The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-11-02
Agricultural Department
CONDUCTED BY FULTON 8. WHITE

the difference between failure and suc- cess of the crop. When heavy cornstalks are turned under in their original form they tend to cut off the upward move ment of water, while blowing under a stiff surface crust also tends to act in the same manner.
 We realize that it takes time to disk the surface before putting in the blow,
 nevertheless it is time well spent. Some of the best corn growers of the central west disk their entire area before blow ing furrow, because they claim that in addition to the advantages we have enum- erated there is also the additional advan- tage that the disking produces a mulch and thus conseryes the moisture until such time as the blowing Is done. We have no hesitation in advising the more general introduction of this practice. and we believe that 1t would materially increase the corn yield of the great central west If every corn grower would go after the stalk ground with the disk before blow ing it.
 CEMENT FLOOR IN STOCK BARN. 8. H. Thompson in Farmer and Stock man.
 In reply to your inquiry as to economy of cement for stables when compared with plank will say that I used the American Portland cement to lay about 4O00 square feet of stable floor year ago last Oc- tober. This cement was fin part manu- factured in Illinois and in part in Penn sylvania, and cost me in Iowa City 2.7O per barrel. I used fortyfour barrels at cost of SIS 80 This same floor made of pine or hemlock plank, including sleepers and spikes. would have cost me at least s225. You will see by the above statement that saving of $100 was made by using cement. There Is another factor to be considered, aside from the cost of ce- ment, and that is the facilities for get ting gravel or broken stone. If your cor respondent is situated that he can haul his gravel from the pit, his floor
 will not be much cheaper but far more satisfactory than it would be if made of plank. But should he be obliged to pur- chase the broken stone, his floor may cost as much, and perhaps more than the plank, but when completed 1t will be so much more durable that the difference In cost would hardly be worth mentioning or considering.
 To prepare for a cement floor. the first thing Is to have a foundation of clay made perfectly solid and SO fixed as to preclude all possibility of water soaking under. Then level from the lower side. or outlet of gutters, to the upper side of the stable. giving a fall of one inch to ten feet This will make the back or a tnlrty root stable three inches higher than the front and give sufficient fall
 to gutters to carry off all liquids Then draw a line for your gutters length wise of the stable and on next side to cattle; from this line level to back of manager (which will be the highest point in the stable), making fall in floor from manager to gutter of one and one half inches to ten feet. Next dig your gutter which should be twenty inches wide and
 two inches deep This completes the foundation and should be perfectly smooth with the falls In the ground as above stated and all well tamped In order to secure a firm foundation.
 You are now ready for the cement which should be four inches thick dn- cluding skim coaD, and should be laid in the following manner: First provide 2 by scantllng that are straight and sur faced on one side and edge, of sufficient length to reach across the stable parallel with the gutter. Then. take iron pins drag teeth is what I used) and firmly fasten said scantlng on the eldge with the smooth side up, three and one-half feet from the side of the barn This will form box for first section of floor Next draw line opposite your scantling four inches from the ground, which will Indi- cate thickness of grouting on back side Lay concrete in two layers, the first or Bottom layer to be composed of one part cement to seven parts of coarse grav.i