AN ARTICLE FOR FARMERS

Horowhenua Chronicle, 5 March 1915, Page 4

AN ARTICLE FOR FARMERS

CONCRETE FOR THE MOVICE

STABLE FLOORS

(Continued.)

Stable floors should bo made as follows: .Put in a tiin. subbase of thoroughly tamped cinders, sand, gravel, or stones, well drained. Ma'ie a faix.' dry concrete of 1.3.6. "Crown" brand cement, sand and broken stones or coarse gravel. Place this ■ n the .tu! - base aiid tamp into a layer Si int ,1, 3* thick. Before the base has set hard put on a Jin. finishing coat mide i<l 1:3 "Crown" brand cemeit ami clean coarse sand. Smooth this off wiili t' - owel or wooden float. If the floor is larger than about 12ft. \ 12it . it should be made in sections, in orcrr to provide joints to compensa e ior expansion. To do this, div Hen ndu sections of about 4ft, square, by laying •iin x 2in. boards edge upon the s-L----baee. Now fill in every a-ternute section, as above, completing e.ich 1.0-iore iore going to the next. \ftcr these sections have set hard, tako out the wooden forms and fill in the remaining sections. Slightly bevel the swtions at th« edges. If tarred buil K ng papor is available, it is advisable vo p i a snip in every joint before poiinig ihe lust sflions. Keep v-ork clamp and protected from the sun f< ;■ a wijik, a»i do not walk on it uring this tr.r.e Keep animals and waggons off for two reeks at least.

'.■'o keep stock from flipping, the sirface may be roughened by scratching with a rake or sharp stick diagonally across the face both ways after the concrete has set for an hour or two. But a better plan is to take the straight edge (a piece to timber 6 inches x 1 inch) and press it slightly into the concrete diagonally across both ways before it sets hard. The surface should have sufficient slope to carry away water, either to drains or open gutters. FENCE POSTS. Fence posts should be about 6in. square at the bottom, 3Jin.'square at the top, and as long as needed. The ordinary length is 6*ft. To make a batch of fence posts, select a spot from which the finished work will not need to be moved for at least ten days. Make as many bottom boards, lOin. x li., or lOin x 2in by 7ft. long as there are to be posts made in ten days, ami place them on solid, oven supports. For each post cut two side boards of 2in timber each GJft. long, 6in. wide at one end and 3 J in. at the other. PI air these, straight edge down, upon the bottom board, keeping the wide ends Bin. apart, and the narrow ends 3Jiu. apart. Nail two pieces across tlio top to hold them in piaeo, and screw iMid bojirds on at each end. To hold the bottoms of the sides in place, nail battens lightly on bottom board along tlio outside of the side boards Provide for fastening wires to the post by boring |in. holes, from side to side, put a greased bar of Jin round iron or a greased wooden plug and leave until the concret has set for 6 or 8 hours, then pull out. The-fence wires may be strung through the holes, or a short piece of wire run through twisted about tile fence wire. After the forms and plugs are placed, put 1 inch of 1 :2 :-f: "Crown" brand cement, sand, and broken stone concrete, or 1.4 "Crown ,, cement and gravel cenerete. Tamp this and lay on it, running from end to end of the post, a piece of strong wire 1 inch from each side. Fill the form ' to within 1 inch of the top, tamp, lay two more wires, completely fill the form tamp, and smooth off with a trowel. Do not take the side boards off for at least ten hours, and do not move the bottom boards with or without the post For at least ten days. Do iot attempt to use the posts until they have beei) kept damp for a month after making. HOG TROUGHS. J Hog troughs are easily made as iollows: Make a bottomless Box 1 foot wide, 1 foot deep, and as long as required. From a 2 inch plank saw out two equilateral triangles luiving their bases 12 inches wide and a hight of S inches. Place these at a distance apart equal to -1 inches less than the inside length of the box, and nail a 1 inch board each side of Jhe triangle. Plane tiie edges of these two boards square with'the bottom of the triangle, and place this inverted V-shaped trough in the bottomless box after putting the later on a bed of solid tamped clay or sand or other solid floor. Now lay small triangular strips along the bottom edges inside tho form so as to make a square endge. Fill the spaces left with a 1:3 concrete of "Crown" cement, and sand or gravel, tamp thoroughly, and smooth off the top. After a week remove the forms and turn , tile trough right side up. COWSHED. In setting out a cowshed floor the i first cave is to make it rainproof. To do this, cut a trench 6 inches wide and 18 inches deep, and fill up with concrete in the proportion of 5 to 1 (5 barrows of shingle to 1 bag of cement) well wetted. A simple way to get your levels is to drive into the centre on the trench a peg 2ft. long down to the level of the floor. The trench of course runs along the outside walls of the buildings. Then follow the trench along, say Bft from first peg, and drive another peg, being sure that the straight edge (a piece of timber G inches by 1 inch) is long enough to overlap both pegs, and by placing it on the two pegs (edgeways on) taka a spirit level and see that the pegs are driven until level and so on with the other pegs required right along the trench.

i The floor will require a fall or slope of say 2 inches, and to get this drive a peg about 7ft, away from the trench n the direction you require the fall, and place a piece of wood 2 inches thick between the &>p of this peg and the straight edge, and still keeping the 2--inch piece of wood in its place, drive the peg until the spirit level shows the straight edge to be level. This will