Concrete in the Country presents a broad illustrated survey of concrete work around the farm. Published by the Association of American Portland Cement Manufacturers in Philadelphia, the scanned volume carries a 1910 copyright and identifies itself as Bulletin 26. It combines general directions with a long series of applications to farm buildings, water systems, yards and smaller improvements.
Learning the material before choosing a project
The introductory argument places concrete within a discussion of conserving farm resources and replacing perishable materials. It is an industry publication, and its enthusiasm for the material is part of its historical character. Readers can examine both the practical instructions and the way manufacturers presented concrete to rural customers.
The general directions cover Portland cement, sand, stone and gravel, followed by proportions and measuring materials. Measuring boxes, tools and the differences between dry, medium and wet mixtures are considered. The text then moves through hand mixing, the quantities needed and the arrangement of work.
Forms receive their own treatment, including lumber selection, wiring and cleaning. Placing, protection after placement and reinforcement complete the basic sequence. This order is useful because it shows that making a concrete improvement involves temporary equipment and handling decisions as well as the finished shape.
Walks, yards and barn surfaces
Walks are an early application, followed by approaches, driveways and related surfaces. The range then expands to feeding floors, manure pits, barnyard pavements and other working areas. Photographs and drawings help connect these subjects with the organization of an actual farm.
Barn floors are discussed in relation to their use, including cow-barn and horse-barn arrangements. Gutters, feeding troughs, racks and mangers form part of the same working environment. The book therefore treats concrete as an element in a larger arrangement of animals, cleaning, movement and storage.
Foundations, repairs to old buildings and wind or snow walls extend the discussion beyond new floor construction. These sections are of particular interest to readers researching how farms were adapted over time. They show a material being introduced into existing buildings and routines rather than only into entirely new structures.
Water, storage and small buildings
A large group of applications concerns water: well protection, covers, spring improvements, cisterns, tanks and watering troughs. Other entries include dipping vats and milk vats. Their variety illustrates how a single material was promoted for retaining water, protecting a water source and providing washable surfaces.
The book also discusses silos, granary and corn-crib floors, fruit or vegetable cellars, and small farm buildings. A reader can compare the different demands of a storage space, an animal building and a machinery foundation. These are not interchangeable uses simply because all involve concrete.
Engine bases and small structures such as milk houses, tool houses and ice houses are included. Steps and cellar hatchways connect buildings with access and circulation. The general index makes it possible to locate these individual applications without reading every preceding example.
Garden and miscellaneous improvements
Poultry houses and hens’ nests, cold frames and hotbeds bring the subject closer to household-scale production. Fence and gate posts, rollers, weights, drain-tile outlets and culverts broaden the reference further. Some examples are modest objects; others require substantial site preparation and design.
This range is the book’s main attraction for a homesteading-history collection. It records the many everyday problems to which concrete was being applied in the early twentieth century. The illustrations are also useful evidence of building layouts and farm equipment of the period.
Reading a historical construction guide
This free ebook is suited to farm historians, preservation researchers and readers exploring older construction literature. Its historical water, sanitation and structural details need present-day evaluation before any practical use. The volume is a reference to period methods and assumptions, not a substitute for current engineering or public-health requirements.
The PDF contains 128 digital pages, including library binding material, preliminary pages and the illustrated text. Two opening indexes separate general construction directions from particular farm applications. Searchable text is present, although spelling and numbers can be misread by recognition software. Consult the page image when studying a dimension, table or drawing.
Book details
- Author: Association of American Portland Cement Manufacturers
- Publisher: Association of American Portland Cement Manufacturers, Philadelphia
- Year: 1910
- Edition: Bulletin 26; copyright 1910
- Digital length: 128 PDF pages
- Language: English
- File size: 14.32 MB
