Atlas Portland Cement Company

“ To build up the decreasing productiveness of the fields the farmer soon learned that barnyard manure was the best thing at hand. The passing of the cattle ranch and the resulting higher price of meats made stock raising very profitable even to the small farmer, especially since feeding floors made it possible for him to return to the soil, in the form of manure, all the fertility which had been removed in the growing of grain. Leaving out the matter of foods, the strength of manure is dependent directly upon its manner of storage. ”

“ Concrete Posts
When a man buys a farm, he examines first the condition of its general improvements. If the fences are “all run down,” he must take into consideration the cost of repairing or replacing them—a matter of no small importance and expense in these days of high priced labor and lumber. The cheapest fence is not always the one lowest in first cost. Intelligent purchase of fencing materials means buying those which last longest with least repairs. ”

“ Good results cannot be obtained unless you use a good cement, nor will the work be at its best unless care is taken in the selection of clean sand and clean stone.
Among the uninitiated, there is an all too prevalent idea that anything is good enough for the making of concrete. Some will tell you that sawdust, shavings, mud, clay, etc., will do to complete the mixture, but the absurdity of this notion will very soon become evident to anyone who neglects the precautions which have been above pointed out. ”

“ Continual tracking through the mud not only makes more currying, but often produces that irritation on horses’ legs known as “scratches.” Suddenly frozen, such an earthen lot is so rough that it is impassable. Moreover, the old barnyard—with its surface worked up year after year—becomes a storage place, which carries over the disease germs from one season to another. The “droppings” are entirely lost, and, mixed with the earth, tend to make the lot muddier the following year. To keep up the fertility of the soil, all the manure produced on a farm should be saved and returned to the fields. ”

“ At first, uselessly making the walls as heavy as those of brick, the farmer gave concrete a trial in foundations. Concrete is stronger than brick. As a wall it kept the basement and back barn dry. The height of the foundation wall increased until it supported the joists of the hay loft. Finally, after a study of methods, of reinforcing, the entire barn—basement, walls, floors, mangers, troughs, gutters, beams and even the shingles—became concrete. Matches or lanterns accidentally dropped on concrete floors in concrete barns do not cause the terror of former times. ”

“ For years all evidence has been pointing to drinking water as a common source of most diseases and the principal means of spreading sickness. Every well, spring and cistern, open to surface water or walled and covered with materials through which surface water can seep, is liable to contain disease germs. Concrete walls and covers are water-tight: they afford perfect protection for both man and beast. ”

“ A much smaller load so placed as to cause stretching or bending toward one side of the same column may cause it to snap off, for concrete is strong, but brittle. On the other hand, steel is tough and elastic. In the form of rods or wire, steel withstands massive loads that tend to stretch it, and thus displays a kind of strength directly opposite to that of the plain concrete column. In modern construction these two valuable properties of concrete and steel are utilized by combining them in what is called reinforced concrete. ”

“ A silo is a tank for the preservation of fodder in its green state, for feeding stock at times when there is no natural pasture—that is in winter and in the hot, dry months of summer. By the use of silos fodder is canned very much as a housewife cans fruit or vegetables.
Concrete fulfils every requirement for a first-class silo, providing the added advantages of being absolutely fireproof and everlasting, possessed by silos built of no other material. For instruction in building silos, see Bulletin No. 21 of the Association of American Portland Cement Manufacturers, sent free on application. ”

“ The farmer of to-day plans for comfort and convenience. About the home, mud is the greatest of all nuisances. In the spring and winter, the driveways from the public road and the alleyways between buildings become so muddy that they are often impassable. As a result the grassy lawns and lots are driven over, cut to pieces, and the general appearance of the farm is ruined. Moreover, in bad weather the chores cannot be done unless the “hands” wear rubber boots. The women and children are unable to get out to gather the eggs and to see after the poultry. ”

“ Concrete Floors Increase Profits
A concrete barnyard makes a fine exercise lot in all kinds of weather and always affords a dry spot for the animal’s bed. Every shower washes the surface clean and flushes the droppings into the manure pits. Concrete yards lighten the work of the housewife, as there is no mud to be tracked on the walks and kitchen floor. The use of rubber boots is [Pg 48] unnecessary. On concrete floors not a particle of grain need be wasted. The way to the water trough is always dry, smooth and passable. ”

“ Rats have no hiding-place about concrete floors.
No other floor is as slick as a manure-soaked wooden floor. Concrete floors may be finished as rough or corrugated, as may be desired.
Concrete floors do not soak up water. The liquids run into the gutters and thence to the manure pits. The floor may be flushed with water and kept as clean and odorless as a kitchen floor.
All kinds of barn floors must be bedded down. Concrete floors are warmer and cleaner than any other kind, for they are always dry. Besides, heat and cold do not easily pass through concrete. ”

“ Build and cure the pavement and make provision for saving the manure the same as for concrete Feeding Floors. Do not be too particular about giving the surface a smooth finish—a rougher finish affords the animals a better footing. The cost per square foot is no more than that of feeding floors—the investment yields a greater profit.
Feeding Troughs, Racks and Mangers
With a progressive farmer, the health of his livestock is second in importance only to that of his family. Concrete is a great factor in promoting and preserving health. ”

“ The chimney was reinforced with a 1⁄2-inch rod running from top to bottom in each corner, 11⁄2 inches from the edge. The lower ends of these rods are firmly embedded in the concrete wall on which the chimney rests.
As this improvement was made by the farm hands, the cost of the floor was only 5 cents a square foot, while the wall and chimney cost $5.00.
Not only has that dread of fire which keeps many a man awake at night been overcome, but the whole feed cooker house can be kept in a most cleanly condition at all times.
Rats, the greatest pest known to the farmer, are driven away. ”

“ A wallow is as necessary for a hog as a bath-tub is for a human being. A clean bath benefits the health of a hog, especially if the wallow is filled with a dipping solution. This combination not only saves the lives of fat hogs on hot days, but also aids greatly in preventing cholera. See Dipping Tanks, page 76.
Locate the wallow in a convenient place near the water supply. A level, well drained spot, where the mud will not wash into it, is best. (The wallow shown in the photograph is in the hog house, and is a large dish in the concrete floor.) ”

“ Always begin placing the concrete on the low side of the floor, so that the rain from sudden showers will not run from the hard onto the newly placed concrete. Fill the trench and the slab section of the forms with concrete. Bring the surface to grade by drawing over it a straight edge with its ends on the opposite forms or with one end on the form and the other on the finished concrete. Four inches in from the edge, on each of the low sides, temporarily embed the rounded 4 by 6-inch gutter mold and tamp it down until its square top is even with the surface of the slab section of the floor. ”

“ The proper method for the disposal of house sewage is an important question on the farm. Cess-pools, simply pits dug in the ground, are great disease spreaders. The liquids from them seep through the ground, carry germs from the pool to the well, render “the best drinking-water in the country” unfit for use, and often cause the spread of disease. ”

“ The principal causes of scaling or crumbling surfaces are improper mixing, drying out before the cement has thoroughly hardened and the use of bad materials.
Cement needs water not only when mixed, but after being placed and tamped, and until it has entirely hardened. If concrete is not kept continually wet until hard, it is weakened, and the surface of such a walk scales or becomes soft and chalky. ”

“ A silo with a rough inside surface, catches the cornstalks, and prevents proper packing.
Concrete can be made so smooth that many firms building silos of other materials finish the inside with a coat of cement and sand.
The fodder lasts better if kept at an even temperature. Concrete does not conduct heat or cold. It keeps the heat in the fodder in winter, and keeps the heat out of the fodder in summer. Nature provides the fodder with the proper amount of heat to preserve it perfectly.
Rats nesting in the silage ruin it. ”

“ Poultry raising on many farms has become well-nigh impossible on account of rats. To free the farm of these destructive animals, as a last resort and in spite of the assertions that the grain would spoil, the thoroughly provoked farmer put concrete floors under his cribs and granaries. Corn matured enough not to spoil on other floors kept perfectly on concrete. ”

“ The Department of Agriculture is stamping out the Texas fever and sheep scab by insisting on the use of dipping tanks throughout all quarantined districts. A hog wallow with concrete sides and bottoms gives the hog the pleasure afforded by running streams and at the same time protects him from the cholera often carried down from animals affected further up stream.
The continual rotting off of wooden fence posts, the constantly increasing cost of new ones, and the annual expense of fence repairs, called for the introduction of some substitute. ”

“ All interior floors, such as floors of cellar, barns and stables require no contraction joints. They are made by laying a solid continuous sheet of concrete. All outside floors should have contraction joints forming slabs not over 6 feet square. These are provided the same as in sidewalks. A feeding floor is formed merely by sidewalk pavements set side by side. Instead of using a template for crowning the surface, use a straight edge, each end resting on the extreme outside forms to give a slope to the feeding floor. ”

“ Others are sinking “driven” wells and protecting them with concrete housings. The principle of deep wells for pure water, among other things, has made gasoline engines a necessity on the farm. These engines and hydraulic rams at springs, firmly set and housed in concrete, supply an abundance of water for the concrete reservoirs or elevated, reinforced pressure tanks. From these places of storage water is distributed to float-controlled, rot-proof watering tanks and troughs of the same material. ”

“ If a tank or retaining wall is to be built, the fact that the Forms are not in exact alignment will hardly be noticed.
In planning Forms for large structures, the oftener each section is used, the less the cost. You save money if they are rigid in alignment, and well surfaced. In other words, if you count on using your Forms over and over again, the more nearly perfect they are, the more often they can be used, and the cheaper they become. ”

“ Spread out the mixture of sand and gravel as much as the board will readily permit, add enough water to wet the gravel and sand thoroughly, spread the cement evenly in a thin layer over the sand and gravel, and turn over, as described previously, at least three times, adding the rest of the water necessary to get the required consistency while the materials are being turned. It requires some experience to work up a natural mixture of bank sand and gravel, and if at all doubtful about the concrete made from it, first screen the sand from the gravel, and then mix in the regular way. ”

“ Make as few pieces of lumber do the work as you can, and do not drive the Forms full of nails. If you do the Forms will be difficult to take apart without splitting.
Forms must be strong enough to hold the weight of the concrete without bulging out of shape. When they bulge, cracks open between the planks and the water in the concrete, with some cement and sand, will leak out. This weakens the concrete, and causes hollows in the surface which look badly after the Forms are removed. ”

“ The high price of all foods has made poultry raising profitable. But to have laying hens they must be carefully tended. Their houses must be clean, and free from draughts. Young chickens must be protected from rats, skunks and foxes.
Concrete houses fill every requirement of an ideal poultry house. To clean a house of concrete, spray it with oil and burn it out. Concrete [Pg 95] is fireproof. Rats cannot gnaw through a concrete floor or sidewalk. In a concrete house there are no cracks through which the snow can sift, or in which lice and bedbugs can hide. ”

“ Every five feet, make an expansion joint 1⁄8 of an inch wide by inserting a metal strip not less than 7 inches wide and 18 inches long, or by cutting a joint entirely through the concrete with a straight spade. Smooth the surface with a wooden float.
Repairs to Farm Buildings
Since wood always fails first at the ground, the use of concrete on the farm has developed from the ground up. After a farmer has had to replace several sills or blocks of wood, he begins to look about him for a new material which will not rot or will not have to be replaced. Concrete is his natural selection. ”