To CLouan WILLeams-Er.ms, Esq., London.
Sir,—I have read your book on Cob and Fifa with the very greatest interest and prolit, and I offer you my thanks for having published a book which will fulfil, a long-felt want. As one who, during the last fourteen years, has made a special study of pise, I am in a position to value your work more than most men. I have built a number of pisb houses, some small' and others with as many as thirty rooms. It may be of interest to you to know how we build here. The work is built in boxes 36 in. high, connected with bolts with a loop on one end so that there is no difficulty in withdrawing them. The exterior walls are 18 in. and the interior 9 in. I always try to have foundations of concrete, or, if in the hill-country, of rough stones,. which, of course, are much nicer. If possible I usa stone ireplaces, but often have to be contented with brick. I have never tried the flue in pis6, but I should think that if a 9 in. drain- pipe was built In for the flue it would be all-right. Concrete lintels I find much superior to wooden ones. Window-frames • are set upon the outer face of the wall and fixed to plugs. The internal door frames are solid, without architraves. The roof overhangs up to 5 ft. and is tied down to the wall by hoop-iron, well built down into the pis6. I finish the work with " two to one " cement mortar from the wooden float for inside work and kalsoznine it. I have finished many in ordinary lime putty, but I much prefer the rough finish and think that it is much better for piss, especially as all the corners are rounded.
External walls are generally rough-tasted and very little lime is used in this, the mixture consisting mostly of coke, very finely broken, and cement and sand. In fact, ordinary rough-cast will do with a little lime mortar in it. The surfaces of the walls are studded with springhertds, and earth is chipped out to allow the plaster to key. One of our great objects is to have as little woodwork as possible showing, and so I do not often put any jamb linings to windows or doors.
Our soils vary from the red soil of the flat Riverina country to the hill gravel of the Upper Murray country. Out of any of these or the range of soils in between we can make a suitable soil if given sand or sonic lighter soil to mix with it. As a rule it is not necessary to blend. It sounds rather fascinating to build one's walls from the soil of the site and then to go and cut the timber off the pro- perty. This we can do and get splendid results until we come to the joinery. Unless we can get the Australian hardwoods kiln- dried we have to avoid using them as there is no stock of seasoned timher, in the country especially. We use Murray pine near the ground for floors on account of white ants.
As to the lasting property of pile, there is one building in this district which was put up sixty years ago ' • although there is no protection to the walls (as the eaves are flush), yet the work looks as if it had been only recently built and seems as if it would see out many generations. This was built of a loam with plenty of gravel in it, found on the bank of the Murray river.—I am, Sir, yours, ace., A. C. MACKNIGHT.
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