Painting the Barn 297 



tec ted by a roof projection of one to two feet, 

 rough, vertical barn boards may last for one to 

 two hundred years without paint. It may be 

 said, then, that properly constructed barns are 

 painted to improve their looks and not to pre- 

 serve them. When the barns are well removed 

 from the house and virtually hidden by trees, 

 they may be left unpainted, but where they are 

 conspicuous they should be painted, that the 

 barn may not mar the beauty of the home. 

 The oxide of iron, which usually has a red or 

 reddish tinge, mixed with pure oil, forms a most 

 desirable and satisfactory barn paint. (See 

 Painting the House, Chap. IX.) 



