Many farm houses have no walks about them. In too many cases only weedy paths lead to the front door and to side porches. We should plan to change these "farm houses " into farm homes. One of the best ways is to provide permanent walks - walks to the well and to the front gate; walks to the horse lot, as well as the garden. Gravel is thought to be the best material for this use, though sometimes crushed rock is available. Brick would be used more freely if less expensive. Neither of these materials makes a permanent walk.

The cheapest and best material for walks and certain floors is a concrete made of cement combined with gravel, or crushed rock, or crushed brick, and covered with cement and topping to give a durable finish. This same material may be used to great advantage as flooring for stalls in stables, dairies, graneries, etc. Such combinations, or concretes, are much cheaper than is commonly thought.

Take one part of cement to five parts of gravel or crushed brick, to form the foundation. This need be only three or four inches deep and laid flush with the ground surface or one inch above. Guide strips must be used to confine the walk to straight or regular lines. These strips of 1 x 4 or 1 x 6 laths should be laid down by careful measurement. When the foundation has begun to " set, " put on one inch of topping made of two parts clean sand and one of cement. Rub the fresh surface repeatedly with a trowel to give a hard, smooth finish. When this surface has set, keep it moist for several days, laying wet sand on it to a depth of one inch.

These directions will enable any farmer or stockman to put down a permanent walk or floor if common sense be used in doing these simple things. The most durable results may be insured by repeatedly working over and mixing the cement with other ingredients, while all are dry, then wetting slowly while still working and applying in place quickly, before particles begin to set.

These concrete walks are commonly called " cement walks." After some unpleasant experience we can advise that a less expensive concrete can be made of flashed coal-tar and sand, which resembles asphalt very closely, but its application is troublesome and annoying because of its sticky preperties. In any case where large, flat surfaces are to be laid with concrete, parallel guides of 2 x 4 or 2 X 6 scantling should be placed every three feet, and the mixtuie placed in these by belts to insure proper levels and make the work uniform in all its parts. The scantling used must be straight to permit " striking off " to a plane surface. Floors that are expected to receive water frequently, or that require many washings, must be laid with a fall of 1 1/2 or 2 inches to every ten feet.

The tools and equipment required for laying any ordinary job of concrete are: A wooden mortar box or a smooth platform, a packing maul for firming foundation, hoes and shovels, a plasterer's trowel, a spirit level and a straight edge for striking off smooth surfaces.