The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-11-26

in the building of the pyramids and other monuments which have endured thousands of years, were not Quarried out of solid rock, but were made from
 some substance resembling our modern cement. formed in molds on the site of their final occupation. Their process may be another of the lost arts. and if
 so we are but repeating history, for
 we most certainly are entering upon an
 era when cement Is bound to constitute our dependence in permanent buildings of all sorts.
 The hold which cement as a building
 material has in the world today is as
 strong and lasting as the material itself. Timber Is becoming scarcer. and at the present rate of consumption the supply in the United States will not last
 longer than forty years A durable and satisfactory successor of wood may
 be found in Portland cement combined with sharp sand and gravel in the pro-
 portions of one part of cement to two of sand and four of gravel or stone for
 very strong and waterproof work, or
 one part of cement with two and half of sand and five of coarser material for
 ordinary work and one of cement to
 three of sand and six of stone or gravel
 where strength is of minor import ance. Mixed for ordinary work, bar
 rel, or 3s0 pounds, of cement @ 1-2 cubic feet), will make about twenty
 seven cubic feet of concrete. As the
 sand fills the spaces between the stones Cor graveD and the cement fills the spaces between the grains of sand, the total quantity of concrete will be but
 slightly in excess of the original quan-
 tity of gravel or broken stone.
 Portland cement costs $1.40 barrel at the mill. and other materials cost ac- cording to the hauling distance. At 80
 cents yard for sand or gravel the
 cost per cubic foot of concrete is
 around 6 cents, exclusive of labor. It is often found that concrete con-
 struction Is absolutely cheaper than
 lumber, and possessing the additional
 advantages of being 1reproof and per manent. It Is used for gutters in sta-
 bles. cellar and stable floors. drain tile. siios. sidewalks, fence posts, bridges. houses, barns, watering and feed troughs, ice houses and cisterns. There seems no limit to It's usefulness The simpIeness with which 1t is handled comments it to those unskilled in car pentry. Cement should be mixed with its bulky companions in a dry state and just enough water added to make it pack well. A mold for the form re- quired Is then filled and tamped down hard and allowed to set for twenty-four
 hours, when the mold may be removed;
 or if made with hinges, as are fence post molds and other small forms, 1t
 may be removed within a few minutes.
 Surfaces are generally finished ofr with
 smooth coating of pure cement. Buildings are made from separate blocks or constructed in a solid wall. One of the latest methods is to build this wall hollow, thus making frost-
 proof structure, warm in winter and
 cool in hot weather.
 Of the several kinds of cement Port land possesses the highest cementing
 power and an additional virtue of hard
 ening under water. All cement should
 be kept dry. When properly protected
 1t often improves with age. Crushed stone makes a somewhat stronger con- crete than graved: cinders are fre- quently used. The mortar may be colored to suit the fancy of the builder. and some very beautiful houses are now of this material.
 The Department of Agriculture has
 issued a Farmers Bulletin (No. 236)
 on Cement Mortar and Concrete" with
 special reference to it's preparation
 and use for farm purposes. This bulle-
 tin is for the asking, and gives in de- | tall many valuable hints and methods
 impossible in this space.
 Farmers should use nothing but a
 good grade vt cement.-Farmers Voice