Where Concrete Pays 
A HUNDRED PER CENT MATERIAL WHEN EMPLOYED SKILFULLY AROUND THE 
GARDEN—WHAT THINGS CAN BE MADE—THE KNACK OF MAKING THEM 
by F. F. Rockwell 
E xceptional indeed is the 
place whose owner cannot 
think of some improvement, or 
some dozen improvements, that he 
would like to see made. Walks, 
culverts, troughs, hitching-posts, 
fence-posts, fountains, retaining 
walls, hot-beds, vegetable pits, 
steps, foundations and supports 
for buildings, floors, pergolas, 
summer-houses, hand-rails, to say 
nothing of more elaborate things, 
such as ice-houses, root-cellars, 
tanks, and so forth, are all within 
his reach when he has at his dis¬ 
posal concrete and iron pipe. For 
undertaking such jobs no time of 
the year is better than 
the present. 
The use of concrete 
i s simplicity itself. 
The only ingredients 
required are Portland 
cement, clean, m e- 
dium - coarse sand, 
gravel and water. In 
place of gravel, clean 
cinders o r crushed 
stone may be used. 
Sometimes it is pos¬ 
sible to get gravel that 
is mixed with sand in 
the proper propor¬ 
tion as it comes from 
the bank. Ordinarily, 
however, it should be 
screened, so that the 
sand and gravel may 
be measured separate¬ 
ly. Having the ingre¬ 
dients accurately pro¬ 
portioned is one of 
the most important 
factors in achieving 
successful results with concrete, and requires some attention. 
The mixture of the ingredients is based on the principle of 
having the particles of sand of sufficient number to fill the spaces 
in the gravel or crushed stone, and the particles of cement—which 
is ground to a microscopic fineness—fill the minute spaces be¬ 
tween the grains of sand. After such a mixture has “set” or 
hardened the result is a monolithic compound so strong that if it 
is broken with a hammer the fracture will be found to run across 
the stones. It is practically solid rock. 
The proportions of the ingredients are varied according to the 
nature of the work for which the concrete is to be used. There 
are three standard formulas, known respectively as “lean,” 
“medium” and “rich” mixtures. The former is used for thick re¬ 
taining walls, floors, sub-bases and anywhere where bulk and 
weight, rather than strength, are 
required. A medium mixture is 
used for ordinary purposes, such 
as walks, curbs, steps, walls, etc., 
and a rich mixture where great 
strength, fine finish or imper¬ 
viousness to moisture are needed, 
such as for more elaborate forms 
of walls, garden furniture, sup¬ 
porting posts, thin walls, etc. 
“Reinforced” concrete is simply 
concrete with some material, usu¬ 
ally metal in the shape of wires, 
rods or woven-wire netting, to 
give it extra strength for such 
uses as complicated forms, thin 
walls, floors, and anywhere where 
special stress and 
strain may be encoun¬ 
tered. 
The proportions for 
these several mi x- 
tures are usually as 
follows, though, of 
course, they may be 
varied after one has 
a little experience, as 
the requirements of 
the job suggest: 
Lean mixture: One 
part cement; three 
parts sand; six parts 
gravel. 
Medium mixture: 
One cement; two and 
one-half sand; five 
gravel. 
Rich mixture: One 
cement; two sand 
four gravel. 
Finishing mixture: 
Three shovelsful of 
clean, sharp sand to 
ten pounds of cement. 
The latter mixture is used for finishing off curbs and gutters, 
surfacing walks or walls, etc. It should always be applied be¬ 
fore the first form has set hard. 
After the materials are got together, and you know exactly 
what you want to construct, the forms must be prepared. For 
most work they are made of wood. The “form” is simply a 
casing to hold the wet cement in shape until it hardens. For any 
job that requires considerable concrete, the forms are generally 
made in sectional units, which can be used over and over. In 
making up the forms, two things are necessary: They must be 
rigid ; any “give,” bulge or leak will leave a corresponding de¬ 
facement on the finished job that cannot be rectified afterward. 
And the “face” of the form, which comes next to the wet con- 
(Continued on page 320) 
The making of a concrete chicken-coop is a simple job, and the results are 
sanitary and permanent 
In the greenhouse the possibilities of concrete are almost limitless. No material is better for shelves, 
supports and flooring 
299 
