•620 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE, 



cheapest articles of food. The public therefore has some right in the mat- 

 ter, and the poor babies that have to subsist on sow's milk are entitled to 

 the consideration of every man who keeps cows, whether the milk is con- 

 sumed by his own chilren or by the children in the towns and cities. 

 First-class milk cannot be produced in an improperly ventilated stable. 



The ventilation of the stable involves some expense and some thought 

 as well; but laying aside all moral considerations and all consideration 

 for the health of the cattle, the money spent in ventilation will pay in 

 dollars and cents better even than the same amount expended in feed for 

 the live stock. All that is necessary to secure ventilation is to put a flue 

 in the barn made of galvanized iron, or of well seasoned wood, air-tight, 

 commencing within a foot of the floor and extending up through the 

 Imilding above the cone of the roof. A flue of this kind two by two feet 

 on the inside wil furnish ventilation for twenty cows. It is quite as 

 necessary to furnish an inlet for the air as an outlet. 



The reason why the ventilating tube should reach the floor is that car- 

 bon dioxide and other impurities are heavier than the iar, and hense fail 

 to the floor and are carried out in an air-tight ventilating tube, because 

 the air in the stable is of a higher temperature and therefore lighter than 

 the air outside. In other words, the ventilating flue acts precisely as the 

 chimney of an old-fashioned fireplace. The air should be admitted not 

 through cracks or open doors or knot holes, but through other flues at the 

 top of the stable instead of the bottom,, and should be admitted in several 

 places in order to prevent drafts. 



It is not necessary for the cow stable to be more than eight feet high, 

 Eight is better than nine, because with pure air admitted there is no 

 necessity for a high ceiling. In constructing barns it is comparatively 

 easy to make provision both for letting the air in and getting it out. It 

 is more costly to insert these ventilating tubes in old barns or stables; 

 but ventilation should be secured regardless of expense. It will save 

 feed; will add largely to the comfort of the animal; will largely prevent 

 tuberculosis and other dangerous diseases, and will go far to supply 

 wholesome milk for consumption at home and elsewhere. 



The present article is simply for the purpose of calling the attention 

 of our readers to this exceedingly important subject. In future issues we 

 will go into the subject more fully, and point out methods by which ven- 

 tilation can be secured at the minimum of cost. We consider this a mat- 

 ter of vital importance to every farmer. 



