STANDARD RECEIPTS. 503 



lay a floor or walk with soft cement mortar. All artificial stone is 

 made in a similar way to that described, and, when set, is strong and 

 hard. 



Stone and Brick Work. In buildings constructed of stone and 

 brick, the best protection from dampness and decay, and also from the 

 danger of cyclones, is a mortar of cement and coarse sand. The extra 

 cost is inconsiderable and the increased value of the structure very 

 great. Chimneys made in this manner never blow down, and cellars 

 whose foundations are thus laid are always free from atmospheric mois- 

 ture. Cement may also be mixed with lime mortar for plastering and 

 other purposes to great advantage. 



Bflfect of Frost and Cold. At a temperature less than 60° F. , 

 all good cement sets slowly, though surely, but if allowed to freeze its 

 value is seriously impaired. In cold weather or cold water do not fear 

 to wait for your concrete to crystalize. 



Damage From Moisture. Good cement in bags or barrels is not 

 injured by age, if carefully preserved from moisture. L,umps in bags or 

 barrels of cement are caused by exposure to moisture. They prove the 

 good quality of the cement. The Portland cement made at Warners, 

 New York, is the strongest and best in the world. 



CIDER, VINEGAR, AND WINES. 



Cider, How to Make and Keep. Always choose perfectly ripe 

 and sound hand-picked fruit. Apples that have lain any time on the 

 ground contract an earthy taste, which will always be found in the 

 cider. 



After sweating, and before being ground, wipe them dry, and if any 

 are found bruised or rotten, put them in a heap by themselves for an in- 

 ferior cider to make vinegar. 



Always i!se hair cloths, instead of straw, to place between the layers 

 of pomice. The straw, when heated, gives a disagreeable ta.ste to the 

 cider. 



As the cider runs from the press let it pass through a hair sieve into a 

 large open vessel, that will hold as much juice as can be expressed in a 

 day. In a day and sometimes less the pomice will rise to the top, and 

 in a short time grow very thick ; when little white bubbles break through 

 it, draw off the liquor by a spigot, placed about three inches from the 

 bottom, so that the settlings may be left quietly behind. 



The cider must be drawn off into very clean, sweet casks, and closely 



