46 THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 



not less than three feet deep, and about two feet high. Put an 

 iron band on the top to keep it from splitting. An iron bar, 5, 

 (a small crowbar will answer,) passes loosely through the sweep, 

 c, into the centre post, a. Next, lay a floor water level on the 

 ground, and nail the side boards, which should be sixteen or 

 twenty inches wide, to stakes driven into the ground. The side 

 boards should be placed in- an octagonal form, as shown in the 

 figure, although if the sides were circular it would be preferable. 

 The floor should be about fourteen or sixteen feet in the clear. 

 The sweep, c, should be six inches square in the middle, twenty 

 feet long, and the ends may be made smaller or not. The pad 

 dles, or legs, should be made of hard wood, two by four inches 

 square, firmly inserted in the sweep, c, with a two inch tenon ; 

 about six inches apart, and so disposed that those on one side 

 will not traverse in the tracks of those on the opposite side, but 

 between them. The form of the legs is shown at E. They are 

 made similar to the wings of a wind wheel, with the two corners* 

 which are in a diagonal direction from each other, dressed off 

 smoothly, so that each knife-like leg will work the mortar towards 

 the centre. They should be not less than three-fourths of an 

 inch thick after they are dressed out. If they are too thin they 

 will break in mixing stiff mortar. 



41. Let the lime and sand be put in, and hitch a horse at each 

 end of the sweep, and commence mixing as the water is poured 

 in, until it is so soft that it will flow slowly, and the surface 

 become level. Shovel the mortar from the corners into the 

 middle every time it is worked out. When a large quantity of 

 mortar is necessary, two or more places may be made, and the 

 same sweep used for all of them. When the sun shines, the 

 mortar should be covered with boards. Keep the surface of the 

 mortar covered with water, when not working it ; and if there 

 should be too much water when it is to be worked over again, 

 let it be dipped off. It should be worked over at least once in 

 ten days, and should never be allowed "to set" or become so 

 hard that it cannot be readily worked over with a trowel. It is 

 better to have a horse at each end, because the strain will not be 



