BARNS AND SHEDS. 



51 



from basement to eaves, and as long as desirable. This is intended 

 to store the hay or fodder. The posts, sills, and plates are all 8 

 inches square, the girts and braces are 4 inches square, the beams 

 2x10, are placed 16 inches apart, and are cross-bridged with 

 strips, 3 inches wide. The hay is piled inside, so that the feed 

 passage below, over 

 which there are trap- 

 doors, is left uncov- 

 ered. The hay is 

 thrown down through 

 these doors, and falls 

 upon a sloping shelf, 

 which carries it into 

 the feed racks below, 

 (see fig. 19). The 

 basement under the 

 barn is 8 feet high, 

 and is of stone on 

 three sides ; the front 

 is supported by posts 

 8 inches square, and 8 

 feet apart. Between 

 each pair of posts a 

 door is hung upon 

 pins, (fig. 20), which 

 fit into grooves in the 

 posts, so that the door 

 may be raised and Fig. ^.-SECTION OF BUILDING. 



fastened, in such a manner, as to close the upper half of the space 

 between the posts ; or be .held suspended half way, leaving the 

 whole open; or be shut clown and close the lower half; or be 

 removed altogether. By this contrivance at least half the front 

 of the basement must be left open, 

 whether the sheep be shut in or out. 

 The floor of the basement should be 

 slightly sloping from rear to front, so 

 that it will always be dry. Fig. 21 shows 

 the plan of the basement. The feed- 



Fig. 20. HANGING DOOR 

 FOR BARN. 



passage is shown at c ; the stairway to the root-cellar at b, and the 

 root-cellar at a. Fig. 19 gives a section of the whole barn. The 

 hay-loft is above, and the passage-way and the doors, by which the 

 hay is thrown down to the feed-racks below ; as well as the sloping 

 shelf by which the hay is carried into the feed-racks are shown. 



