SJ8 
Tht RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
Henhouse Walls of Hollow Tile 
In building a poultry-house 24 ft. wide, 
with double roof, sides about 6 ft. high, 
would it be practicable to build such side 
walls with hollow concrete blocks if the 
floor and foundation are concrete? Would 
the air space in these blocks cause the 
house to be warm, or would it be colder 
than if sides were made of lumber? 
Schenevus, N. Y. w. D. G. 
Wood is undoubtedly the warmer and 
drier construction. This is shown quite 
conclusively in almost any small village 
where pieces of board walk alternate with 
stretches of concrete. In a case of this 
kind you will note that after the first 
snowfall in Autumn, the snow will re¬ 
main on the board walk, but will almost 
immediately melt from the walk of con¬ 
crete, showing that the concrete makes 
an easier path for the heat from the 
ground beneath it to pass up through and 
melt the snow. The board walk, being 
a better heat insulator, resists the pas¬ 
sage of this ground heat up through it, 
and consequently the snow remains un¬ 
limited on the top. 
In the case of the poultry-house the 
heat to be retained is on the inside and 
the lumber construction, if good, will re¬ 
sist its passage better than the concrete, 
even if hollow, for an air space can be 
provided as well in the wood wall. I Ins 
space, however, should be filled with por¬ 
ous material, as shavings, to prevent in- 
terior circulation. The Iowa State Col- 
lege of Agriculture, Ames, la., has been 
doing considerable investigational work 
in regard to hollow tile construction for 
farm buildings, and has numerous plans 
of poultry-houses, etc. These plans could 
very easily be adapted to concrete block 
construction, if so desired, and are pur¬ 
chasable at prices running from five cents 
up. It would seem worth while to get 
their fist, from which a selection could 
be made to meet your needs. R- h. s. 
Frame House Covered with Concrete 
I must build an addition to my stone 
residence. The new part will be frame. 
Is it possible to case this frame part in 
with concrete, say 3 or 4 in. thick . \N ill 
such a sheet of concrete crack if reinforced 
with woven fencing wire? For me this 
would be much cheaper than stucco or 
brick or weatherboarding, and it seems 
to me much better. s - M. L. 
York Springs, Pa. 
It is probably possible to use concrete 
in this way, which would be in the nature 
of a heavy stucco, but I can see no ad¬ 
vantage in trying to use it. If it is de¬ 
sired to use a frame structure, why not 
brace it securely and cover with stucco t 
If properly done a good job could be ex¬ 
pected, while I would look upon the plan 
outlined as somewhat of a gamble, at the 
same time requiring a great deal more 
concrete than would the stucco covering. 
The application that you speak of would 
require the use of a form, and would have 
to be applied in successive courses. These 
breaks, coupled w th the difficulty of 
placing concrete' in such a narrow form, 
would be likely to result in disappoint¬ 
ment. If objection is made to the stucco 
finish, why hot make a monolithic wall 
of concrete, or use concrete blocks? The 
inside walls could then be furred out and 
finished to correspond with the rest of 
the house. Either of these suggestions I 
would consider better than the plan as 
originally outlined. R- H. 8. 
Repairing Leaky Tank 
Can you advise me what to coat a 
wooden windmill tank with inside to make 
it. tight and not flavor the water? This 
tank holds 720 gals., is 2 in. white pine, 
smaller at the top than the bottom ; not 
used during the Winter. Two or three 
staves have rotted half way up in tank, 
spots size of one’s hand, which may go 
in one-quarter to one-half inch. Last sea¬ 
son I calked some joints with cotton and 
white lead, also used a bag of cement, 
part in crack and balance mixed thin was 
placed in the bottom of tank. This helped 
quite a little, but it seems to me there 
should be some material that I could use 
to give it a stout coat*or two and make 
it tight, and save the tank from further 
decay, as the wood is not in particularly 
bad condition yet. I do not like a con¬ 
tinual dripping around the mill frame. 
The round galvanized hoops seem tight. 
Patchogue, N. Y. J. c. G. 
It will probably be very difficult to 
coat the inside of the tank with anything 
that will effectually stop the leaking, due 
to the fact that the surface to which the 
preparation is applied will be wet or 
damp, preventing it from penetrating. A 
paint made from Portland cement and 
linseed oil has been used with good euc- 
cess in stopping leaks in galvanized iron 
tanks and metal roofs, and would prob¬ 
ably be useful in this case, provided a 
sufficiently dry surface can be obtained 
for its application. Some of the as- 
phaltum roof paints would also be good, 
as they are more or less elastic as well as 
waterproof. 
The rotted portions can be repaired by 
carefully cleaning out, filling the cavity 
with plastic roofing cement and tacking 
a patch of galvanized iron over the repair, 
making sure that the space beneath the 
iron is well filled, and that the edges of 
the opening are well coated with the ce¬ 
ment used, and that the iron is closely 
nailed down. k. h. s. 
Trouble with Gas Engine 
I have a gas engine, two-cycle, one 
cylinder, speed from 5 to 8 r.p.m. This 
engine has a good compression and a 
good set of batteries, good, new coil, 
makes a good spark, but I have a hard 
time to start the engine, from one-half to 
an hour to get it started. What is the 
best way to time it? lias no gears or 
governors; has neither an intake valve 
nor exhaust valve. All the air it receives 
is through the gas mixer. t. w. d. 
Barnard, N. Y. 
The two-cycle engine, while extremely 
simple in design, is not so simple in oper¬ 
ation, and at best is sometimes erratic in 
running. Unlike the ordinary four-cycle 
gasoline engine, which first draws a 
charge into the cylinder, then at the next 
instroke of the piston compresses it, at 
the third stroke ignites and expands it, 
producing power or turning effort and at. 
the fourth stroke exhausts the burned 
gases, using up lour strokes of the piston 
in this cycle of events, the two-cycle type 
attempts to accomplish all this in two 
strokes of the piston. 
local blacksmith. The accompanying 
sketch gives the idea, but the dimensions 
Can best be supplied by the man using 
the hitch. We have found that a 3-ft. 
stub tongue is the handiest length for 
turning at the ends, and that malleable 
iron strips % in. thick by 3% in. wide 
will give the best service. It will also be 
less trouble to work into shape than some 
of the harder metals. 
Although we have always considered 
drawing the planter a rather trifling job 
to offer such powerful machinery, there 
have been times when one of the houses 
was sick that we were obliged to consider 
using the tractor. As we make a practice 
of leaving an 8-ft. headland it was no 
trouble turning at the ends; this outfit is 
actually shorter than when the team is 
used. It is possible to get the rows very 
straight and even, although of course this 
depends mostly on the man at the wheel, 
and we see no reason why W. 8. M. 
should not succeed in planting with trac¬ 
tor power if he wishes to do so. F. H. tt. 
Water Supply for House 
Herewith is a sketch of our present 
water supply. The well is <a dug w r ell 38 
ft. deep, the elevation of the hill about 
10 ft. per 100 ft.; line of total elevation, 
including lift of pump, 268 ft. We want 
to put in a reservoir on the hill or a 
tank in the cellar, depending on which is 
cheaper and better, the pump to be driven 
by a gasoline engine and furnish power 
for a washing machine, churn, etc. We 
should need about 10-bbl. tank or reser¬ 
voir for a week’s supply. The well does 
not have a strong supply of -water in a 
To permit this the crank case is built 
tight and the carburetor attached to it, so 
that the gases are first drawn into the 
crank case On the down stroke of the 
piston they are compressed here and es¬ 
cape through a by-pass to a point above 
the piston in the cylinder, forcing out the 
burned gases and providing a fresh 
charge of fuel to be compressed and ig- 
• nited on tlie next upstroke As suggested 
above, this somewhat complex operation 
sometimes gives rise to trouble, necessi¬ 
tating that everything be about right to 
get the best service 
If you are sure that the electrical 
equipment of the engine is O. lv., that 
it is not short-circuited in some way 
when the spark is retarded in starting, 
and that the plug used is clean and work¬ 
ing properly, examine your crank shaft 
bearings and note whether the oil is 
blown out of them or whether there is a 
hissing sound here when the engine is 
turned over. If you find this it indicates 
that the bearings are worn and that there 
is a leak there which loses your crank 
case compression. Compression in the 
cylinder may be excellent, yet the engine 
will fail to work if there is poor compres¬ 
sion in the crank case. Try using a 
heavy cup grease here, filling the bearing 
full to help hold compression. 
There are no half-time gears on a two- 
cycle motor, and the ignition is frequently 
timed by a commutator on the crank 
shaft. To advance the spark move the 
spark lever in a direction opposite to the 
rotation of the commutator. When the 
engine is running advance the spark grad¬ 
ually until the engine runs at its best. 
As a help in starting prime the motor 
with some high-test gasoline, see that the 
spark plug is dry and clean, and that the 
electrical equipment is working properly, 
then crank up smartly, first retarding the 
spark to insure against injury. 
R. ir.s. 
dry season. Which of the various systems 
will be best at a corresponding outlay of 
money and convenience? L. J. II. 
Kerrmoor, Pa. 
If water is needed only in the small 
quantities mentioned, approximately 1 y a 
barrels per day, it is probable that one 
of the small hydro-pneumatic systems 
could be installed as cheaply as any sys¬ 
tem. The tank could be put in the cellar, 
where it would be cool and would require 
very little piping, lessening the cost here. 
Unless the water stands at a good 
height in the well it will probably be nec¬ 
essary to locate the pump directly over 
the well, permitting the cylinder to be 
placed within suction distance. If, how¬ 
ever, a depth of from eight to 10 feet of 
water is maintained in the well the pump 
could be placed in the house basement and 
a ditch dug through for the suction pipe. 
Where so little water is necessary, a 
nice arrangement would be to install one 
of the electric lighting plants and then 
use one of the automatic electric pumps, 
pumping water from the well whenever a 
faucet was opened. If other current is 
available an outfit of this kind can be 
used, provided the well is so located that 
the pump can be placed within suction dis¬ 
tance of the water. R. H. s. 
Tractor on Potato Planter 
Have you had any experience in using 
a potato planter with a tractor? We 
haven’t a horse on the place, do all our 
plowing, cultivating, etc., with tractors. 
But when it came to the potato planter 
we were stumped, and finally hooked on 
our neighbor’s cattle, with the result that 
our potatoes are so crooked in the row 
that it will be impossible to spray them 
or cultivate them with machinery, or at 
least it looks so at the present time. I 
can see no reason why a tractor should 
not handle a potato planter. But how? 
Has anyone tried it, with success, and, 
if so, what sort of a hitch was necessary 
to do the trick? We shall be too late to 
profit by the information this year, but I 
raise the point while the subject is still 
fresh, so we may be ready next time. 
Connecticut. Walter s. marsland. 
This problem of adjusting the height of 
the planter hitch to the drawbar of a 
tractor can be solved with the help of the 
Power from Automobile Motor 
I have an automobile that I would like 
to use for pumping water and sawing 
wood. Can you tell me in detail the best 
method to harness this motor so as to 
get the most efficient power? Would it 
be better to leave the motor in the chassis 
or remount it on a special frame? The 
transmission is two speeds forward, gear 
shift. H. B. c. 
Skillman, N. J. 
If the motor base carries projecting 
ears or side numbers which bolt to the 
chassis it can probably be removed from 
the chassis to good advantage and bolted 
to skids made from hardwood planks, the 
width of the planks used depending upon 
the depth of the crankcase of the motor. 
I have seen a light four-cylinder auto 
motor mounted on a frame made of about 
1 4x2-ins. iron bent to form legs beneath 
the motor. This makes a little difficult 
job for the home shop, however. 
The gasoline tank can be mounted at 
the rear slightly above the carburetor 
and the radiator fastened in front of its 
old location. The throttle and spark con¬ 
trol can be arranged in the most con¬ 
venient place on the side. If a governor 
is used the throttle control will of course 
go to that. If used for pumping water 
the governor could be dispensed with, ns 
the load would be steady, and so light for 
the engine that it could be carried with 
a partially closed throttle, preventing the 
tendency to race even when the load was 
released. With wood sawing it would 
probably require a governor, or have the 
throttle manually controlled. A manual 
control can be provided by using a coil 
July 16, 1921 
spring, such as is used to close screen 
doors, attached to the throttle in such a 
way as to close it. A cord can then be 
attached to the throttle and carried to 
the saw table, permitting the throttle to 
be opened as desired by the man operat¬ 
ing the saw. If the speed at any time 
tends to become excessive the throttle will 
immediately close upon release of the cord. 
The transmission and clutch can be re¬ 
moved and a belt pulley fastened directly 
to the flywheel of the motor. It must be 
remembered that the motor will be suit¬ 
able for light loads only, as an automobile 
engine is not designed for heavy duty at 
full load. Furthermore, the bearing and 
the flywheel is not designed to carry the 
side pull that the belt will impose upon 
it and might give trouble from heating if 
loaded heavily. 
One of the smaller truck governors, ob¬ 
tainable from your garage man, could 
probably be arranged to drive from the 
cam shaft of your motor if you desire to 
go to the expense of installing a gov¬ 
ernor. R. H. 8. 
Waterproofing for Cistern 
Will you give me information in re¬ 
gard to a tar preparation for coating over 
the inside of a large reservoir or cistern? 
Also tell me the advantages of that 
method over coating it with cement. 
Washingtonvilie, N. Y. w. H. b. 
Tt is understood from your letter that 
you have a large concrete cistern that is 
leaking, either through cracks or seeping 
through a poorly prepared wall. If this 
is the case, it is probable that some of 
the roofing pitches will remedy your 
trouble. If the concrete has cracked, due 
to too rapid drying, and will again be ex¬ 
posed to air, a coating of cement grout 
is likely to prove unsatisfactory; if to be 
kept constantly covered with water, how¬ 
ever, it may give better results. 
The following has been used by the 
United States Reclamation Service for 
waterproofing. The concrete was cleaned 
and dried and' paraffin which had been 
previously boiled to drive off the water 
was applied hot with a brush and driven 
into the pores with the flame of a gaso¬ 
line torch. This treatment was used on 
the horizontal surfaces. The vertical 
surfaces were given successive applica¬ 
tions of water and soap solutions. The 
alum solution, which was applied first 
and. worked in with a stiff brush, was 
made by dissolving two ounces of alum 
per gallon of hot water. This was fol¬ 
lowed immediately by a solution made 
by dissolving % lb. of castile soap in a 
gallon of hot water. The temperature of 
both of these washes was maintained at 
100 degrees F. during the application. 
R. H. 8. 
Crack Filler for Veranda 
I have a veranda floor 0x30 ft., match 
boards. It has been laid a great many 
years. A poor mechanic laid it. as the 
cracks are very wide, and the nicest 
way to fill it would be with a combina¬ 
tion of stuff forming a batter the con¬ 
sistency for pancakes, which could be 
poured in the cracks. It would 1 take a 
large quantity of it. something that 
would harden up readily and could be 
painted over if desired. Can you give 
a suggestion? T. F. M. 
Essex Co., N. Y. 
No doubt the trouble with your floor 
is due to wide boards being used, and 
these laid green, so that after laying 
shrinkage took place, causing the wide 
cracks mentioned; the floor may have 
been laid perfectly tight when put down. 
This matter was brought to the attention 
of a skilled painter, who advised the fol¬ 
lowing for your floor: 
Mix together one-third boiled linseed 
oil, one-thirdi turpentine, one-third japan 
drier. To this add enough red dog flour 
Hitch to Connect Tractor with Potato 
Clan ter 
or other (‘heap flour to make a putty-like 
paste. Whiting can be used in place 
of the flour if desired. This paste is then 
used to fill the cracks. Before attempt¬ 
ing to fill the cracks they sMkild be thor¬ 
oughly cleaned and a priming coat of 
paint or linseed oil applied and worked 
well down into the crack. This is to seal 
the pores of the wood, preventing the oil 
in the crack filler from being absorbed by 
the dry wood. If this is not done the 
oil in the filler will be soaked up by the 
wood and the filler, instead of hardening 
as it Should, will be crumbly. After the 
filler has hardened, paint or other finish 
can be put on over it. If desired the 
filler can be tinted by the addition of pig¬ 
ment; when mixing. r. h. s. 
“No s ah. Ah don’t neber ride on dem 
things,” said an old colored woman look¬ 
ing in on the merry-go-round. “Why, de 
other day I seen dat Johnson boy git on 
an’ ride as much as a dollah’s worth, an’ 
when he git off I sez to him, ‘Yo’ spent 
yo’ money, but whar yo’ been?’”—Tor¬ 
onto Farmers’ Sun. 
