158 
Thr  RURAL.  NEW-YORKER 
February  3,  1023 
Farm  Mechanics 
Conducted  by  Robert  H.  Smith,  of  the  Canton  Agricultural  School 
Canton,  New  York 
dO  fe  et 
Waterprooof  Cellar  Wall 
How  can  1  make  a  foundation  wall 
under  my  house  impervious  to  water?  I 
am  contemplating  digging  a  cellar,  and 
building  a  12-in.  cement  wall  7  ft.  below 
(he  surface,  as  the  ground  is  rather  low 
and  no  possible  drainage.  I  will,  in  a 
wet  season,  encounter  water  about  4  ft. 
deep,  and  the  soil  is  what  we  call  white 
oak.  I  have  been  advised  by  old  resi¬ 
dents  not  to  attempt  to  dig  a  cellar,  as 
if  would  till  up  with  water,  but  being  an 
old  railroad  man  I  have  seen  some  ex¬ 
cellent  work  accomplished  by  using  con¬ 
crete  and  coal  tar  to  keep  out  the  spring 
water.  The  house  is  already  erected, 
built  seven  years  ago.  I  figured  on  dig¬ 
ging  an  excavation  around  outside  from 
the  foundation  about  21/4  ft.  wide,  the 
depth  1  wish  to  go,,  and  place  my  form 
for  the  wall,  and  leaving  a  space  of  V& 
in.  to  pour  the  hot  tar  therein  for  the 
outside  encasement  of  the  wall,  also  pour¬ 
ing  concrete  on  a  tarred  base  and  con¬ 
creting  entire  cellar  floor.  'Would  this 
be  successful  in  keeping  it  dry?  If  not, 
could  you  suggest  a  better  plan?  What 
would  be  the  proper  proportion  to  mix 
the  concrete  of  gravel,  sand  and  cement  ? 
This  wall  will  be  28x26  ft.,  7 %  ft.  deep 
and  12  in.  thick.  How  much  material 
will  it  take  to  make  a  first-class  job? 
Dover,  Del.  n.  M.  m. 
A  rich  mixture  of  concrete,  when  pro¬ 
perly  mixed  and  carefully  placed,  is  prac¬ 
tically  waterproof.  There  is  trouble, 
however,  due  to  cracks  formed  by  shrink¬ 
age  in  drying,  unequal  settling,  imperfect 
joints  between  new  and  old  work  and 
similar  causes  that  render  a  waterproof 
structure  of  this  size  difficult  to  make 
under  the  conditions  provided  by  the 
usual  farm  equipment  for  mixing  and 
placing  concrete. 
The  membranous  method  of  waterproof¬ 
ing  that  you  mention  is  used  where  it;  is 
wished  to  insure  against  some  of  the  de¬ 
fects  mentioned  above.  It  consists  of  a 
layer  of  building  felt  saturated  and 
cemented  down  with  hot  coal  tar  pitch  to 
the  side  of  the  wall  from  which  the  pres¬ 
sure  comes.  The  layer  may  be  of  any 
thickness  desired,  but  two  thicknesses 
should  be  sufficient  for  ordinary  cellar 
work.  Particular  care  must  be  exercised 
at  the  corners  and,  in  fact,  all  over  the 
surface,  to  see  that  every  part  is  covered 
with  the  pitch  and  thoroughly  rolled  and 
cemented  down,  forcing  out  all  the  air 
bubbles  and  securing  a  smooth  surface 
free  from  wrinkles. 
The  placing  of  this  membrane  as  you 
suggest  would  not  prevent  water  coming 
into  the  cellar.  You  state  that  water  is 
encountered  at  a  depth  of  about  4  ft. 
This  would  leave  a  depth  of  from  2  to  4 
ft.  in  the  cellar  bottom.  With  the  wall 
already  in  place  it  would  be  impossible 
to  carry  the  membrane  through  beneath 
it.  and  the  water  would  come  through  at 
this  unprotected  point  and  up  on  the  in¬ 
side  of  the  wall.  The  sketch  suggests  a 
method  of  doing  this.  The  inside  of  the 
existing  wall  is  leveled  up  with  concrete 
and  the  waterproofing  membrane  applied 
to  this ;  a  second  wall  is  then  built  inside 
to  support  this  membrane.  The  floor  is 
laid  by  first  securing  a  smooth  surface 
with  concrete  and  then  placing  the  mem¬ 
brane  and  the  wearing  floor  on  top  of 
this,  as  indicated. 
A  1:2:3  mixture,  that  is.  one  part 
cement,  two  parts  sand  and  three  parts 
stoue,  is  commonly  recommended  for  this 
class  of  work.  Good  work,  however,  lias 
been  done  with  a  1:2:4  mixture.  Much 
depends  upon  the  quality  of  the  sand  and 
gravel  used.  Both  should  be  clean  and 
well  graded  in  size,  so  that  a  dense  mix¬ 
ture  is  secured.  If  gravel  is  used  as  a 
source  of  aggregate  it  should  be  run  over 
As  far  as 
continuously 
joints  result, 
do  this  clean 
deucy  for  the  cement  and  water  to  rise 
to  the  top,  leaving  porous  spots  in  the 
wall,  while  too  dry  a  mixture  is  difficult 
to  get  compacted  into  place.  The  impor¬ 
tance  of  thorough  mixing  cannot  be  over¬ 
emphasized. 
possible  place  the  concrete 
so  that  no  construction 
Where  it  is  impossible  to 
... .  the  old  surface  thoroughly. 
at  the  same  time  roughening  it,  and  apply 
a  thin  coat  of  paste  made  from  clear 
cement  and  water  before  placing  the  new' 
concrete. 
As  to  quantities  required,  about  .2<i  of 
a  sack  is  required  for  each  cubic  foot  of 
finished  concrete  when  a  1 :2 :3  mixture 
is  used.  Figuring  your  wTall  at:  the  di¬ 
mensions  given  ttnd  providing  for  a  (>-iu. 
floor  indicates  the  use  of  about  380  sacks 
of  cement,  20  cubic  yards  of  sand  and  43 
cubic  yards  of  gravel  or  stone. 
Pumping  from  Deep  Well 
1  just  drilled  a  well  as  in  diagram,  04 
ft.  deep.  What  kind  of  pump  for  water 
dumping  from  Deep  Well 
system  will  take  the  water  from  bottom 
of  well  in  driest  time?  What  kind  of 
water  system  do  you  recommend? 
Bangor.  Pa.  T.  o. 
Your  sketch  shows  too  great  a  lift  for 
the  ordinary  shallow  well  pump  installed 
in  the  basement.  This  leaves  two  general 
types  of  pumping  outfits  from  which  you 
may  make  selection  : 
1.  The  type  in  which  more  or  less 
water  is  stored  under  pressure  in  .an  air¬ 
tight  container.  The  water  is  pumped  by 
a  deep  well  pump,  which  is  located  di¬ 
rectly  over  the  well.  If  desired,  and 
electric  current  is  available,  this  pump 
may  be  electrically  driven,  making,  in 
this  case,  the  pump  automatic  in  action, 
stiirting  when  a  faucet  is  opened  and 
stopping  iis  soon  as  pressure  is  restored 
after  closing  the  faucet.  Very  little 
water  is  stored  in  this  case,  and  the 
water  comes  fresh  from  the  well  for  use. 
2.  The  type  in  which  compressed  air 
only  is  stored,  the  compressed  air  being 
piped  to  an  air-driven  pump  in  the  well 
and  used  to  operate  the  pump  when  the 
pressure  on  the  tvater  line  is  relieved  by 
the  opening  of  a  faucet. 
Both  types  of  pumping  systems  have 
their  good  features.  An  advantage  of 
the  second  type  mentioned  is  the  fact 
that  it  permits  the  placing  of  the  power 
equipment  at  a  distance  from  the  well, 
in  any  convenient  location  desired,  and 
also  permits  pumping  from  several 
sources  from  the  same  motive  power, 
separate  pumps  alone  being  necessary. 
a  Vi -inch  mesh  screen,  the  portion  pass¬ 
ing  th< 
screen  being  considered  as  sand 
and  that  retained  upon  it  as  stone  in 
making  up  the  mixture.  All  ingredients, 
including  water,  should  be  carefully 
measured  to  insure  uniform  consistency 
in  all  batches,  enough  water  being  used 
to  secure  a  quaking  or  jelly-like  consist¬ 
ency.  If  mixed  too  wet  there  is  a  ten- 
TRADE  . 
RE6.U.S.  PAT.  OFK 
Inoc-Sul 
Inoculated.  Sulphur 
u.s.  pat.  off. 
Prevents  Potato  Scab 
Surely  - Easily  ~  Cheaply 
SCAB  is  the  worst  enemy  of  the  eastern 
potato  grower,  the  greatest  destroyer  of 
profits.  The  scourge  is  deep-seated  in  the  potato¬ 
growing  districts  and  year  by  year  is  getting 
worse  and  worse. 
But  potato  scab  can  be  controlled  at 
slight  cost  and  with  little  trouble. 
That  this  statement  is  true,  absolutely,  is 
proven  by  the  results  secured  from  the  use  of 
Inoc-Sul  at  Agricultural  Experiment  Stations 
and  by  big  producers  of  potatoes  in  many  dif¬ 
ferent  states.  No  matter  how  badly  your  potato  fields  may  be  infected  with  this 
troublesome,  profit-destroying  scab  organism,  the  application  of  Inoc-Sul  will  elimi¬ 
nate  from  75%  to  100%  of  the  scab  and  insure  a  crop  w  hich  is  practically  scab-free. 
Its  use  on  your  farm  will  largely  or  entirely  overcome  your  usual  loss  from  potato 
scab  and  insure  a  clean,  money-making  crop. 
Inoc-Sul  is  a  scientific  preparation  which  was  developed  at 
the  New  Jersey  State  Agricultural  'Experiment  Station  and 
is  manufactured  solely  by  the  Texas  Gulf  Sulphur  Co.,  the 
world’s  largest  producers  of  sulphur. 
Inoc-Sul  is  highest  grade  flour  of  sulphur  (99  chemically 
pure)  inoculated  with  the  organism  which  quickly  oxidizes 
the  sulphur,  making  it  active  as  a  germ  killer  and  also  avail¬ 
able  as  plant  food.  It  is  applied  at  the  rate  of  250  to  500  lbs. 
per  acre,  depending  upon  how  badly  the  field  is  infected  with 
scab.  No  special  machinery  is  needed  as  the  dry,  flour-like 
Inoc-Sul  may  be  broadcasted  by  hand,  with  ordinary  seed 
drill  or  fertilizer  broadcaster. 
Inoc-Sul  not  only  prevents  scab  but  has,  in  addition,  other 
valuable  characteristics.  Sulphur  is  a  necessary  plant  food 
in  which  most  soils  are  deficient.  Further,  it  hastens  the 
liberation  of  plant  foods  in  fertilizer  mixtures  and  liberates 
many  other  plant  foods  present  in  the  soil  in  slowly-available 
form. 
And  it  gives  potatoes  a  peculiar  smooth,  glossy 
surface  that  is  most  attractive  to  buyers. 
Inoc-Sul  should  be  applied  early,  as  soon  after  plowing  as 
possible.  So  you  should  plan  NOW  to  secure  the  amount 
you  will  require  this  season  to  treat  every  square  rod  of  land 
you  will  plant  to  this  money-crop. 
Get  in  touch  with  us.  Use  the  coupon  below  or  follow  that 
form  when  writing.  We  will  promptly  give  you  all  the  facts, 
tell  you  the  name  of  your  local  dealer  who  handles  Inoc-Sul, 
or,  if  necessary,  arrange  to  supply  the  amount  you  will  need. 
Be  sure  of  a  clean  potato  crop  this  year, 
us  TOD  A  Y. 
Write 
TEXAS  GULF  SULPHUR  CO. 
Desk  B,  41  East  4Z~  St.  New  York  City 
Texas  Gulf  Sulphur  Co.,  Desk  B,  41  E.  42nd  St.,  New  York 
Without  cost  or  obligation  on  my  part,  tell  me  how  T  can  surely  and  cheaply  keep  my  potato 
crop  practically  free  from  scab.  I  plan  to  grow  (how  many) . acres  of  potatoes. 
Name . 
County . 
My  dealer  is  (Name)  . . 
(Address) 
P.  O. 
State . 
Phone  No. 
