The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-12-27
GOOD STABLE FLOOR,

Concrete the Best, and in the Long Run,
the Cheapest Material.
10 make a good stable floor there
should be an excavation of a foot deep,
or If this does not reach a solid founda-
ton dig still deeper and fill the bottom
with broken stones Or coarse gravel,
and pound it down solid, until within
ten inches of the level at which the
floor is to be finished. In making this
fill you should use a level and establish
your grade exactly. When the founds~
ton is in and leveled up you are ready
for the first coat of concrete which
may be made of the common Louis-
vile here) cement. 1t may be made
OF course gravel with the sand screened
out, or of broken stones. I believe the
latter is the best but it should be
broken small, leaving no pieces larger
than two inches square. This is mixed
with cement at the rate of a barrel OF
cement to a perch. Mix it thoroughly
so that each separate stone or pebble
is coated with the cement and do
not make it SO wet as to run or
be sloppy. Spread this SO as to
come within two inches of the top
and ram it down until perfectly solid.
After it is Set a little, which will be
in day or so, you are ready for the
last coat. This must be made of sharp
sand and the best Portland cement.
mixed in the proportion of one part OF
~ Of -
material dry and it is well to screen it,
SO as to insure that it be thoroughly
mixed. Mix up with water into q
rather stiff but well-tempe red mortar,
q small quantity at Il time, one man
mixing while the other spreads. Lay
it down in strips about three feet wide,
or as wide as you can easily reach.
Make Il mark on the wall two inches
up or as high as you wish the floor to
come and then lay a strip of board of the
same thickness to work upon and use
straight edge as you work SO as to fill
everywhere to the same level Before
you move the board to begin a second
strip the one laid should be made per-
fectly smooth Then move the board
and lay another strip and proceed in
this way until you are done
can not give the exact cost of this
floor as my experience is limited in the
matter, but will estimate that it will
take two barrels of Louisville and
about one-and-a-half of Portland CO..
mont, and this ought to be bought for
about 81. 40 per barrel for the former,
and 49, 80 for the latter. This would
make the cost of the cement for a
square of 100 feet $500. l estimate
that man ought to put down about
square day. The sand, stone, and
gravel will cost more in some places
than others. have on my own farm
an abundance OF limestone, and excel
lent gravel near. Iwould advise any
one who wishes to try putting down
some OF this floor, to floor small sta.
BILE Or a single stall first, and then test
it before flooring an entire stable. The
barn l mentioned as having had this
kind OF floor in use for several years
is II by lo4 feet, and every part of it is
floored with concrete. Even the ma
nure bitches for the cattle are made of
it, and there is stabling for 125 cattle,
besides stalls for II horses. Do not be
persuaded to use any but the best Port
land cement for the finishing coat, as
have known a failure when this has
been done. This is used also for walks
and pavements, and quite an amount
OF it has been laid in my village in the
last few years. 1t would make asplen-
did feeding floor for hogs. No part Of
u barn fails as soon as Il stable floor
and to keep it in good repair if made of
Planks requires renewal every few
years. While the cost of the concrete
will be more at first than twice that OF
planks, in the long run it will be much
cheaper. OF course the reader will
understand that the stable must not
be used until it has become perfectly
solid. = Waldo r. Brown. IN Ohio Far
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