lo Nov., 1 910.] Building Hints for Settlers. 709 



useless. When taking the moulds apart, all the different pieces should 

 be carefully laid where they may be found, without a lot of hunting for 

 them. A little care in this direction will be amply repaid by the ease 

 with which the moulds can be set up. 



The proportions of the materials used is an important point in making 

 concrete posts. A good post is made with 4I parts gravel or broken 

 stone, 2f parts sand, and i part cement and reinforced with four pieces 

 of Xo. 8 fencing wire. The more cement there is used the stronger the 

 post will be. The abo\e proportions make a post strong enough for all 

 ordinarv purposes. Gate-posts and straining posts might be made with 

 li cement to 4f gravel and 2f sand, and the gate-post should be rein- 

 forced with |-in. iron rods. 



For mixing the concrete on, a box should be made, say about 4 ft. 

 6 in. square. This should be made of tongued and grooved floor boards ;. 

 twelve pieces 4 ft. 6 in. long would be required for the bottom, using three 

 of the pieces for nailing to the others like a ledge door. The sides should 

 be about 6 inches wide and i;^ inches thick. This sized box is large enough 

 to holfl material for about six small or four large posts which is quite 

 enough for one man to handle at a time. It is important that the 

 box should l)e as nearly watertight as possible, otherwise a lot of the 

 cement is lost, bv running away m the water that may leak out. resulting; 

 in weaker posts being made than was intended. 



Onlv enough concrete to fill the moulds should be mixed at a time, as 

 anv left over will be wasted, so it would be advisable to find out how 

 much will be refjuired. In measuring the materials a household bucket 

 or a kerosene tin could l;e used. To find out the quantity required fill 

 the bucket or kerosene tin (whichever is to i)e u.sed — do not use both), with 

 giavel and count how much is required to fill the mould. The sand and 

 cement must not be taken into account, only the gravel, as the cement and 

 sand will onlv fill up the spaces betw^een the stones. 



Having ascertained the quantity of gravel required to fill the mould, 

 calculate how much sand and cement will be required according to above 

 proportions. 



The posts shoulil be moulded in a horizontal i)osition. that is. the 

 mould .should be lying level on the ground. 



In making the pests it is as well to adopt a i)lan and keep to it as 

 there will be less risk of emitting anything than if they are made in a 

 haphazard wav. Xo. 8 fencing wire makes a good reinforcement and 

 each post should ha\e four wires placed about i inch from the outside. 

 Thev should be bent at the ends to prevent them slipping in the post when 

 it is under strain. 



In making the posts, a good plan would be to first cut off sufficient 

 wires 6 ft. 6 in. long, straighten them and l)end each end over about 



I inch. [ J(iet the moulds ready, and care must be taken 



to have the top edges of the sides level. If they are placed in a sloping 

 position and the concrete mixture is very .soft, the cement will run to 

 the lowest end or side and run awav. Having got the moulds in a con- 

 venient position, not too far away from the mixing box ('which also should 

 be laid as nearly level as possible or the cement and water will drain away 

 to the lowest side), measure the sand and put it in the mixing box. Xext 

 measure the cement and put it on the san;] and mix both thoroughly by 

 turning it over about three times in a dry state. The gravel should now 

 be watered and afterwards measured and put in the mixing box with the 



14024. 2 B 



