The Red Cloud chief., 1889-05-17
FlRsr.cLAss A Es.
coscrste Rlsors which Ouelast and Co,
Le10 Ihoa Rlo0h.

cssersss F1sers WAieA o.slase and cesl
Less Thsn Rlsak.
Ask any farmer what part Of hi.
premises gives most trouble and ex.
pense to keep in repair. and I think the
usual answer will be. The stable
floors" Recent inquiry gave me the
Information that these last only three
to Eve years. My new barn. built four
years ago. had selected seasoned lum-
Der for the stable floors. and while in
the constable the floor is still in fair
condition, l was obliged to put . new
layer of. boards in each stall Of the
~horse-stable last fall to enable me to
get through the winter. i have for
several years wanted to substitute con-
crete for plank. but could not learn
how to do it so as to be sure Of q good.
substantial job, and did not feel like
paying the price the men asked who
r regularly in the business. namely.
$50 for flooring a stable 15xS0 feet.
Visiting a friend last fall, he told me
he had kept close watch Of q barn
foored five years previous with cement,
and had determined to adopt it. He
found that in stalls where heavy, sharp
shod horses had stood for the five years
the floor did not show q sign of wear.
and he believed that if rightly made q
stable floor of concrete would last a life
time. This friend visited me last week
and told me he laid his floor in October
and put his horse on it a month later;
that it was q perfect success, and he in
tends. the coming autumn. to put floors
of this material into his constable and
his horse stable in his own barn, the
floor he laid being in . new horse
barn. The stable he no0red Is 15x44
feet, and to complete it he used eight
barrelso of common or Louisville cement
($1.5O per barely; and six barrels
Portland cement ($3.5 80 per barely. Or
$33 for purchased material for the
floor. The sand. gravel and broken
stone he had in abundance on his own
farm. As most Of the job was done at
odd times when the land was too wet
to work, he could not tell exactly what
it cost, but it required something over
q week for two hands. He first filed
his stable with good clay and leveled
it up to within eight inches of where
he wished the floor to be. (This clay
must be Thoroughly tamped. and the
best way is to put it in some weeks be-
forehand and let the horses tread it
down solid. II the ground is spouty.
or inclined to wetness. it is best to use
gravel instead Of clay.) Then
six inches Of concrete was put in.
made as follows: 2 barrels clean, sharp
gravel and three barrels stone, broken
SO that no piece was larger than an
egg. were mixed with l barrel Of
cement
This was shoveled over 80 as to get
it thoroughly mixed, and then wet just
enough to make the cement adhere to
the stone. 1t vas then spread down,
2 inches at q time, and thoroughly
with q rammer having q face
8 or 10 inches broad. In putting in
foundation use q level or straight
edge. and level up and establish the
exactly a. you want them when
done. For the finishing coat (or ''liquid
as it Is called) use three parts
sharp sand to 1 part Portland cement;
mix dry with shovel or hoe and then
to insure thorough mixing.
Have one man to mix while another
puts it down. and mix but little at q
Time. as it soon sets. Lay this finish
ing coat in strips q feet wide, SO you
IAN re ach across to finish it. Work
With your knee on . strip Of Pinch
plank and fill just even with the top Of
It. using a short straightedge across to
he last strip. As soon as a strip is laid
Town it must be smoothed of, as &C.
nent soon hardens so that a trowel will
nave no impression on it. It would
probably pay the average farmer. IN
,sed to handling q trowel. to employ a
nan Il put down the finishing coat. bVt
With an ordinary day laborer any
armer can put in the foundation and
the material all ready for the last
,oat. II the weather is very hot and
Try keep the stable closed 80 as to pre-
rent drying too rapidly. Do not put
he horses on it until it is solid, which
vill be perhaps a month. and when you
lrst use it bed heavily with sawdust or
,ther fine bedding not easily paved out
Il the stall. A little figuring shows
hat the coat of the cement is not far
rom what the lumber would cost to
|oor a stable. and in my locality. il l
hould buy oak lumber it would cost
more. as oak here Is $25
,er NJ, or over, and 1880 feet will be
to lay a Pinch floor, beside
be joist, in q stable the size OF that
rhich my friend floored with $SS worth
( cement. I believe the cement is
,uch better for horses feet. as it will
OF dry out the hoofs like plank. In
lying this floor you must set the
budding for the stall partitions before
utting in the foundation. SO that they
ill be held firmly. 1t would probably
Q wise to door q stall or two, or .
nall stable, and give it q trial before
Il no nor~11v holsovo No. i