250 
7ht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
February 12, 1921 
Farm Mechanics 
1872, and the annual product is now num¬ 
bered in the millions of barrels. This, 
the only manufactured product used in 
concrete work, is made from limestone, 
lined rotary iron tubes, or kilns, about 5 
or 6 ft. in diameter and over 100 ft. long. 
In these, they are burned together at a 
temperature sufficient to melt iron, emerg- 
Cement for Porcelain Tank 
What kind of cement should I use to 
fill up cracks in a tile reservoir such as 
is used in a bathroom in connection with 
toilet plumbing? The cracks were caused 
by the bolts holding the piece against the 
wall. When by any defect in cut-off the 
water reaches up to them, the cracks let 
it out. I believe some cement can be used 
to fill up these cracks. Can you tell me 
what to use? s. b. h. 
Ridgefield, N. ,T. 
If the cracks are large enough to per¬ 
mit it to enter a cement, made from 
litharge and glycerine will be found sat¬ 
isfactory for filling them. Litharge, which 
is a brownish powder somewhat resem¬ 
bling briekdust. can be obtained at prac¬ 
tically any drugstore and at most hard¬ 
ware* stores as well. When mixed with 
glycerine to the consistency of cream it 
makes a cement that is valuable for 
many purposes around the household. 
After applying it should be allowed to 
stand undisturbed until it has thoroughly 
set. and should be mixed up only when 
it is desired to use it. It is used in 
plumbing to quite an extent for the pur¬ 
pose of cementing china handles to metal 
fixtures, etc. If the crack is too small 
to permit the use of this material it 
might be possible to use a water-glass 
solution or some of the ready-prepared 
china cements that can usually he pur¬ 
chased in collapsible metal tubes. The 
local hardware dealer tells me that the 
wholesalers are very liberal on adjust¬ 
ments of this kind, and that it is prob¬ 
able if the tank has not been in use for 
a long period of time that you could get 
a replacement by taking the matter up 
with the people from whom the tank was 
obtained. H* s * 
Experience with a Cistern 
In answer to inquiries of .T. D. and F. 
S., on page 1824, I will give them my ex¬ 
perience. I have built cisterns in various 
soils, always plastered on the bank with¬ 
out any brick or concrete. I never knew 
one of them to fail. T have plastered on 
a gravelly bank that would run if touched. 
I took a brush and cement, wash, one 
part cement, one part sand, wetted just 
enough to sprinkle it on with the brush, 
using two coats. That will make a crust 
to plaster on. Wash is not needed on 
other banks than sand or gravel. If 
there are holes where large stones come 
out. build them out level. It is easier to 
use Rosendale cement, as it. will stick 
better. . 
The cheapest way out for .T. D. is to 
build a cistern, or, better, two smaller 
ones; then one can be cleaned out at 
times and use the other. As for capacity, 
he will not have to go to statistics of 
rainfall to settle that, for here is experi¬ 
ence on a hill on Long Island, where for 
one-half mile in diameter there was no 
water, only what was caught in cisterns. 
We had two cisterns, each 8 ft. deep. 7 ft. 
in diameter, which kept from 1808 to 
11)01 never less than six head of horses 
and cows, besides sheep and hogs. They 
had no way of getting a drop of water ex¬ 
cept from the cisterns, which never failed. 
This water was caught from 2.000 sq. ft. 
of roof, while .7. D. has f>,000 ft. 
In F. S.’s case, the bank behind the 
concrete may have settled back and let 
the concrete settle and crack. Tie would 
better plaster it, and the next day give it 
a wash of cement to fill any spots that 
may not have been filled. Any cistern 
that is properly plastered does not need 
any waterproofing material.. For a cis¬ 
tern at the house, for drinking water, do 
not be so unwise as to put a brick strain¬ 
er in the cistern. Tf the water is foul 
enough to need straining it should never 
be in the cistern. Have a heavy galvan¬ 
ized sheet cylinder made 2 ft. long. 10 or 
12 in. in diameter, pack it with alternate 
layers of gravel and charcoal, have a 
loose cover with a nipple to take the house 
leader, also one on the bottom to leak in 
the cistern. Place it on top or partly in 
the ground. Never let any water run in 
from April 15 to October 1; always let a 
little of the first water of every rain run 
off to wash the roof, and you will find it 
as good water as you ever drank. We 
always put a chain pump in to stir up 
the water; also suction pump in the 
house. J - s - 
Belleville, N. ,T. 
Limestone and Sand Substitute 
Can I use very finely ground limestone 
as sand for building coucrete work? We 
have State limestone grinding plant here 
and can get stone ground from almost im¬ 
palpable powder to good sizes for ordinary 
concrete work. Sand is worth $5 per ton ; 
the rock $1.50 at quarry. I meau river 
sand, with some dirt in it, and lime rock. 
H. B. B. 
soft, shelly or containing a considerable 
proportion of mica, may be used in the 
place of sand in concrete work. They 
should not he finely ground, however, but 
hard particles of stone of such size that 
they will pass through a one-fourth inch 
screen. That most remarkable of modern 
building materials, concrete, is made up 
of four things: Portland cement, sand, 
gravel or broken stone, and water. Other 
materials are sometimes used with the 
cement, but usually only where an in¬ 
ferior grade of concrete will answer, the 
purpose. Coal ashes and cinders mixed 
with cement make a light, porous concrete 
suited to some uses. The sand is called 
the “fine aggregate” and the gravel or 
broken stone the “coarse aggregate.” 
When these are mixed in proper propor¬ 
tions with the cement, the sand fills the 
large spaces between the coarse pieces of 
gravel and the cement fills the smaller 
ones between the particles of sand. After 
being wet, the cement “sets" and binds 
the whole into one solid mass of prac¬ 
tically indestructible stone. 
The strength of concrete depends large¬ 
ly upon the quality of the materials used 
and the proportions in which they are 
mixed. The sand used should be coarse, 
sharp and free from loam or vegetable 
matter. River sand, the edges of which 
have been worn smooth by the action of 
water and. possibly, containing silt, is 
inferior to clean, sharp sand from a 
gravel bank. Fine sand, too, requires 
much more cement than does coarse. Any 
admixture of dirt diminishes the adhesive 
power of the cement, and tod much ruins 
the concrete. The proportioning of the 
cement and the two aggregates varies 
with the purpose for which the concrete is 
to be used: in general, the greater the 
proportion of cement the stronger and 
harder the concrete. 
Portland cement, so-called because of 
its resemblance in color to Portland lime¬ 
stone, is an English discovery dating from 
1824, but come into general and universal 
use only within the last 25 years. It was 
first manufactured in this country in 
A Factory Motorcycle 
As an economical method of conveying 
canned pineapple from the process rooms 
to the storage quarters, one-fifth of a mile 
distant, a Hawaiian pineapple canner.v 
found the motorcycle an efficient means. 
A special rear sprocket of large size was 
adjusted, thereby reducing the speed to 
such an extent that it was found possible 
or a soft, chalk-like deposit of nearly pure 
lime, and clay or clay shale. The lime¬ 
stone and clay are finely ground and fed, 
together with ground coal, into fircbrick- 
to go all about the factory among the 
employees with no hazard of running 
anyone down. The equipment would 
move a train of four trailers, three of 
which show in picture. Even at the 
lower cost of labor in Hawaii the invest¬ 
ment was considered well made, as the 
“baby tractor” does the work of many 
operatives. A. H. p. 
ing at the further end as cement clinker. 
This clinker, when finely ground and sea¬ 
soned by storage, becomes the cement of 
commerce. M. b. d. 
__ 4 
inferior oil 
90% of tractor 
engine trouble 
is due to 
Ordinary oil Veedol 
after me after ute 
Sediment formed after 60 hours 
of running in a tractor 
“ T F ray tractor should stop 
J. during this ploughing 
season,” a farmer said the 
other day, “the delay would 
cost me anywhere from three 
hundred to fifteen hundred 
dollars.” You r own situation 
may never be so acute—yet a 
“layup” at ploughing season 
is always expensive. 
Are you playing safe? 90% 
of tractor engine troubles are 
due to inferior oil. Under 
the terrific heat of the engine 
—200° to 1000° F.—ordinary 
oil forms great quantities of 
sediment. Sediment has no 
lubricating value. The foun¬ 
dation for every sort of 
trouble is laid. 
You can avoid such 
troubles with your tractor. 
Sediment is reduced 86% 
when you use Veedol, the lu¬ 
bricant that resists heat. 
With Veedol in the crank¬ 
case, cylinder grinding, 
bearing wear, carbon, valve 
troubles are all held down to 
a minimum. 
Have your engine flushed out to 
cleanse it of grit, sediment and 
thickened oil. Put in Veedol. Lead¬ 
ing dealers have it in stock. 
Veedol lubricants for every 
part of the car 
Use Veedol lubricants for all parts 
of the car: Veedol for the engine 
(Light-Zero, Medium, Heavy, 
Special Ilea vy.ExtraHeavy); \ eedol 
Trans-Gear Oil, Worm Dri%e Oil, 
Gear Compound, Graphite Grease, 
Cup Grease. 
TIDE WATER OIL 
Sates Corporation 
1561 Howling Green Bldg., New York City 
Branches and distributors in all principal cities af Jfct 
United States and Canada 
Screenings from broken stone, unless 
