GardejjL^
VOL,. LXVII
INDIANAPOLIS, APRIL 6, 1912.
NO. 14
Using Concrete on the Farm
Concrete Rapidly  Replacing Other Building Material.
HOW TO MIX AND USE CONCRETE
ON THE FARM.
Concrete construction is the sign of
a modern farm. The superiority of
cement or concrete over practically
every other form of building material
has been proven by the results obtain-
ed by those who have made use of it
for many years. Progressive farmers
everywhere are using concrete for all
sorts of reconstruction and new buildings. From every standpoint—economy, durability, appearance, ease of
handling, fire proof qualities and sani-
tary conditions—concrete work is supreme. These points have been talk-
1 I of so much that there is little need
of impressing them upon the up-to-
date farmer. He is already acquainted with the merits of concrete and cement.
An Ideal Concrete Mixture.
The ideal concrete mixture when it
has hardened, should form a solid
mass or a sort of artificial stone. All
the space between the gravel or cinders, or whatever material is used for
the coarse part of the mixture, should
be completely filled with sand and all
tho voids between the sand particles
should be filled with cement. If this
ts done the mixture becomes as hard
as stone and will be water-proof.
There are several factors that enter
■nto the, manufacture of good concrete.
f,iten cement users have made costly
tnistakes by not knowing, before they
start working, what points to consider
0l* what methods to use in making the
Proper kind of concrete.
Points on Handling- Cement.
It does not pay to use an inferior
^rade of Portland cement in making
a lierete. When obtained from a rebate firm there is little danger of this
because they have to meet the re-
nuirements of a fixed standard which
has i)een made after years of experi-
mentlng. After water has been added
to the cement the concrete should be
"s*?d or placed in position within half
»n hour or so. If left where it is mixed
°neer than this time it becomes pasty
an<3 begins to settle. If disturbed
'u,'i' thin process has set in its strength
ill he lessened a great deal.      Before
16 cement is used it should be kept
|"  a  dry  place.      It  absorbs   moisture
r°>n the air readily and if kept in a
^amP place will become lumpy. In
'"■n* cases It becomes so moist that
T.e '"tips become hard and worthless.
.'"*' may be lumps in cement that
„* n"t worthless, however, and by
'i.'a'i 'y    ,,reaklnS them the cement    is
''dfgood.        This kind of    lumps   is
'"■"■'-•I  by pressure.
*"•<■ nurlng Hot or Cold Weather.
'" strength of cement is dlminish-
,.n y "xl""'ing the concrete to the dir-
t,arrays of 'he hot sun or by trying to
it s.en !t too rapidly.     In hot weather
0UW be shaded  for the flrst    few |
days after it has been placed. In cold
weather, care should be taken in mixing concrete. If possible this should
be done on days when the temperature
is above freezing. After the concrete
has set, freezing will not cause it great
injury, provided it is not subjected to
a heavy pressure before it thaws and
has become hardened perfectly.     Some
repeated tests that an exceedingly fine
sand requires seven times the amount
of cement required by coarser sand retained on a 20-mesh screen, without
increasing the strength of the concrete.
A mixture of coarse and fine sand is
best.
To determine the amount of loam,
clay or vegetable matter in sand, fill a
fruit jar about a fourth full of the sand
and then fill nearly full of water.
Shake well and then allow the sand
to settle. If much clay or foreign
matter   settles   on   top   of  the   sand   it
Farm Home of C. D. Smith, Dudley, 111., showing concrete fence which
he built. All fence posts used on his place are made of concrete and his
barn yard is paved with it.
users have used fresh manure over
newly made concrete to prevent it from
freezing, but it should always be remembered that this will cause the surface of the concrete to become soiled
and stained.
Selecting the Sand.
Sand constitutes from one-third to
one-half of a concrete mixture and
should therefore be selected with care.
It should be clean and coarse. The
freer the sand is from loam, clays or
any vegetable matter the better and
stronger will be the concrete, other
things being equal. Coarse sand does
not require as much cement as fine
sand.     The government  has  found   by
should not be used for concrete unless
it is washed.
Selecting Gravel.
The same precaution used in selecting the sand should be used in selecting the gravel. All soft stone slate,
shale, etc., should be avoided. Washed
river gravel is usually very good. Sometimes such gravel contains the proper
proportions of sand and gravel and may
be used without being screened. For
the best work it is safer to screen the
gravel and then mix the elements according to correct proportions.
In planning for a piece of concrete
work it must be remembered that the
total  quantity  of concrete will  be  very
Reinforced   Concrete   Bridge and  Retaining Wall
little more than the quantity of gravel or broken stone that is used. This
is because the sand and cement only
fills the spaces between the stones.
Proportions for Different Work.
The proper proportions for different
kinds of work we give as follows from
"Concrete,  Plain  and  Reinforced."
"For reinforced engine or machine
foundations subject to vibrations; for
reinforced floors, beams and columns
for heavy loading, tanks and other
water-tight work—proportions 1:2:4,
that is, 1 barrel (4 bags) packed Portland cement (as it comes from the
manufacturer) to 2 barrels (7.6 cubic
feet) loose sand, to 4 barrels (15.2 cubic  feet)   loose-gravel  or broken stone.
"For ordinary machine foundations,
thin foundation walls, building walls,
arches, ordinary floors, sidewalks and
sewers,—proportions   1:2%: 5.
"For heavy walls, retaining walls,
piers and abutments, which are to be
subjected to considerable strain—proportions are 1:3:6.
"For unimportant work in masses
where the concrete is subjected to
plain compressive strain, as in large
foundations supporting a stationary
load, or backing for stone masonary—
proportions are  1:4:8."
Mixing the Concrete.
Concrete should be mixed on a flat,
water-tight platform. The cement,
sand and gravel should all be measured as this is important. A convenient
method of doing this is to use as a
unit of measurement a box or barrel
with the bottom taken out. It may
be placed on the platform, filled with
sand or gravel, then lifted up and the
operation repeated as many times as
necessary. Care should be taken not
to mix up more than can be used in a
short time. The sooner the concrete
is used after it is mixed the better it
will be when it sets.
The sand should be measured and
spread over the platform first, then the
cement measured and spread over the
sand evenly. With a shovel the two
materials should be turned and mixed
thoroughly until of a uniform color.
When this is done it should be spread
out thinly over the platform and the
gravel measured and spread over it.
Some concrete users add water before
they mix in the gravel, others mix once
and then add water slowly as they continue mixing until as much water is
added and enough mixing has be.-n
done as  is  necessary.
Add WaU'r Slowly.
The amount of water that i.s used
depends on individual tastes. Some
use a very wet mixture, some a pasty
mixture. It is better to get the mixture a little too wet than to have an
insufficient amount of water. One precaution should be considered in adding
the water and that is not to add it with
force which will cause the cement to
wash away. This is often done when
a hose is used.
Tsing Forms.
In nearly all concrete work it is
necessary to have some kind of forms
in which to place the mixture to hold
it in shape until it becomes hard. Most
any kind of lumber will do for this
purpose; the main thing is to make
sure the forms are sufficiently strong
to hold  their place.     Green lumber is