FARM BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT. 



281 



days it is cut with curled hair or sand- 

 paper to remove tlie gloss, so the next 

 coat ■win adhere well; then two or 

 three coats of varnish five days apart, 

 each coat well rubbed except the last, 

 which may be left glossy, or given a 

 flat tone by rubbing with pumice stone 

 and water. 



Shingling a Roof. 



More persons fail in shingling a 

 roof than in other rough building 

 work, yet it is really very simple, 

 ir you begin at the top of the roof 

 to shingle, you will not be the first 

 man who has done so. BUT DON'T! 

 Always begin at the bottom. Break 

 the joints by laying the center of 

 a shingle over the cracks of two 

 others, or a wide shingle to cover the 

 cracks of narrow shingles. The raft- 

 ers should be laid level; the shingles 

 laid with not more than one-quarter 

 of their length exposed to the wea- 

 ther, and nailed above the lap. Very 

 wide shingles have three nails, the 

 average two, and very narrow shin- 

 gles one nail each. 



Each line of shingles must be laid 

 true to the line, one with the others, 

 the lower course being laid about two 

 inches over the edge of the lower- 

 sheathing board. The details of 

 shingling are as follows: Stretch a 

 line at the proper distance beyond 

 the lower roof-board, lay the butts 

 of the first course of shingles to this 

 line, narrow and wide, just as they 

 com«3, discarding such as are shaky, 

 wormy or rotten. This course laid, 

 stretch the rechalked line along the 

 row of shingles the proper number 

 of inches above the lower edge, draw 

 It tight, snap it, and you have the 

 mark for the next course. Nail on 

 this course, always having a shingle 

 cover a crack by at least one inch. 

 So proceed course by course, moving 

 your foot-rest up the roof when you 

 can no longer nail from the scaffold 

 on the side. When you have reached 

 the peak, saw the last shingles square 

 with the slope of the other roof. 

 Shingle the other side, saw these off 

 fair, cover the peak with two strips, 

 nicely jointed together, and the roof 

 will be as good as the best. 



Care of Implements. 



All farm implements should be 



kept under cover and cared for when 



not in use. The mowing machine, 



reaper, plows and all other imple- 



ments having bright surfaces, should 

 have these covered with a mixture 

 of kerosene and lampblack, when put 

 away. It is easily rubbed off when 

 they are wanted again, and the sur- 

 faces thus retain their polish. When 

 left in the field over night they should 

 be rubbed with an oiled cloth. Only 

 pure oil, unsalted, should be used. 

 A pint will last long and save many 

 dollars. 



You will be surprised, on trial, how 

 small a space is really required to 

 store all tools, and small farm imple- 

 ments from the weather. An open 

 shed will do for wagons, sleds, har- 

 rows, and that class of machinery; 

 but a closed room is necessary for 

 plows and other implements having 

 bright surfaces. If they are exposed 

 under an unenclosed roof the moii^ 

 ture of the atmosphere is apt to ru«t 

 them in damp weather, to say noth- 

 ing of injury from dust and the dan- 

 ger that they will be stolen by night 

 prowlers while the farmer is asleep. 



Ventilation. 



For many years, the ventilation of 

 stock barns was under careful experi- 

 ment. Many recommended and sug- 

 gested systems were put into opera- 

 tion in horse stables, cattle stables 

 and hog pens, and the results were 

 carefully compared. The object was 

 to determine what system would pro- 

 duce the most uniform results in se- 

 curing purity and dryness of atmos- 

 phere without draughts and with the 

 least amount of attention. The re- 

 sults of these investigations have 

 been very profitable, inasmuch as a 

 highly satisfactory system has been 

 arrived at, and one that is not pro- 

 tected by patent rights. It Is simple 

 in irrinciple and inexpensive to install. 

 It is automatic in action and only 

 slightly infiuenced by the rate or di- 

 rection of the wind. 



The system was Invented and put 

 into operation by Dr. J. G. Ruther- 

 ford, for a number of years Dominion 

 Veterinary Director General and Live 

 Stock Commissioner, and is known as 

 the "Rutherford" system. The prin- 

 ciple upon which it works is that of 

 an ordinary stove — the stable corres- 

 ponding to the stove, the animals to 

 the fire, the inlets to the front damp- 

 er and the outlets for the foul air to 

 the stove pipe or chimney. So long 

 as the walls, windows and doors are 

 fairly close, the animals raise the 



