This section is from the book "The Home Cyclopedia Of General Information", by Charles Morris. Also available from Amazon: Home Cyclopedia of Necessary Knowledge.
The name given to thin, narrow strips of wood, rarely longer than four feet, used for nailing to the uprights of partition walls, and to the rafters of ceilings. They are placed slightly apart to receive the plaster, which, by being pressed into the spaces, is held firmly when it dries. Laths are now mostly sawn by machinery from Baltic fir or Canadian deal.
 
Continue to: