436 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



MANURE PIT AND POULTRY HOUSE. 



Mr. Mermoiid has also constructed a manure pit and poultry- 

 house of concrete. The manure pit is 8x12 feet x 3 feet deep, inside 

 dimensions, with an addition 4x5 for out privy. The walls and floor 

 are 8 inches thick, composed of concrete, 1 part cement and 6 parts 

 natural creek gravel. A 114-inch gas pipe was put upright in the 

 walls at each corner, 18 inches into the concrete, and extending 3 

 feet above. The posts of the roof are set into these gas pipes, so that 

 it may be removed when loading wagons from the pit. 



The poultry house is of wood 14x40 feet with a concrete floor. 

 The floor consists of a few inches of field rock grouted with sand 

 to raise above the dampness, over which is 4 inches of concrete, com- 

 posed of 1 part cement to 7 parts creek gravel, and finished with 

 % inch of 1 to 3 sand mortar. 



WELL COVER AND WASH BOWL. 



The concrete work in and around my farm building has been 

 done by Mr. Wormington and myself. The foundation for the house 

 was excavated to a firm soil and filled first with a course of field rock, 

 well rammed, then a course of concrete composed of 1 part cement 

 to 6 parts natural gravel, until brought to the required height, the 

 last course being of concrete. 



The porch floors and walls were made in the same manner except 

 that small rock were used in the walk foundations. Both the porches 

 and walls were finished off with a mortar of equal parts of cement 

 and sand. 



AYe made a form 8x8x1 feet of 1 inch lumber for the well cover- 

 ing and fitted a smaller one inside of this, making the smaller form 

 the size of the desired pump opening. The concrete was put into 

 place between these forms. The concrete was 1 cement to 6 chats, 

 finished off with one inch thickness of 1 part cement to 2 parts sand. 



The wash bowl, or basin, had been in the moulds several days 

 before the well covering was made and was ready to set into the 

 green concrete of the well covering. The stem and bowl of the wash 

 basin were moulded separately from a mixture of 1 part cement to 

 2 parts chats. The mold for the stem was a stiff piece of tin 24 

 inches long, and so lapped that the opening was of the shape of the 

 frustrum of a cone, 6 inches in diameter at the larger end and 4 

 inches at the smaller. This mould was placed, with the big end 

 down, on a smooth surface and a i/o inch iron rod 26 inches long 

 placed upright in the center. The 2 inches extra length of rod ex- 

 tends up into the concrete of the bowl to stiffen the attachment. 



The bowl was moulded in an old iron kettle of about the desired 



