Watering Troughs and Tanks
All thrifty farmers are building their tanks and troughs of concrete. Such troughs never rot, rust, or leak.
By using concrete, tanks of any size and shape can be made.
Watering Tank for Horses and Cattle
Most stockmen prefer to build their watering tanks oblong in shape. Having decided upon the size, locate the tank in a handy, well drained, wind-sheltered place.
To build a tank like the one shown in the picture, lay out the trough 5 by 16 feet. Make an excavation for a drainage foundation as directed under [Sidewalks], page 29. Around the outside dig a 10-inch trench 2 feet 6 inches deep. Lay all in-flow and over-flow pipes (not less than 1½ inches in diameter) so that the ends, fitted for connections, will be even with the finished bottom of the tank.
Build the forms and have the necessary reinforcing on hand before mixing any concrete. The tank is 5 by 16 feet by 2½ feet deep with an 8-inch bottom. The walls are 5 inches thick at the top and 10 inches at the bottom. (The sloping face allows the ice to slip up the sides instead of pushing directly against them.) Consequently the inside forms at the bottom are 5 inches shorter at each end than at the top.
The forms are nothing more than shell boxes made from odd lengths of 1-inch siding nailed to 2 by 4-inch studding spaced not more than 2 feet apart. The sides of the forms may be made separate and put together in place; or, if there is sufficient help, each form may be entirely completed and set up as one piece. The forms are held in position by 2 by 4-inch liners at top and bottom, and if necessary by sloping braces nailed to stakes driven in the ground. Cut strips of heavy woven wire fencing sufficiently long to cover the bottom and to project up into the walls.
