Seo. 16.] THE BARN AND ITS APPUKTENANCES. 301 



Above all things, in selecting a site for tlie farmery, of which the barn, 

 with its appurtenances, forms such a conspicuous portion, avoid locatin" 

 directly upon both sides of the road, and all locations upon brook or river 

 banks, which allow so much fertility to be washed away. xVnd do not go 

 to the bottom of the hill because there is a natural spring tliere, or because 

 you can dig a well so easily. You can have a cistern anywhere near a roof, 

 if you can not get a well. Do not locate on the very pinnacle of the hill — 

 it is too bleak, even in quite M'arin latitudes. If you place the house on the 

 hill, you need not put the barn, like one I see almost daily, on the top of 

 the highest pile of rocks in the vicinity — a spot bleak enough to blow the 

 hair off a cow's back. 



Having said this much of tlie most important question, wo will now 

 introduce some descriptions of a few of the best barns in this country. 



320. Barn built by the Shakers, Canterbury, X, U.— Tlie location of this 

 Shaker society is about lifteen miles north of Conconl, X. II., and nine miles 

 cast of Merrimac River. The society is composed of three families, and 

 owns about 2,500 acres, lying in nearly a square form, in the center of 

 which are their substantially built and commodious dwelling-houses and 

 numerous other buildings, all of which are painted of lightish colore, and 

 kept in the most complete repair and neatness. 



The main body of the barn is 200 feet in length by 45 in width, with 3i 

 feet posts (three stories high). The roof is nearly flat, double boarded, then 

 covered with three layers of stout sheathing paper, saturated with coal tar, 

 upon which is spread a thick coat of coal tar and screened gravel. There 

 is a projection at each end of the barn, 25 feet in length and about 16 in 

 width, so that the whole length is 250 feet. Tlie whole structure is well 

 boarded. The sides and ends are covered with IG-inch pine shingles, laid 

 four inches to the weather. There are three floors, extending the whole 

 length of the main body of the barn. The ground upon which the barn 

 was erected was nearly level, but at great expense a drive-way has been 

 graded, of easy ascent, so that tlie loads of hay are driven on to the upper 

 floor, over the high beams, so that, in unloading, the hay is pitched down, 

 instead of up. This makes a material diflerenco in forking over 200 tons 

 of hay each hay season. Tlie floors, ceilings, partitions, etc., are all planed 

 and finished off as handsomely as farm-houses formerly were. There are 

 two hovels on the lower floor, extending the whole length of the main barn, 

 the eastern portions of which are arranged for tying up 23 cows in each, 

 with sliding stanchions. The cows have been so trained, as they pass in 

 the hovel each one takes its own place with the regularity of well-trained 

 soldiers, and by a simple contrivance— the turn of a short lever— the heads 

 lit all the cows are fastened or loosened, (juicker than any one could be tied 

 liy a rope. Each cow is named, and, like the " world's people," they select 

 fancy names for their cows, such as liosa, Lady Grace, Julia, Dustlo, and 

 Crinoline, each of which is printed in large type on slips of pasteboard, and 

 tacked upon the joists over each one. Upon the roof are three large, hand- 



