FENCES AND FARM BUILDINGS. 77 



" FORM OF BARN BUILDINGS. 



*' It has formerly been a practice, highly commended by 

 *' writers, and adopted by farmers, to erect a series of small build- 

 *' ings in the form of a hollow square, affording an open space 

 " within this range, sheltered from severe winds. But later ex- 

 " perience, corroborated by reason, indicates the superiority of a 

 *' single large building. There is more economy in the materials 

 " for walls ; more in the construction of roofs — a most expen- 

 *' sive portion of farm structures ; and a saving in the amount of 

 *' labor, in feeding, thrashing, and transferring straw and grain, 

 " when all are placed more compactly together. The best barns 

 " are those with three stories ; and nearly three times as much 

 " accommodation is obtained thus under a single roof, as with the 

 " old mode of erecting only low and small buildings. 



" An important object is to avoid needless labor in the trans- 

 " fer of the many tons of farm products which occupy a barn. 

 " This object is better secured by a three-story barn than by any 

 " other, where a side-hill will admit of its erection. The hay 

 " and grain are drawn directly to the upper floor, and nearly all 

 " is pitched downward. If properly arranged, the grain is all 

 " thrashed on this floor, and both grain and straw go downward 

 " — the straw to a stack or bay, and the grain through an opening 

 *' into the granary below. Hay is thrown down through shoots 

 " made for this purpose to the animals below, and oats are drawn 

 " off through a tube to the horses' manger. The cleanings of 

 *' the horse stables are cast through a trap-door into the manure 

 " heap in the basement. These are the principal objects gained 

 '' by such an arrangement ; and as the labor of attendance must 

 " be repeated perpetually, it is very plain how great the saving 

 " must be over barns with only one floor, where hay, grain^ 

 " manure, etc., have to be carried many feet horizontally, or 

 ^' thrown upward. 



" HOW TO PLAN A BARN. 



" The first thing the farmer should do who is about to erect a 

 " barn, is to ascertain what accommodation he wants. To 



