650 



THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



This is the most practical and economical way of furnishing timbers for this purpose. I 

 would advise to have the roof steep ; it gives many feet more space without much more cost; 

 is not so apt to leak, and will last better, because it dries off quicker after a rain. Instead 

 of ridge-boards at the top, I would always use tin. Use a strip 10 to 12 or 14 inches wide, 

 made as long as the barn, put in a roll ; then, after the barn is shingled and ready, nail the 

 tin as a cap over the ridge. It will answer a much better purpose than boards. 



The use of well-seasoned lumber is one of the most important things about building, and 

 too important to neglect, even in making a barn. &quot;When building a barn a few years ago, 

 36 by 100 feet, and 24-foot posts, I selected old, well-seasoned, sized lumber, 1 by 12 inches, 

 and had it dressed to order. The thickness was so good that I had it dressed a full inch, 

 instead of seven-eighths, as it always is in market, and the width overran nearly enough to 

 make up the waste in matching, so that 37 boards would cover the 36-foot end of the barn. 



FARM BARN. 



These wide boards have not warped, and their joints have not opened as much, as siding of 

 half its width often does. 



The arrangements about such a barn will not be complete without a good cistern, unless 

 it has a better natural water supply than one barn in twenty can have. To insure a good 

 supply of water, build a large cistern in the bank on the upper side of the barn, and have 

 a pipe go from near the bottom of the cistern through into the basement of the barn, .so that 

 water can be drawn by a faucet. Then a pump over the cistern will furnish water for use 

 above. This I have found to give an almost unfailing supply.&quot; 



It has been estimated by those who have given the subject of economical farm buildings 

 considerable attention, that a basis upon which the lowest possible cost of building a barn 

 may be calculated is about $10 per head for each horse or cow that it will accommodate with 

 comfortable quarters, and about the same per ton for the safe storage of all crops grown 

 upon the farm. This will, of course, be subject to variation, and admit of considerable 



