122 CITY MILK SUPPLY 



Both methods have ardent advocates. The principal advantage claimed 

 for heading the cows outward is that it makes the handling of the manure 

 easy, for a cart or manure spreader can be driven down the cleaning 

 alley and loaded from the gutters at each side. Also, this mode of sta- 

 bling shows off the cows to visitors best. The advantage of heading the 

 cows inward are: (1) feeding is more easily done with the feed alley in the 

 middle of the barn; (2) the gutters, being near the windows, have direct 

 sunlight ; (3) the light falls on the rear quarters of the animals, making it 

 easy to clean the animals and stalls, and to milk; (4) there is less confusion 

 in letting the cows in and out; (5) the supporting posts can be placed in the 

 line of the head rail which is at the narrowest part of the cow, thereby 

 saving room. An objection to this arrangement is that the walls are likely 

 to be splashed with dung and consequently to need careful attention. 



In barns where the cows are headed out the cleaning alley forms a 

 driveway down the middle of the barn, and parallel on each side in suc- 

 cession toward the wall is placed a gutter, a platform, a row of mangers 

 and a feeding alley. The driveway is 9 ft. wide, the gutters are 16 in. 

 wide, 10 in. deep next the platform and 4 in. deep next the alley; 

 they should pitch 1 in. in 20 ft. toward the lower end of the stable. 

 The platforms are 5 ft. wide. The rear partition of the mangers at the 

 front of the platform is 6 in. wide. The manger is 3 ft. wide with the top 

 30 in. from the floor. The feed alley is 3 ft. 4 in. wide. 



In barns where the cows face inward, a feed alley 6 ft. wide runs length- 

 wise down the middle of the barn, then in succession toward each wall 

 and of the same dimensions as where the cows face outward, come the 

 mangers, the platforms and the gutter, leaving a space of 4 or 5 ft. for the 

 cleaning alley between the gutter and the wall. 



Barn Floor. Some of the details of construction should engage atten- 

 tion. The floors are sometimes of earth but they are usually either of 

 wood or of concrete. Dirt floors are permitted only where the most primi- 

 tive conditions obtain. They are insanitary because they cannot be 

 kept clean, and they are objectionable because the larvae of flies breed in 

 them. The most wretched are those without gutters; those with concrete 

 gutters having the cement work carried forward beneath the cows far 

 enough to catch the urine are more decent. The first cost of wooden 

 floors is generally less than that of cement ones but they are shorter lived; 

 the length of service they give is dependent on the way they are built. 

 They last longest either laid in contact with the earth so that moisture is 

 constantly retained or laid so as to admit free circulation of air below. 

 Under such conditions they possibly may last 6 to 10 years but where they 

 are laid so that there is not sufficient air space below to admit free circu- 

 lation of air they wear out in 3 to 5 years. Wooden floors are objection- 

 able because they absorb urine and become foul-smelling. Concrete 

 floors are best; they commonly have a thickness of 4 in. of grout and a 



