24 



WISCONSIN BULLETIN 266 



Many in planning their farm structures desire permanency. 

 Concrete, brick, stone or concrete block are very satisfactory 



for walls. The walls, if built 

 of solid concrete, should be 

 from 10 to 12 inches thick, 

 and well reinforced around 

 corners and doorways as 

 shown in Figure 16. The 

 walls may be of any height 

 but it is advisable to build 

 them either to the bottom of 

 the windows or to make an 

 entire masonary basement. 

 An all fireproof barn is of 



FIG. 16. OPENINGS WELL _, 



REINFORCED doubtful value. The hay and 



It is important that concrete walls, es- ofr-aw <itnrpH in thp havmrmr 



pecially about openings and around cor- Straw, blOI (I Uie naymO\\ 



ners be well reinforced. The material arp n f o lir h fl rharartpr that 



used to reinforce the wall should be pro- ai ( 



tected by two inches of concrete; other- JU A ar Q f hoot in raco rf firo 



wise the rust will weaken it. tne great Heat in CaSC 01 lire 



would be likely to cause the 



solid wall or roof to crack on the explosion of the gas generated 

 from the fire. There, is no doubt, however, of the value of a 

 fireproof basement. 1 Such a construction is within the reach 

 of any man who can afford to put $4,000 into a barn. 



PROTECT AGAINST LIGHTNING 



Barns are less likely to be damaged by lightning if rods are 

 used. Investigations by the farmers' mutual fire insurance 

 companies proves that the damage to rodded barns by light- 

 ning is low in comparison with the damage to unrodded 

 barns. Many reports on the use of the lightning rod show 

 that it is from 80 to 99 per cent efficient on farm buildings. 



Iron and copper or combinations of the two are the com- 

 mercial materials available for lightning rods. Both of these 

 materials give equal satisfaction. The important points in 

 selecting and installing the lightning rod are: 



(1) Do not use insulators. Fasten the rod directly to the 

 building; (2) The rod should be made of a material which 

 will resist the action of weather and soil; (3) Joints must be 

 rigid and permanent. Screw joints are considered best; (4) 



The complete design of a reinforced concrete barn basement can be secured for 

 five cents by applying to the Agricultural Engineering department, University of 

 Wisconsin, Madison. 



