CHAPTER XV 



PLAN AND DESCRIPTION OF SANITARY DAIRY SHEDS 



The author is indebted to Mr. E. E. Downing, of Sheltered Vale, Eosetta, 

 Natal, for permission to publish the accompanying line plan, Fig. 146, 

 and description of sanitary dairy sheds designed by him. The drawing 

 and description were originally published by Mr. Downing in the 

 " South African Agriculturist and Stock Breeder." 



The annexed plan is of a building comprising cow and calf sheds, 

 silos, feed-room, engine-room, and separator-room, in one rectangular 

 block and under one roof, in a compact and convenient form. It is 

 designed for twenty cows and seventeen calves, but capable of extension 

 indefinitely, by adding cow-stalls and calf-pens to the right-hand side of 

 the plan, without interfering with the working arrangements which are 

 all located at the left-hand side of the plan, 



A A represents two rectangular silos, with corners rounded off to 

 enable the silage to be closely packed. These silos may be filled from the 

 outside of the building, by means of a power-driven silage cutter and 

 blower, through an opening in the roof ; or from the feed-room, by 

 the same means, through the doors (la) which are constructed in 

 sections 3 feet high. These sections are made to slip in, one at a time, 

 as the silo is being filled, or to slip out, one at a time, from the top 

 downwards, when the ensilage is being fed. 



BB is the feed-room with brackets (a), shafting (J), and pulleys (c), 

 along one side to enable the power-driven machines (d) to be used, such 

 as chaff-cutter, corn and cob mill, cake crusher, etc. 



The shafting in the feed-room is high up and the pulleys are driven 

 by a belt (e) running through openings in the walls of engine- and feed- 

 rooms. Foodstuffs in sacks, such as bran, mealies, cake, etc., may be 

 conveniently stored on the floor underneath the shafting, and are handy 

 for grinding or mixing on the floor space under the overhead carrier 

 track, whence they and the ensilage from the silos can be carried in 

 the overhead carriers round the feeding alleys in the cow and calf sheds. 



