fan into the top of the room, and taken out at the bottom; probably as long as sufficient air can be got into and foul air out of the room, it matters little whether it is introduced at top or bottom. It is evident that in common rooms, when the current is not influenced by the ventilating arrangement, the nitrogen of the vitiated air rises to the ceiling, whilst the carbonic acid falls to the bottom, and as the former is more in quantity, the uppermost stratum of air is the foulest; and in our view, if the foul air be drawn off at a height but little above the height of the persons in the room, it would seem sufficient for ventilation, and if the fresh air be introduced into one side of the room, and the foul air taken out at this height on the other, there would be a warm current of air circulating at the height most effectual for warming the occupants of the room.

All ventilating flues should be provided with valves or regulators; thus when it is not necessary to change the air, by retaining it the heat is retained, and if the cold air from the room can be supplied to the air chamber of the furnace so as to establish a current, the heat will be much economized. The previous remarks on ventilation belong more appropriately to the heating and ventilating of public edifices, and rooms occupied by numbers of people; in private houses, in general, there are but few, and the amount of air deteriorated but small, and if heated with open fire-places and grates, the cracks of the doors and windows supply plenty of air for ventilation; but the objection to this are the draughts of cold air. The most perfect way for heating private houses is by a small furnace or hall stove,

taking a supply of fresh air from outside and warming the halls, and open fires in the occupied rooms. In a sanitary point of view no arrangement of ventilation and warming can supply the place of a radiant fire; but in view of the inconvenience of numerous fires, the next best thing is heating by low steam, or by hot water pipes, a coil being placed in air chambers in the cellar, with a fresh air supply, and coils in all the necessary rooms. No room in a house should be without a flue, or movable fanlights over the door for ventilation, and if an air tube can be carried into a flue which is always heated, a current is secured. Steam is now used extensively to heat factories and workshops, and is decidedly the most cleanly. The general arrangement is in rows of or 1 inch pipe against the walls of the room; one foot in length of inch pipe being the length considered adequate to heat fifty cubic feet of space. If there are many windows in the room, as they are very cooling surfaces, and also very seldom tight, more length of pipe should be allowed. Steam is used at various pressures, but low or exhaust steam is preferable, as the pleasantest to the occupant, being in this respect like hot water. The desideratum. in all warming apparatus is to heat with a surface not exceeding the heat of boiling water. The objection to water lies in its expense, and the danger if not kept constantly at work in the winter of freezing. It is not therefore adapted to places which are to be heated intermitingly.

Ventilators. Although flues may be made for ventilation, still it is not always certain that there will be an ascending current; often chimneys draw but poorly. In public buildings an artificial draught is created by a fire or by a fan, as has been done in the English House of Parliament. The usual expedient in this country, is by some of the common cowls for smoky chimneys, but the best appears to be Emerson's Ventilator.

Much has been written on the subject of ventilation and warming, and many expedients, undoubtedly adequate in themselves, have failed, from the carelessness of servants and from want of attention. The grand requisite seems to be, something that will be sure, and will not get out of order. It is now but a half a century since gas was introduced for lighting; it has now been applied for cooking and warming, but not to a large extent economically; whether it may be brought into general use for this purpose is a problem yet to be solved; but steam, as now applied in most New England factories, from a central set of boilers, could easily be applied to the warming and ventilation of many houses, and for many culinary purposes, from one set of boilers; and with gas would supply all require

ments.

SPECIFICATIONS.

THE following blank Specifications for Mason's and Carpenter's work are intended as illustrations of the usual forms of such papers.

Specification for Mason work. To be performed in building, erecting

and finishing a Dwelling House; to be situated on

for

tects.

Agreeably to drawings made and prepared by

Archi

Date.

Size of Building.-...

Excavation.-Dig out and cart away all the ground (that may be necessary), for Basement,

Cellar, Areas, Drains, Cesspools, and footings for foundations, and cart away all the superfluous rubbish that may be made during the progress and at the completion of the building.

Materials and Workmanship.-All the several materials used in or about this Building, are to be of the very best quality, and all the work to be done in the best and most workmanlike and substantial manner, under the direction and to the satisfaction of the architects.

Base Courses.-All the base courses to be of the best .... stones, and to be .... wide to all the walls and piers throughout, and all to be .... thick, laid close and solid, and of parallel thickness.

Blue Stone Walls.-Build up all the stone walls agreeably to the drawings and figures thereon, with the best quality of .... stones (in cement), properly hammered square and straight, laid close and level, well bonded and flushed in.

The face of all the stone walls that are in sight, are to be neatly pointed.