Cement for the Farm. 



451 



Foundations should become well seasoned and set before the 

 weight of a wall or superstructure is placed upon them. The walls 

 also should be well seasoned before the weight of roof or other parts 

 of the superstructure is put on them. 



If the joints between concrete blocks in a building are not point- 

 ed up, the rain falling on the outside may enter at the joints. Wash 



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Figure 41. Circular concrete water tank. 



down the monolith walls with waterproofing. Place a waterproof- 

 ing substance — tar felt or paper — on the foundation to prevent the 

 moisture from penetrating upward into the walls from the ground 

 or basement walls. 



Concrete will not give satisfaction if poorly made. It is not 

 ''fool-proof," and while expertness is not altogether necessary in the 

 ordinary farm uses, it still requires judgment and some knowledge 

 of workmanship. Care and vigilance are necessary in order to 

 obtain good results. Cheap labor may mean an expensive structure. 

 Unless you know cement, get some one who does until you learn it. 



Mixing platforms should be water-tight. It is well to cover 

 the working side with galvanized iron or sheet metal of some kind. 

 Some prefer to have the ends of a platform sloping upwards and side- 

 boards 6 inches or 1 foot high, with rounded corners, thus making 

 a box of it somewhat after the shape of a flat-boat. Six feet wide 

 and 8 feet long, or 8 feet square, is a convenient size for small batches 

 for farm uses. 



Fresh concrete should be protected from the weather — hot and 

 dry or the cold. Weather cracks (fine hair cracks), which often ap- 



