1874.J 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
455 
often done by the plow, but much more rapidly. 
Where drills can be conveniently used, this im¬ 
plement would answer a very good purpose, 
covering the seed to a more even and certain 
depth than the harrow, and one stroke being 
sufficient. Figure 2 shows a roller that has 
Fig. 2.—HUNGARIAN DOUBLE ROLLER. 
several excellent points. It is a double-ridged 
one, and as the rollers revolve, each of them 
rubs or grinds upon the other, thus always en¬ 
suring clean surfaces. Such a roller as this, 
made of cement, upon the principle recently il¬ 
lustrated in the Agriculturist , (Sept. 1874,) would 
be a veiy serviceable implement, both for crush¬ 
ing clods, or rolling newly sown grain fields. 
Concrete Houses. 
We have, on various occasions, described the 
method of building houses in concrete, but it 
seems, from the numerous inquiries we receive, 
not at sufficient length to give all the informa¬ 
tion needed. To build a cellar wall or a barn 
needs but little skill, but to build a dwelling- 
house, with doorways, windows, cornices, and 
other requisites, in which some degree of orna¬ 
mentation is desirable, needs more skill and 
more particular instructions. The use of con¬ 
crete is not advisable where brick or stone of a 
desirable character can be readily procured; 
but where these are not available, and the ma¬ 
terials for concrete are upon the ground or near 
by, it is then that it becomes an economical 
material. The requisites are lime, cement, 
Fig. 2.— MIXING BOARD FOR CONCRETE. 
sand, and coarse gravel, or broken stone, broken 
brick, either new or from old buildings, or slag 
from furnaces, and coarse ashes. Where lime 
is not to be procured, the limestone may be 
burned in a kiln of very easy construction, 
shown in fig. 1. This is dug out in a bank and 
lined with common clay or stone to confine the 
earth. A stone arch is made in the front, seen 
at A, and the front ( B ) should be supported by 
a rough stone wall. The limestone is placed 
in layers with coal, or it may be burned with 
wood by means of a 
fire-hole made at the 
rear of the arch. The 
lime, with the layers 
of coal intermingled, 
is shown at C, and at 
D are seen a few large 
pieces of stone heaped 
on to the top to retain 
the heat. When lime 
is used to make the 
concrete, it is best to 
reduce it to powder by 
grinding in a plaster- 
mill before it is 
slaked. Where this is 
inconvenient, it may 
be carefully slaked to 
a dry powder by using 
water just sufficient 
to effect this, and no 
more. It should then 
be sifted and freed 
from all unslaked 
lumps. If this is neg¬ 
lected, the lumps will 
become slaked after a 
time by the moisture 
of the atmosphere, or 
that in the wall, and in swelling burst and 
damage the wall. When cement is used, the 
kind known as the Rosendale will answer as 
good a purpose as the Portland cement, which 
is imported and is much dearer. The founda¬ 
tions may be made of lime concrete ; it is not 
necessary to use the more expensive cement in 
these. The first work is to dig the cellar, or 
the trench for the foundation. This, if there 
is no cellar, should be at least three feet deep. 
The next is to gather 
upon the spot all the 
materials for the build¬ 
ing in as fully’' prepared 
a condition as possible. 
The mixing boards are 
then to be made. These 
should be 12 feet by 7, 
made of 2-incli plank 
closely spiked upon 
cleats, and leading 
planks should be pro¬ 
vided upon which to 
bring the materials in 
wheelbarrows. Fig. 2 
shows the mixing 
boards; the plank at a 
leading to the building, 
the one at b to the lime, 
that at c to the gravel, 
that at d to the broken 
stone, or coarse mate¬ 
rials, that at c to the sand 
or fine stuff. These mate¬ 
rials should be prepared 
and heaped arour the 
mixing board, so that 
they can be convenient¬ 
ly reached. The proper 
proportions to use are one part of lime to seven 
of other material.large and small, the coarse and 
fine being about equally divided. The materials 
are heaped up as seen at fig. 3, the letters a , b, 
c, d, showing tne -dative position in the heap 
of the lime, sand, gravel, and broken stone. 
The mixing should be done systematically to 
ensure success. The heap should be turned 
over while still dry, by commencing at the mid¬ 
dle, as seen at A, fig. 4, throwing each half out¬ 
wards, which will make two heaps, as at B; 
these are again thrown together in the direction 
of the arrows seen in the figure, making again 
one heap as at C. Water is now added sparing¬ 
ly, and the heap again divided and brought to¬ 
gether as before, until the whole is thoroughly 
mixed. When cement is used instead of lime, 
the mixing is to be done in the same manner, 
excepting that it should be in smaller quanti¬ 
ties at one time, and should be used as soon as 
it is mixed, as it sets or becomes hard very 
rapidly. The finer the broken materials are 
the stronger will be the concrete when cemen 4 
is used. At figs. 5, 6 and 7 is seen the method 
of laying the concrete. Stout wooden posts 
are set at each angle of the walls, and are kept 
at an even distance apart by bolts or cross- 
Fig. 15.— CONCRETE COTTAGE WITH BRICK ORNAMENTS. 
