330 FAKM BUILDINGS IN SOUTH AFEICA 



carried across the chimney and joined at each end to the metal flashing ; also 

 the wire on each gable, connected to the roof-capping. All joints and places 

 where wires cross each other should be good metal-to-metal joints, well soldered. 

 Bends in the wire should be gradual, not sharp. The arrangement of wires and 

 paraffin tins at the back of the building is similar to that shown for the front. 

 The barbed wire is simply laid on top of the thatch. While the protection 

 afforded by the above system is fairly complete, there is still a risk of the thatch 

 being ignited by a flash of lightning which has not been preceded by rain. 

 Insulating the barbed wire from the thatch, i.e. by supporting it on the necks of 

 glass bottles, is of questionable efficiency, because sparking (on the lightning 

 striking) is so extensive that the danger of ignition is almost as great as before. 



If a building is near to tall trees, without being so near as to suffer damage 

 in the event of one of the trees being struck by lightning, the danger to the 

 building is much lessened. 



PLAN OF A SMALL FAEM DAIKY 



The accompanying plan (Fig. 242) is of a small farm dairy, suitable for the farmer 

 who sells milk or cream or makes butter. Such a dairy should be situated con- 

 veniently near to the cow-byre ; indeed, it is often built against the byre as a 

 lean-to or otherwise. In the drawings, a separate building has been shown. 



If more room is desired than shown in the drawings, the milkroom and the 

 washroom might each be made 10 feet wide, in place of 8 feet. 



The building should preferably be placed so that the milkroom is at the cool 

 side with regard to the sun, existing shade, etc., the position of the cow-byre also 

 being taken into consideration. A suitable position for this dairy is shown in 

 Fig. 245. 



"Whenever possible the building should be on high ground with good natural 

 drainage. In accordance with the Dairy Industry Act, 1918, the dairy should not 

 be less than 150 feet from any piggery, manure heap, or offensive stagnant water. 



The walls of the building are of stone, 18 inches thick, and the eaves over- 

 hang 2 feet (horizontally) beyond the walls, for the sake of coolness. Immedi- 

 ately under the eaves an air-brick ventilator is built into the outer wall of each 

 apartment, i.e. eight ventilators in all. The rooms are ceiled, and louvered 

 openings are provided at each end of the corrugated iron roof. As an alternative 

 to stone, brick walls might be adopted, hollow or cavity walls being erected in 

 order to make the building as cool as possible. The following methods of heat 

 insulation, mentioned on page 301, may also be employed : 



(1) If the building is near the coast a thick layer of dry seaweed should be 



laid on sheets of paper on the top of the ceiling, i.e. between ceiling 

 and roof. 



(2) If the building is distant from the coast the place of the seaweed may 



be taken by a layer of wood charcoal 6 inches thick. 



