Always begin placing the concrete on the low side of the floor, so that
the rain from sudden showers will not run from the hard onto the newly
placed concrete. Fill the trench and the slab section of the forms with
concrete. Bring the surface to grade by drawing over it a straight edge
with its ends on the opposite forms or with one end on the form and the
other on the finished concrete. Four inches in from the edge, on each
of the low sides, temporarily embed the rounded 4 by 6-inch gutter mold
and tamp it down until its square top is even with the surface of the
slab section of the floor. Remove the mold, finish with a wooden float
and cure the floor as described on pages 31-34. Connect the gutters
with the manure pit by means of a trough, another gutter, or by large
drain tile laid underground.
[Illustration]
On the next page is given an itemized bill of materials necessary for a
6-inch floor 24 by 36 feet, amply large to accommodate 50 hogs.
=Materials Required=
Crushed rock or screened gravel, 20 cubic yards @ $1.10 $22.00
Sand, 10 cubic yards @ $1.00 10.00
Portland cement, 28 barrels @ $2.50 70.00
-------
$102.00
Mixing the concrete by hand, 5 men can usually finish this floor in two
days. Depending upon the price of labor and materials and the thickness
of the concrete, the floor will cost 6 to 12 cents for each square foot
of surface.
[Illustration]