ARTIFICIAL STONE FLOORS and coverings for houses as made in some parts of Russia.

The floors and coverings of houses in some parts of South Russia are made in the following manner:—For a floor let the ground be made even, and some stones of any shape be put on, and with a heavy wooden rammer force or break the stones into the ground, continuing to beat the floor until it becomes quite even, and incapable of receiving any further impression. Then run lime, immediately after it has been slacked, through a fine sieve as expeditiously as possible, because exposure to the air weakens the lime. Mix two parts of coarse sand or washed gravel, for there must be no earth in it, with one part of lime powder, and wet them with bullock's blood; so little moist however, as merely to prevent the lime blowing away in powder—in short, the less moist the better: spread it on the floor, and without a moment's loss of time, let several men be ready with large beetles to beat the mixture, which will become more and more moist by the excessive beating requisite. Then put on it some of the dry sand and lime mixed, and beat it till like a stone. If required to be very fine, take for the next layer finely sifted lime, with about a tenth part of rye flour, and a little ox blood; beat it with a trowel. The next day again smooth it with a trowel, and so continue to do daily till it be entirely dry. When it is quite dry and hard, rub it over with fresh ox blood, taking off all which it will not imbibe. No wet will penetrate this composition, which, however, after some time is often painted with oil colours. The whole floor appears as a single stone, and nothing will affect it.—The drier it is used the better, provided that with much beating it becomes like a very stiff mortar, and evidently forms a compact body.

On flat tops of houses, the beetles or rammers' ends must be smaller, to prevent the rebounding of the boards and timber, which would crack the cement; but, when the thickness of a foot is laid on, it will beat more firmly. A thick coating of ox blood, flour and lime, being beat in large, strong wooden troughs, or mortar, till it can be spread with a trowel, may be used without beating it again on the floor or house-top: but it must be very stiff, and used most expeditiously. Even frost will not affect it. With this composition, artificial stone may be made, rammed very hard into strong wooden frames of the required shape, particularly to turn arches for buildings of rammed earth. It is well known that earth which is not too argillaceous, with only the moisture it has when fresh dug, on being rammed between frames of wood till the rammer will no longer impress it, makes eternal walls; but a mass as hard as stone may be made with a little lime added to sand, horse-dung, or ox blood. The more the lime is beaten, the moister it becomes, and it must contain so much moisture as to become by beating a solid mass, adhering in all its parts, and not remain crumbling, that will properly set as a mortar. If there be too little moisture at first, it will remain a powder; if there be too much it will become a soft mortar. Lime is of no use mixed with clay or vegetable earths, which, if well beaten, are stronger without it.

FROM A LATE ENGLISH PAPER.