VERMONT AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 83 



CEMENT FLOORS FOR STABLES. 



By Ernest Hitchcock. 



The use of cement floors for stables has very greatly increased during 

 the past few years, but not so rapidly as the merits of this kind of a 

 floor would warrant. A somewhat exaggerated idea, held bv many, of 

 its cost has doubtless tended to restrict its use. It is impossible to give 

 any exact figures as to the necessary expense of constructing a cement 

 or concrete floor, because of the varying cost, or availability of the ma- 

 terials, but on the average I doubt if the expense on most Vermont 

 farms need exceed the cost of a plank floor. When the element of dura- 

 bility is also considered the real economy of this style of floor cannot be 

 questioned. Durability, economy, cleaninliness, warmth, lessened fire 

 risk and saving of all elements of fertility are the points of superiority 

 justly claimed by its advocates. 



The cost of the floor depends, of course, chiefly on the price of cement 

 and nearness of an available supply of good, sharp sand, clean gravel 

 (or crushed stone) and plenty of stone of varying size, the largest not to 

 exceed in diameter the depth from the desired surface of the finished 

 floor to the bottom of the excavation. A floor can be constructed with- 

 out these stone, but their use very greatly reduces the expense, and the 

 chief object of this article is to point out the possibility of constructing 

 these floors at comparatively small cost. The one point of the whole 

 business is to secure a perfectly solid, immovable and permanent 

 foundation. A coating of good concrete an inch in thickness on top of 

 such a foundation is ample for a cow stable. The way usually recom- 

 mended for making this foundation is by the use of concrete also, 

 economizing by making it a little poorer in cement than the top coating. 

 There is no objection to this method except the expense and labor in- 

 volved. From my own experience, extending over a sufficient number 

 of years to thoroughly test the method, I can recommend the use of a 

 method much cheaper and just as good. Let the earth beneath the 

 stable be excavated to a depth of at least eight inches below the point 

 where the surface of the floor is desired to come. If the surface of the 

 ground is already below this point larger stone than hereafter indicated 

 can be used, or earth can be used as a filler. Then make a foundation in 

 about the same manner as directions are given for a Telford road. That 

 is, haul cobblestone whose longest diameter is a little less than the 

 eight inches — if the longest diameter of some is no more than six 

 inches, all right — and lay them carefully and closely with the longest 

 diameter perpendicular. Wedge these stone in as tightly as possible. 

 Then with a heavy maul settle them firmly in place. The tops of these 



