1913. 
631 
TALKS ABOUT CONCRETE WORK. 
A Concrete Roof That Failed. 
Three years ago this Spring I built my house, do- 
THE RURAt NEW-YORKER 
A TEN-YEAR HEN RECORD. years back, had burned down, and later on, about 
In a recent issue Mr. Mapes estimates his income four or five months after > he rebuilt on the same lo- 
form his 1900 hens as at least one dollar per hen catlon - He removed th e debris, mostly_broken plas- 
afliove all expenses. As I look at it, I think he is en¬ 
ter, and scattered it on his farm. The question 
ii,g all the work myself with the assistance of my drely t00 conservative, and so I send you a statement was asked asai "' “ D ° *?“ temember putting here 
son. I have a four-gabled house, 28 x 34 feet, with coverillg the las , ten years of my poultry keeping some of the stuff left from your burned house?” The 
My property was in a large city, and I could not pro¬ 
tect myself from thieves- and the break-up of my 
family forced me to sell my home. 
Year 
Hens 
Total 
Eggs 
Receipts 
Eggs 
Feed 
Eggs 
Sold 
and Fowls 
lost 
1898. 
. 240 
25,238 
23,475 
$500.37 
$179.63 
1899. 
. 250 
20.204 
24,990 
631.40 
174.10 
1900. . 
. 210 
22,817 
21,513 
532.47 
148.80 
1901., 
. 280 
28,273 
27,122 
727.00 
155.35 
1902. 
. 325 
34,559 
33,186 
915.27 
297.37 
1903.. 
, 410 
44,904 
42,041 
1125.58 
392.73 
1904.. 
. 440 
48.223 
46,609 
1250.49 
280.38 
1905.. 
. 437 
47,413 
45,926 
1260.13 
440.33 
1900. 
. 438 
45,855 
45.268 
1182.46 
320.20 
1907. 
. 408 
42.887 
40,793 
1070.88 
379.44 
3438 
366,433 
351,529 $9,268.11 
$2774.33 
Profits 
$380.74 
4;i7.36 
383.67 
571.65 
017.90 
732.85 
970.11 
825.80 
answer was, “Yes! Yes! I remember I put here just 
one-horse wagon-load of the stuff from the burned 
house.” 
Here, then, must be the solution of the luxuriant 
growth of the vetch just in that spot—the lime in 
the old plaster. f. f. 
cellar under whole; concrete walls all the way to 
peak, with concrete floor in cellar; also addition for 
pantry 8 x 12 feet, with 50-barrel cistern underneath 
also built of concrete. All the material for the con¬ 
crete work was taken from the cellar and consisted 
of several grades of sand and gravel, some of which 
was very fine sand, of which I selected enough to 
concrete the roof. I built the house very rigid, with 
strong concrete posts in cellar underneath partitions, 1903 . 
which in turn were carried up to the rafters, using 
2 x 6-inch material for rafters. Sheathing was laid 
on roof with Y, to j4-inch spaces between boards, 
on top of which concrete was then troweled to V/ 2 - 
inch thickness. Now for results: The concrete was Over two per cent of all eggs gathered were used rather than before. A number of years ago I began 
of two to one mixture and perfectly watertight, but in family, being cracked, badly stained, or defective to try to control the fusarium blight in our potatoes, 
the wooden material beneath the concrete would in some way—unsalable. Average number of eggs This is a germ disease, found in the tissue of the 
gather moisture, and of course expand, which would laid yearly per hen, 106. Average receipt from each potato, and usually at the stem. Under the favor- 
cause slight cracks to form in the concrete. Then hen beyond feed and care $1.89 per year. No eggs able conditions at planting time, the disease works 
when a rain would come some water would come were sold at fancy prices; all sold for family use. through the seed piece into the growing plant, causing 
Each year at least 800 eggs for hatching were used, premature ripening and dying, infests the tubers and 
SEED POTATOES AND FORMALIN. 
The directions usually given by the experiment sta¬ 
tions for this work are to soak the uncut tubers for 
091 44 two ll0urs in a solution of one pint formalin to 15 
--— gallons of water. I believe, however, that there are 
through to the wood, which would cause same to ex 
pand more and cause larger and more 
cracks in the concrete. In one year an¬ 
other coat of concrete was applied on 
top of the other, which made it all right 
for a while, and that finally went the 
same as the first coating had. So at 
last the whole was taken off and an¬ 
other roof put on, so we are dry now 
when it rains. I am still of the opinion 
that a concrete roof can be made a 
success, but it would have two serious 
faults, and that is, it is very cold in 
Winter, and like an oven in the Sum¬ 
mer. My side walls are all right, as I 
have an air space between concrete and 
plaster board. If I were to try another 
concrete roof I would use some roofing 
felt on the sheathing and some kind of 
reinforcing wire such as chicken fenc¬ 
ing laid about J^-inch clear of roofing 
paper. Then the wood could slide in¬ 
dependent of the concrete. One must 
use much care and not allow concrete to 
check in the process of hardening, 
which is sometimes a very»difficult mat¬ 
ter, but can be done by shading or ap¬ 
plying on cloudy days. A windy day is 
bad, as the water in the concrete soon 
runs away and setting of the concrete 
soon begins. Care must be taken that 
there is no spring nor shake in the 
building or the concrete will be sure to 
crack. As to the concrete block for 
houses, I am not in favor of them, as 
all I have seen are too porous. I much 
prefer the solid wall with dead air 
space. h. j. c. 
Jeddo, Mich. 
Dwelling Houses of Concrete Blocks. 
1 have lived in one of these for many 
years and have found it perfectly satis¬ 
factory. The walls were stripped with 
two-inch strips, to which the plastering 
lath were nailed. This two-inch air 
space insures perfect dryness and makes 
HOMEMADE POWER SPRAYER FOR TREES. Fig. 167 . 
HOMEMADE POWER SPRAYER FOR POTATOES. Fig. 168 . 
is carried over to another year. The 
disease being in the tissue of the potato, 
there is no way to treat it with germi¬ 
cides. We were trying to control it. by 
cutting off the diseased portion at the 
stem of the potato, and were impressed 
with the idea of spreading the disease 
by inoculating healthy seed pieces from 
the diseased pieces. To overcome, this 
danger I began to soak seed after cut¬ 
ting, and have practiced this method 
ever since. 
HOW TO DO IT.—We bore a hole 
in the side of a barrel as near the bot¬ 
tom as possible, and fit in a plug, then 
place the barrel on a platform just a 
little higher than a washtub. Fill the 
barrel with the cut seed, and pour in 
the solution (one pint formalin to 15 
gallons of water), covering the seed. 
We let it stand one hour and a half, 
then pull the plug and draw off the 
liquid into a washtub or pails. Empty 
the seed out of the barrel and fill up 
again, using the same solution. It can 
be used over and over again, adding 
enough fresh, from time to time, to keep 
the quantity good. 
An easy way to empty the seed out 
of the barrel is to place four crates close 
together in a square about the length of 
the barrel away from the platform, then 
take a board a little longer than the 
barrel is high. Tip up the barrel enough 
to place one end of the board under. 
Put the other end on the crate, then tip 
the barrel over on the board, emptying 
the seed into the crates. It is then 
ready for the planter, without any dry¬ 
ing. There is now no danger of inocu¬ 
lating sound and healthy seed pieces 
with disease that might be uncovered 
and exposed by the process of cutting. 
We generally keep two barrels going, 
and with very little extra time and labor 
treat our seed as fast as it is wanted for 
i . .... , . . ~ ^ , nv-«L uui 31 -i.u as iasL as it is wdiueu ior 
the house warmer in Winter and cooler in Sum- Defective eggs and manure fully paid for all care the planter. I am glad to note that the percentage 
mer. 1 he great advantage in these houses is what and labor. Labor averaged less than two hours each of fusarium infested tubers seems to be decidedly 
they do not need painting or repairing. Three out day. During the whole ten years at least 10 per cent less after a few years of treating the cut seed in 
ot five of the buildings now being erected here are of all eggs and hens were stolen. In 1900 a double this way. 
of concrete blocks or reinforced concrete. Many of lot of chickens were hatched, as over 250 hens were 
the blocks are made with a surface inch of white stolen. g 
LIME AND LEGUMES. 
To treat seed oats for smut, scab, etc., with the 
formalin treatment, I put the grain into fertilizer or 
bran sacks and dip them in a barrel filled with the 
solution (one pint to 20 gallons of water). Let them 
n Brevities you say, Many a farmer is watch- stand five minutes to make sure that all the grains 
are thoroughly wet, take them out and let them drain 
over tubs a few minutes; then set them away, turning 
concrete. This has a more pleasing appearance than 
the natural brown of the cement blocks. At first the 
bouses had porches of wood. Now on many of them 
the porch floors, banisters, pillars and steps are all ing a seeding of vetch this Spring with curious eyes.’ 
concrete, so that the only woodwork that needs Here are the thoughts of one among the curious 
r^ g .! nd .: ePai ,7 ng ’? the ^indow^ frames, and as watchers. A German farmer last Summer sowed, a the sacks "upVide down.' ‘ The 7reeTate7 wilT‘ then 
work back through the grain and be absorbed. If 
these are set well back in the walls but little is small piece of vetch just to see how it would grow. Lllluu .. u lllc „ ldU1 U1U uc insuiucu ,, 
needed on these. In reference to cost, the concrete He made no special preparations, only plowed the tVe^caTs'tand dms in"^theTacfeTfew dayt they will 
locks cost nuher more than wood, and reinforced ground, sowed the seed and harrowed it over. The pro bably drill, although for some drills they mav 
concrete rather more than blocks. This is caused by soil was light and sandy. Curiously this small patch 
,i , . . - '■*— --- ■> - - *■ - have to be dried a little. We have seen no harm come 
e expense of making and removing the moulds, the of vetch has taught us an impressive lesson. It is t0 the seed standing in the sacks several days. The 
t ot the steel rods for reinforcing, the increased about one-half acre in extent, and just in one corner treatment is chean and effective Tf one can 
i ichness in cement of the concrete 
treatment is cheap and effective. If one can get 
anrI ,, oxcr tke ^ oc ^ s on a stI ' p akout six feet wide and one rod long the three or four tubs to drain into, he can treat enough 
Crete ! n XPe f! e ° f , SU ! faCing and tr ° weling the COn ' vetch has made a stron S> thick ’ vigorous growth; the seed for seve ral acres in an hour, and that hour’s 
roofs ba-e a f 1 * V 6 orms . are reir, oved. Concrete rest can hardly be seen. The farmer was asked, wor k may easily bring more dollars than a week of 
a\e not proven satisfactory. They develop “What did you do to this strip here that the growth 
leaks * • - 
and it is necessary to re-roof them with felt, is so thick?” He said, “Nothing. I planted it all 
tin or copper. For the body of the house concrete is alike.” “Did you put manure on it?” “No!” It 
ordinary labor. 
Ohio. 
F. L. ALLEN. 
all right. 
Florida 
CHARLES PARRY. seemed Strange ; then I began to think, and at last No—we shall not move to Canada and try fox farming, 
remembered that this German’s house, some seven But what a remarkable “boom” that is. 
