464 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



Now to come to the question of dampness, in a building, in a room 

 where the temperature, is low, there will be more or less moisture. 

 I spent two or three days with one of the best concrete engineers 

 that I know so as to be sure about my position, and this is what they 

 are doing. Now let that represent the concrete foundation. (Indica- 

 ting on blackboard.) Of course that may be of gravel or crushed 

 stone, or it may be of the little field stone. All my concrete work 

 has been built of little small stone about the size of my fist, and then 

 they are filled in with sand and cement. Where you can get them, 

 they are the cheapest; it is the cheapest way to build the foundation. 

 After that work is done, then they proceed to put on the top paper. 

 First, before that is put on, the surface is covered over with tar 

 paper. (I can show that better here.) We will just coat this over 

 with tar paint, and then we will cover that with a single sheet of 

 tar paper and then we will coat that over again, and so on until we 

 have got three thicknesses of tar paper thoroughly cemented on, 

 then go on and put on your finishing coat. The only thing that I 

 think it necessary to advise is, let that finishing coat be a little 

 thicker. 



A Member: Don't that scale off? 



MR. COOK: No; I think it is fairly safe to say that that may be 

 from an inch and a half to three inches. Take this portion of the 

 barn here where it is only used for a walk, and mangers, or a pas- 

 sage, it is not necessary to have it thick, but in this portion back 

 here, if you draw out your manure with a pair of horses, that is 

 probably the hardest strain that comes on the concrete. Of course, 

 where the union is formed it is not necessary to have it as thick 

 as that. Three inches above the paper will do. It ought to be at 

 least three inches thick where the strain is heavy. 



We want to finish it up with a straight edge, and while there are 

 different methods of giving this rough, sandpaper finish, one is to 

 sprinkle on some sand and cement after it has just set a little. 

 Another way is to take a broom and go over it, but it seems to me 

 that they are crude compared to going over it with a board trowel, 

 and that will work up that sandpaper finish which makes the floor 

 as safe for an animal to walk on as plank; the coarser the sand, the 

 better. It ought to be coarse, sharp, clean sand; the nearer it meets 

 these conditions the better will be the surface finish. 



A Member: Do you want that board rough or smooth? 



MR. COOK: I have always used a smooth board. It gets rough, of 

 course, in a few minutes. 



A Member: Does that exclude the moisture? 



MR. COOK: Yes, I understand it does; men tell me it does. 



After the experience I have had with concrete for six years, I 

 would not let a man come there and put in plank under any con- 

 sideration. 



A Member: I had to go and put down planks for my brood sows; 

 I lost some because I didn't do it sooner. 



