Sentence:  Either the rubble-wall builder, be he bricklayer or mason, must acquire much of the skill of the plasterer, or the plasterer must learn to pack up brick or stone rubble into the form of a wall, and to give more effect to the mortar with which he plasters, than when he <WSD>pricks up</WSD> against a lathed partition or ceiling, or renders the face of a brick wall; 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To apply an undercoat of plaster in order to create a smooth surface for the final coat.