Identifier: ourcountrywest00bost (find matches)
Title: Our country: West
Year: 1897 (1890s)
Authors:
Subjects: United States -- Description and travel West (U.S.) -- Description and travel Alaska -- Description and travel
Publisher: Boston, Mass., P. Mason
Contributing Library: New York Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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andthawing, it might be ; but there are adobe houses in NewMexico and Arizona centuries old, and as good as when firstbuilt. Some adobe houses have walls eight feet thick. Thesewere built not only for sure protection against heat and cold,but also as defences against Indians and other enemies. The adobe house is the outcome of ages of experiencein a climate of peculiar conditions. The Americans haveintroduced some architectural improvements, but they havetaught the Mexicans little of real value in their climate. Even the wealthy Mexican of to-day, educated, it may be,in Washington or St. Louis, builds preferably an adobe house.If one is built on a stone foundation, with hooded windows,far-projecting roof, with balconies or portals, there is no morecomfortable, weather-proof, picturesque dwelling. For asmall expenditure, a house can be built in that delightfulclimate in which not an hour of discomfort from heat or coldneed be spent in all the year. Sarah Winter Kellogg. ON THE PLAINS.
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The Prairie Schooner. The hull or foundation of the prairie schooner is a doublebox about twelve and one-half feet long. This box is usuallythree and a half feet wide, though many pioneers extend theupper box a foot on each side and support it by iron braces.A wagon sheet stretched over four or five good elm bowscovers the box, which does not, however, comprise the wholecarrying capacity of the schooner. Secured behind the box will be seen a large packing-case,with front, rear or sides of slats or woven wire. This coop isthe home for the long journey of perhaps a dozen hens, thenucleus for a flock at the new home. Biddy is worth, even during the journey, a good deal morethan the small trouble of carrying her. She supplies thefamily with fresh eggs every day, for the fatigues of thevoyage do not turn her from the regularity of her habits, norseem to upset her nervous system. The door of the coop is opened when the schooner stopsfor the evening camp ; out fly. the hens, and then how the

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