FOUNDATION AND FLOOR 119 



Board floors are usually short-lived unless a free circulation of 

 air is allowed under them, in which case it is well to build the 

 house on piers two feet from the ground, or on a wall having ade- 

 quate openings for ventilation The piers should be built of 

 concrete, stone or brick for permanence. If posts are used, they 

 should be charred or treated with a wood-preserving compound 

 to prolong their life. 



Another objection to the wood floor which is built close to the 

 ground, it offers a refuge to rats and mice and, perhaps, other 

 animals. These pests are likely to occur on any farm, and if 

 means are not provided to combat them, they will rapidly be- 

 come a serious nuisance. 



Cement floors are the only absolutely vermin-proof ones ; they 

 are easily cleaned and durable, but apt to be cold and hard on the 

 fowls' feet, unless covered with a thick layer of sand and litter. 

 In constructing a cement floor the ground should be excavated 

 for a depth of eight or ten inches, and filled in with broken stones 

 or cinders to make a good foundation, which also acts as a sort 

 of French drain and keeps the floor dry. The concrete slab 

 should be about two or three inches thick, poured over the broken 

 stones or cinders after they are well tamped to a solid bed, and 

 mixed in the proportion of i part Portland cement, 2^2 parts 

 crushed stone or cinders, and 5 parts clean sharp sand. It is 

 advisable to pitch the floor to a drain, which will greatly facilitate 

 house cleaning. 



Floor Joists. — If the floor is of wood, built upon piers, the sills 

 should be of fairly heavy timbers, running the long way of the 

 house, which support the floor joists; these latter of 2 by 8, or 2 

 by 10 material, and spaced about 20 inches on centers. If a 

 single floor is to be installed, it should consist of a good grade of 

 matched flooring; otherwise, if a double floor is contemplated, 

 the rough flooring may be of i by 12 inch sheathing boards, laid 

 diagonally across the joists, and over-laid lengthwise of the house 

 with I by 3 inch matched flooring. The finished floor should 

 be blind nailed, so that no nail heads project to hamper the use 

 of a shovel or scraper in cleaning. Where necessary a layer of 



