Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1865-10-12
COUNTRY LIFE /:
Five Acres More than Enough.

From the New York Citizen, we copy the
following, The second of series &C desulto-
ny chapters, each complete in itself, from the
pen of that rare humorist, Ralph Cockaigne
The present paper will be read with peculiar
interest by all who have been through the
vexations of building:
If there Is anything in which l do pride
myself more than another, 1t is my ability
to plan and lay out mousse. No matter how
remarkable the shape of the lot may be,
can always plan an admirable arrangement
and if architecture, not law, had been my
fate, the public would have been surprised
at my productions To be sure, chimneys
have an inconvenient habit of coming up
through windows; and windows of getting
themselves in the way of partitions, or locat-
ing in various odd and unsystematic places
sometimes the only passage from the
kitchen to the front door, will be through
every room on the first floor, and occasion
ally the stairs will be omitted but these are
matters for the practical builder to correct
the great point is to mark OIL the general
scheme scientifically. OF course, therefore,
the first thing to do towards building my in
tended house, was to prepare the plans A
large house--a huge pile Of bricks or wood
is an abomination and it costs 80 outrageous
ly f'te profit or loss was never out of my
MN but there seems to DO limit in re.
ductiOn of size that cannot be surpassed.
at once proceeded to lay out an admirable
plan for house twenty four feet square, a
neat, nice, comfortable, coy little cottage !;
and this is an economical size, because it re-
quires precisely two lengths of board There
was grand hall through the centre, and a
piazza round three sides; there were four
rooms on each floor, and it would have been
perfection hadnot the parlor and dining room
proved to be only about seven feet by twelve,
which, after some careful measurements, was
determined to be rather small.
However, the plan had SO many recon-
mendations that determined make an effort
with it. I'M my younger days had passed
much time in Connecticut, and had there seen
houses of the incest kind, attractive inside
and out, which were said to cost but FIVE.
hundred dollars apiece. A fri nd of mine
on Long Island had imported one, which came
20 him, cut out, sawed and marked and al
ready to put up. So, having determined tt
try something of the same nature, l learned
the name of the makers Mr.. Lum of Fail
Haven-and sent him my plan, requiring al
estimate. Instead of returning me an est
mate by which l could readily calculate fol
little increase of size, the stupid fellow re-
piled that he would come 10 New York anG
show me some plans of his own. l wrote 9
severe letter in reply, saying that wanted
an estimate. not plan. Since that l hay,
not heard from Mr.. Lum, and believe he il
still study ing out the beauties of my arrange
ments, and win one of these days come be
fore the world as great architect ON tn,
strength of my ability.
Not 10 be put down or deferred, however
l made other plans, some of which had tn
kitchen outside, some in the basement, ant
some on the first floor. In one there was
piazza on oil sides, in another there was N
piazza whatever; some hail the servants il
the garnet, others placed them in the cellar
/ was ready to erect an entirely new house
or convert on old barn that was near Ia
premises into two or three houses. Their
was nothing that my resources were no
equal 10, and the drawings would furnish
new stock in trade for young architect. NJ
friends gave me their advice. They respect
lively assured me that | could not live wit
my kitchen in wing, and could not ext.
with it anywhere else; that would be rob
bed if the servants ware in the attic, an
robbed and murdered if they Were on tn
ground floor; and that no house was wort
building, unless it was filled in with briel
and that brick filling was a mere waste
money; that il would be hot as an oven if
was not double-boarded, or if ii was double
boarded and not double-plastered; that ever
floor must be deafened, or the noise overhea
would be uncomfortable, and that deafenin
would be of no use whatever; that the ROT
must be made of gravel, or it would leal
and if made of gravel, it would break II
entire building down; that oiling was II
true mode of protecting the woodwork, an
that nothing whatever but paint would al
swer; that the natural wood was the mo-
beautiful trimming, and that only stained an
painted woodwork was decent; that ii
proper way was to paper the wall, and thu
no paper will stick on fresh walls. Thei