MISCELLANEOUS. 597 



toes, etc., do decay, as well as from slight bruising, which everyone must be 

 careful not to do. 



Root Pits, To Ventilate. — A gentleman of Oswego county, New 

 York, "J. T.," writes to Farm and Fireside, of Springfield, O., of the import- 

 ance of ventilating root pits. He says: "I have found, by costly experience, 

 that it is not safe to pile a great quantity of roots together and cover with earth, 

 unless some means of ventilation is provided, such as by carrying one or more 

 pipes, made of drain tile set on end, or narrow boards nailed together, from the 

 center of the heap to the surface. These pipes may be loosely plugged with 

 straw, which will prevent the entrance of frost. I once lost several wagon loads 

 of beets, during a December thaw, by neglecting this precaution." 



Remarks. — This accounts for many "holes" of potatoes and other roots I 

 have seen rotted, undoubtedly, for want of ventilation. I should prefer the 

 small board box, in place of pipes, to run down well into the heap and have 

 holes bored into the sides, to carry off the moisture clear up to the top of the 

 heap, because if there is moisture at the top, the rotting will begin, and thus 

 run downwards, by dripping from the rotting ones, and spoil all. 



1. CONCRETE— Proportions of Cement, Sand and Granite 

 Used in Foundations in the United States and England. — A 

 gentleman of Kansas made inquiry of the Blade for the process of making con' 

 Crete, or artificial stone; to which the answer was: "There are various pro- 

 cesses. The immense masses of concrete that form the foundations of the great 

 East River bridge, between New York and Brooklym, are composed of Rosen, 

 dale cement, 1 part (say bushels), 2 of sharp, clean sand, and coarse beach 

 gravel, 4 parts. The gravel was from 1 inch to 2% in diameter. The cement 

 and sand were first mixed with water in a mill, and afterwards mixed with the 

 gravel by means of shovels used by hand. This concrete, it is expected, will 

 last for centuries." 



2. Concrete, Proportions as Used in England.— Cooley, in his 

 Practical Receipts (English), says: " Concrete, proper, is a compact mass, com- 

 posed of pebbles, lime, and sand, employed in the foundations of buildings. 

 The best proportions are 60 parts (bushels or any other measure) of coarse peb- 

 bles, 25 parts of rough sand (meaning clean, sharp sand), and 5 parts of lime." 



Remarks. — Of course, he means water-lime, or, as we call it here, cement; 

 the Rosendale, I think, being considered the best. Still, any good article will 

 do. But many houses are built of it in the United States, and in doing so, gen- 

 erally, the pebbles or gravel are not used as coarse as above given, but finer, and 

 make up for it by putting in coarser stone, from the size of the first, upward; 

 and often flat stone are put in ; but care should be observed in placing these in 

 the frames of plank in which the house is carried up, that these stone are all 

 well imbedded in the mortar or cement, else they weaken, rather than strengthen, 

 the concrete walls. I like the proportions as used in No. 1 best, as it makes a 

 stronger cement, and, especially, should greatly prefer it if I was going to use 

 common stone lime in building a house or other concrete building. Good com' 



