214 THE farmers' handbook. 



Ash concrete should not be made too wet, but just enough to make it pack 

 solidly together, by using the rammers lightly, when it will be noted that the 

 water will come to the surface. A fair idea of the correct consistency may 

 be had if a handful is pressed and retains its ball-like shape when the 

 pressure is released. 



Forms or Moulds for Concrete. 



Concrete is a plastic material, and before it hardens takes the shape of 

 anything against which it is placed, so that the making of the forms or 

 moulds is a most important item in the success of the job. 



Almost any material that will support its weight will serve as a form. 

 For instance, in trenches made for foundations it will be found that the 

 aarth sides are sufficient to hold the concrete up to the ground line. 



When an extremely smooth finish is desired galvanized iron is used, and 

 these are more easily cleaned and last longer than wooden moulds. But 

 timber is more often used, and where we require scantling sizes for the 

 frame-work of roofs and ceilings, and boards for the floors, these can be 

 used to build the forms with, and afterwards used for their special purpose. 

 In this way there is no extra cost for material for the forms. 



They should be correctly planned and carefully made, and with good 

 joints, otherwise difficulties will be met with when they have to be taken down. 



For ordinary work, such as the walls of cottages, dairies, stables, &c, there 

 is no necessity for any heavy framing, but simply studs at each corner and 

 angle of the walls, so placed as to form guides for the ends of the boards 

 to slide between. On the lower ends of these studs a short piece is attached, 

 forming a break, equal to the projecting distance of the footing course 

 beyond the walls. 



Where the building is only a small one, such as a separating room for a 

 dairy, this may be omitted, and the studs put straight into the ground, in 

 which case when the frame is removed holes the size of the studs will be in 

 the foundation, which can afterwards be filled up; but for larger buildings 

 the foundations should not be so cut into. 



Details of Construction. 



The accompanying plans (Figs. 17, 18, and 19) show the arrangement of 

 the framing and the details of the construction suitable for the erection of 

 farm buildings or cottages. 



It may be here stated that where the boards are being shifted as the work 

 proceeds the surfaces must be cleaned of any cement that may adhere to 

 them, and the same applies to all tools used in the work. Nothing is better 

 for this than an old dandy brush from the stable. 



Fig. 20 shows the framing around a double fireplace in a cottage being 

 erected, the openings having semi-arches over each, the boarding in the fore- 

 ground being that for the hearth walls. 



Fig. 21 shows a building which is a portion only of a cottage, being the 

 back rooms, with the bathroom on the verandah, the intention being to add 

 the remainder at a future date. The method of staying the studding and 

 tying the framework together at the tops is clearly depicted, and the various 

 lengths of the timbers show that they are those intended for other parts of 

 the building when the walls are completed. 



