Bricks are cemented together with mortar, which is a mixture of lime and sand brought to a pasty consistence by the addition of water. When it is desired to make brickwork as strong and durable as possible, the mortar should be made of cement, or a little cement should be added to the lime. The following are the proportions :

Lime and sand, and cement and sand, lose about one-third their bulk when made into mortar, and lime and Portland cement both require one-third their bulk of water to mix. For a rod of brickwork (containing 306 cubic feet and needing 4,352 bricks), 71 cubic feet of mortar will be required, and to make this quantity are required 1½ cubic yards of unslaked lime and 3 of sand; or 1 cubic yard of stone lime and 3½ of sand; or 36 bushels of cement, and the same quantity of sharp sand. Lime or cement and sand, to make mortar, require as much water as is equal to one-third of their bulk, or about 5½ barrels for a rod of brickwork built with mortar.

The mortar used by the old builders was far more durable than the mortar used in the present day. It hardened into a mass which offered greater resistance to the weather than even the stone itself that it was used to cement together.

The cost of brickwork may be easily calculated from the above memoranda.