LIVE STOCK 171 



air out. Warm air is lighter than cold air, hence it rises- 

 A stable is warmer near the ceiling, if the ceiling is tight, 

 than near the floor. Hence the ventilator flue should 

 open near the floor so as not to take out the warm air. The 

 carbon dioxide exhaled by animals is heavier than air, hence 

 it settles to the floor and will be taken out by such a venti- 

 lator. Air should be let into the stable near the ceiling, 

 whence it will gradually settle and become partially warmed 

 before it reaches the animals. The illustration in Figure 73 

 shows how a ventilator should work. Notice the bams in 

 the neighborhood and make a note of the number of windows 

 and ventilators. How is your bam lighted and ventilated? 



Conveniences. — Since chores are so frequent, just a few 

 minutes lost each time they are done amounts to many 

 hours in a year, probably several days; hence it is well to 

 plan to have the barns handy. Feed, both hay and grain, 

 should be stored close to the feeding alleys, which should 

 be sufficiently large. Cleaning the stables is probably the 

 heaviest part of the chores, and should be made as easy 

 as possible. If stalls are so arranged that a team can be 

 driven through the barn and the manure loaded in a spreader, 

 wagon or sled, and hauled directly to the field, it will be 

 much easier than where it is necessary to throw it to one 

 end or side of the barn, then throw it out of a door or a 

 window and pitch it into a wagon outside. This last method 

 is common on many farms, and results in a great loss of 

 labor and time, besides a loss in the value of the manure. The 

 sooner manure can be put on the field after it is taken from 

 the stable the better. A manure pile lying under the eaves 

 of a bam for a few months may lose one half of its value. 

 If a new barn is being built, or the old one changed, a great 

 deal of thought and study should be put on it to make it 

 as convenient as possible. A day spent in planning the 

 alleys, stalls, etc., may save many days' work each year. 



Cost. — A feature that must not be overlooked is the 

 cost of a barn. A barn is built to shelter stock, and stock 

 is kept for profit. When a barn is built, it must earn for 

 the farmer enough each year to pay interest on the invest- 

 ment, cost of insurance, taxes, repairs and yearly deprecia- 

 tion. If a barn costs $1,000 and lasts 25 years, the yearly 



