Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1914-05-22

simple floor or platform six by ten
feet will. suffice. To measure the ma
terials, an empty barrel preferably a
cement barreD with both ends
knocked out will be most convenient.
First measure up sand enough for a
batch of convenient size, and spread
it on the floor or platform. Measure
up the cement, spread it over the
sand and, with hoe or shovel, mix
them until no streaks appear. This
mixture is then built I'D into low cir
cular pile with a crater-like basin in
the center. Into this "crater" pour
water and, by drawing in the dry
mixture from all sides with a hoe, mix
essary, until the hoe will leave the
mortar without the mortar clinging
to it, after which the mortar is
spread out on one end of the plat
form. Now measure up the broken
stone or coarse gravel, drench it with
water to wash off all particles of dust,
and dump it on the wet mixture Of
sand and cement. The final mixing is
usually done by shoveling the ma
terial back and forth until 1t Is thor
oughly mixed.
Filling the Ditch With Concrete.
Put in the first layer about six
inches deep, and thoroughly ram the
concrete until water appears on the
surface. A good hammer may be
made of piece of four by six lumber,
two feet long, with a hole bored in
the center of one end to receive a
four-foot round handle. When the
of the first layer should be perfectly
clean and rough, and if dry it should
be sprinkled with water.
Building Forms.
After the ditch is filled to the sur
face of the ground, drive two by four
stakes half an inch from the founda-
ton on the inside and two feet apart
all the way around. With straight
edge placed level-one end on top
of the center stake and the other
against the side of the form stake
mark on the form stake the height
that the wall should be, as previously
determined. Mark thus on every Sec
| ond stake.
After the space from the top board
to the ground has been boarded in,
drive stakes in a similar manner for
| the outside form half an inch from
the concrete. Drive these stakes so
that the scantling resting on the cen
| ter stake and the inside form, will
| just clear the tops. Board up these
stakes on the inside, making the top
of the outer form level with that Of
| the inner.
Filling the Form.
Four or five eyebolts half an inch
in diameter and from 20 to "a inches
long, with a hook or elbow on the
lower end, should be placed 9 inches
from the inside Of the foundation and
held in vertical position by boards
fastened across the top the form.
These bolts should extend s or 10
inches above the top of the wall. The
concrete will be filled in around them.
After the silo is completed the slaves
adjoining the eyebolts will be securely
fastened to them.
Concrete Floor.
| If the earth in the bottom of the
silo is firm and comparatively dry. no
provision need be made for drainage,
and concrete floor is unnecessary.
Still such floor makes the silo easier
to clean and make it impossible for
rats to burrow underneath the foun-
dation wall and gain access to the
silage. If, however, the earth in the
bottom of the silo is inclined to be
seepy, tile drain should be laid IN
it and concrete floor should be laid
above the tile.