""Dutch biscuits""--""The frame and brick houses were both insulated with ""Dutch Biscuits"" between the ceiling of the first floor and the second floor, preventing noise from the upper story from being annoying to those on the first. Also these biscuits were used in the attic to prevent heat transfer through the roof. A ""Dutch Biscuit"" was made by wrapping straw and mud around a piece of wood about four inches wide and one inch thick; the ends of this wood were installed in grooves prepared for them The effectiveness of this type insulation has been proven for the last hundred forty years, [as] the houses are very easy to heat and to air condition." (Blair, Don. The New Harmony Story. p. 25).