LAYING A CEMENT FLOOR

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1510, 7 February 1901, Page 54

LAYING A CEMENT FLOOR

Prepare the surface where the floor is. to be laid by filling up the low places wilj.a gravel, and after thoroughly wetting, tamp down solid. Give surface ,a gradual slant from manger to gutter of |in. It is very important that the tamping be well done, so there will be no place that will settle and cause the cement to crack. At the proper ...s----tance from the manger mark off t-iie place for the gutter, varying from 6ft Sin to 6ft Sin, owing to size and the breed of the cow. The gutter should be dug 3in wide and deeper than wanted. It should be level from end' to end when finished and Bin> deep and 18in wide at the bottom.

Construct a box about 4ft long and 8 x 18in, outside measure, to use in laying cement in the gutter. If yo-u use partition posts, measure back from the manger the proper distance and drive piece 1 in iron pipe ISin long into the ground, leaving it 6in above the surface. These are to set partition posts on after boring a hole in the lower end of post. Posts set in cement will decay. Construct three boxes with tight bottoms 4 x 4ftby using 12 ft- plank, and put in a partition every 4ft. Get a2* x 6in piece long enough to reach across the floor the short way, and a 4 x 2in strip of the same length. Into the first box pat as much gravel as can be conveniently mixed and add one part cement to nine parts gravel. Mix thoroughly and shovel over into box No. 2, and mix again, and then shovel into the last box, where it is to be sprinkled until it is damper than freshlydug earth. Lay down the 2k x 6in strip 2ft from the starting point, and put concrete well tamped even with ,the top edge.

Set a box in the gutter, having previously laid 2,}in of concrete in the bottom of trench, and fill in around with concrete to within o-ne-half inch of top. When the first strip of concrete is laid across the end of cow stalls you are ready for the finish coat. Place the t x 2in strip on top of the 2k x 6 and apply on top of concrete cement and sifted sand, free from dirt, in the proportion of one part cement to three parts sand. Use a. board for a straight edge and strike off the top. Leave the surface slightly rough, as cows will slip when surface is troweled off smooth. Take up 2\ x 6in piece and move forward 2ft- and slide the box in the gutter also. Step into the box and finish the bottom and sides of the butter. Round off the edges so they will not crumble when stepped on. After floor has been laid two or three days, it should be sprinkled twice a day for a week. At the far end in the picture you will notice a box swinging over the gutter. This is a home-made manure carrier constructed of wide poplar boards and swung on common barn door hangers and track. The manure is shoveled into the carrier as it is pushed along, and is hauled into a manure shed, where it is spread outlevel and tramped by the stock. When the track (110 ft) and carrier were put up, the total cost amoluted to £l. A carrier is much more satisfactory than a push cart or wheel-barrow. The cement floor shown also was laid as above, and has been entirely satisfactory. Keep plenty of straw on floor and there- is no danger of cows getting sore knees. When laying floors for horse-stalls, the cement should be about four inches thick.