Concrete Walls 97 



brick nor stone is readily available the founda- 

 tion walls may be made of grout or concrete, 

 provided small stone or gravel can be readily 

 obtained. On many farms small field stones, 

 which prove a hindrance to cultivation, may be 

 used to good advantage. 



Walls of this description may be constructed 

 without the aid of skilled labor and at a very 

 moderate expense. In order to construct such 

 walls satisfactorily, it is necessary to dig narrow 

 trenches below the frost line. A simple and 

 effective manner of proceeding is as follows: 

 drive rows of stakes into the ground, one row 

 on each side of the trench, and nail boards on 

 the inside of the stakes. The boards are used to 

 hold the concrete in place until the cement hard- 

 ens. Old, rough or uneven boards may be used, 

 except for the top ones, which should have the 

 upper edges straight. The upper boards should 

 be placed level, as they will determine the top 

 of the wall. The stakes which hold the boards 

 should be firm enough to withstand the pressure 

 of the stones and cement without yielding very 

 much. If the ground is so hard that stakes 

 cannot be driven readily, tall stakes may be used 

 and supported by fastening the tops together as 

 shown in Fig. 32. Place a few layers of stone 

 in the bottom of the trench, then put on some 

 thin cement, and pound down by means of a 



