strengthen the foot of the tent, and it is well to do so. One edge of
what is called the "sod-cloth" is folded in with the raw edge, and
stitched at the same time. This cloth, which is six to eight inches
wide, runs entirely around the bottom of the tent, excepting the
door-flap, and prevents a current of air from sweeping under the tent,
and saves the bottom from rotting; the sod-cloth, however, will rot or
wear out instead, but you can replace it much more easily than you can
repair the bottom of the tent; consequently it is best to put one on.

One door is enough in an A-tent; but, if you prefer two, be sure that
one at least is nicely fitted and well provided with tapes or buttons,
or both: otherwise you will have a cheerless tent in windy and rainy
weather. The door-flap is usually made of a strip of cloth six to nine
inches wide, sewed to the selvage of the breadth that laps inside; the
top of it is sewed across the inside of the other breadth, and reaches
to the corner seam. Tent-makers usually determine the height of the door
by having the top of the flap reach from selvage to seam as just
described; the narrower the flap is, the higher the door will be. Some
make the door-flap considerably wider at the bottom than at the top, and
thus provide against the many annoyances that arise from one too narrow.

The loops (or "beckets" as they are called) that fasten to the tent-pins
are put in one at each side of the door and at every seam. Some makers
work an eyelet or put a grommet in the seam; but, in the army-tents
which are made of duck, there are two eyelets worked, one on each side
of the seam, and a six-thread manilla rope is run through and held in by
knotting the ends.

The door is tied together by two double rows of stout tapes[17] sewed on
at intervals of about eighteen inches; one inside the tent ties the