FARM BUILDINGS. 663 



materially to the amount of fertilizers for farm use. If the soil is sandy, and therefore 

 leachy, it should be covered with clay to prevent the escape of the liquid manure by leaching 

 into the subsoil. Some farmers have been at the expense of making a concrete basin of their 

 barn-yards, thus making a complete reservoir for all the fertilizing substances that are con 

 tained within it, and from which none can escape but by evaporation. 



Granary. Instead of a separate building for the storage of grain, many farmers devote 

 a portion of the barn to this purpose, or the upper part of some of the other out-buildings, 

 where a series of bins are made to substitute a granary. It is far better, however, to have a 

 separate building for such use, one built with special reference to the protection of grain 

 from rats, mice, and other vermin. It may not necessarily be a very large or elaborately- 

 built structure. The size and style of its construction will depend upon the size and require 

 ments of the farm, but whether large or small, it should be so arranged as to prevent the 

 entrance of rats and mice, and for the admission of air for keeping the grain dry. 



A granary should be set up from three to four feet from the ground, on a perfectly 

 smooth brick wall, or on stone posts. This is to prevent the entrance of rats and mice. In 

 olden times, it was customary to use posts on which the building was elevated, that were 

 capped with large, flat, smooth stones. Although such an arrangement is more useful than 

 ornamental, since it proves an effectual means of securing the object sought, yet if the stone 

 posts or brick wall, as before mentioned, are made as smooth as possible, they will subserve 

 the purpose equally well, and look very much better. 



Where brick walls are employed, spaces must be left open sufficient for a free circulation 

 of air under the building. In order to admit of a free circulation of air in the building, two 

 sides of it should be covered with slats from two and a half to four inches wide, placed about 

 half an inch apart. The other sides should be boarded tight. The eaves should project con 

 siderably, and the entire building be kept in good repair, that there may be no leakages from 

 roof or sides. There should be a passage-way through the center of the building, and doors 

 at each end. The doors should be provided with locks for the purpose of security when 

 desired. There should be a sufficient number of windows to render the building conveniently 

 light. It should also be provided with a good ventilator in the roof. The bins can be 

 arranged according to convenience. It is well, however, to locate the bins for holding ears 

 of corn against the sides of the building, covered with slats, while those for wheat, oats, 

 shelled corn, and meal, should be placed against the sides that are boarded, as a preventive 

 against dampness. Each bin should be provided with a well-fitting cover, and also a lock 

 and key. 



Every bin should also have its capacity in bushels plainly marked upon it. It is a good 

 plan to have the number of bushels which each bin contains marked on a slate or blackboard 

 attached to it. An arrangement for this purpose may be painted on each bin at the time of 

 completing the building. By this means the amount it contains can be recorded, as well as 

 the amount taken out from time to time, and by deducting the sum of the latter number of 

 bushels from the former, the amount on hand can at any time be definitely ascertained. The 

 bins should be divided into several compartments by partitions, each holding from ten to 

 forty bushels, or more, of grain. 



Scaffolds in the upper part of the building, and which may be reached by stairs, will be 

 found convenient for various purposes. A good step-ladder will also be necessary for use in 

 tho granary. The grain should always be perfectly dry and clean when put into the bins, 

 and with the proper provision for ventilation and protection against dampness, as previously 

 indicated, it can be kept in the best condition. 



Hog -House. In the breeding and rearing of swine, buildings will be necessary in 

 which provision is made for warmth in cold weather, and a protection against the hot sun in 



