FARM BUILDINGS. 253 



to all weathers without use, than by careful usage with proper 

 protection. 



A HORSE POWER either stationary or moveable, can be 

 made to contribute greatly to the economy of farming opera- 

 tions, where there is much grain to thresh, or straw, hay or 

 corn stalks to cut. With the aid of this, some of the port- 

 able mills may crush and grind much of the grain required for 

 feeding. Even the water may be pumped by it into large 

 troughs for the use of cattle, and all the fuel sawed, thereby 

 saving more expensive in labor. 



A STEAMING APPARATUS. 



Where there are many swine to fatten, or grain is to be 

 fed, this is at all times an economical appendage to the farm. 

 It has been shown from several experiments, that cattle and 

 sheep will generally thrive as well on raw as on cooked roots ; 

 but horses do better on the latter, and swine will not fatten 

 on any other. For all animals excepting store sheep, and 

 perhaps even they may be excepted, grain or meal is better 

 when cooked. Food must be broken up before the various 

 animal organs can appropriate it to nutrition ; and whatever 

 is done towards effecting this object before it enters the 

 stomach, diminishes the necessity for the expenditure of vital 

 force in accomplishing it, and thereby enables the animal to 

 thrive more rapidly and do more labor, on a given amount. 

 For this reason we apprehend, there may have been some 

 errors undetected in the experiments in feeding sheep and 

 cattle with raw and cooked roots, which results in placing 

 them apparently on a par as to their value for this purpose. 

 The crushing or grinding of the grain insures more perfect 

 mastication, and is performed by machinery at much less 

 expense, than by the animals consuming it. The steaming 

 or boiling is the final step towards its easy and profitable 

 assimilation in the animal economy. With a capacious 

 steaming-box for the reception of the food, the roots and meal, 

 and even cut hay, straw and stalks may be thrown in together, 

 and all will thus be most effectually prepared for nourish- 

 ment. There is another advantage derivable from this 

 practice. The food might at all times be given at the 

 temperature of the animal system, about 98 of Farenheit, 

 and the animal heat expended in warming the cold and 

 sometimes frozen food, would be avoided. 



The steaming apparatus is variously constructed. We 

 have used one consisting of a circular boiler five and a half 



