Our Barn. 253 



When we are putting in a crop in the spring, you will find under 

 that great roof, plows, cutaway harrow and disc, and Thomas 

 smoothing harrow, the roller, potato planter, wagons, potato boxes, 

 etc. When the crop is all in, these are stored away in their place 

 in the tool house. Just now in harvest time, if you had come 

 along, you would have found the binder, mower, hay rake, 

 wagons with racks on, etc., standing around, well protected, but 

 not put up. In the winter, of course everything is put away and 

 the yard clear for stock to exercise in. There is in the yard now 

 a hundred loads or so of manure. It is not in the way at all 

 of using it for tools temporarily, as the manure is leveled off 

 so one can drive right through as though it was not there, and 

 there is straw enough on top to keep it dry and clean. 

 Remember, the yard is lower than the entrances, made so with a 

 gradual grade. With two hundred loads of manure in, it could 

 still answer this double purpose just as well. I tell you, we are 

 well fixed to care for manure and tools, and the saving will pay a 

 tremendous interest on the cost, too. I wish every one had things 

 in as good shape. But I fear many do not realize how much they 

 are losing by not having, and wouldn't value these things as we 

 do. I think I could find you a good many farmers who are 

 loaning money for one-third what it might be made to bring them 

 on their own farms in this and other ways. 



We have water in the yard at I . M is an earth closet for the 

 men built on the same plan as the one you will find described in 

 Chapter XXXVI. To the left of the earth closet we have a rack 

 on the back side of tool house, some twelve feet high for storing 

 different kinds of lumber. (See picture in Chapter XVIII.) 

 There are no old board piles, even, outside around our barn. Nor 

 is there a single thing in sight that could be objectionable to the 

 eye of the most refined lady. Everything of that kind is inside 

 and hidden from view. You may go all around the barn and it 

 is simply a neat building, or set of buildings, surrounded by a 

 green lawn on three sides. The rear is in the field. This yard is 

 planked up some seven feet high, as you will see in the pictures, 

 and then open above to let in sun and air on the south and east 

 sides. The front of barn is very nearly north. 



When we drive into tool house with buggy, notice how handy 

 it is to let the horse go to his stable. If stock are in the yard 

 there is a door from the tool house directly in, as well as one from 

 the yard. A, B, C are box-stalls in which we can tie two horses, or 

 leave one loose. There are heavy gates or doors (N) from one to 

 the other. The partitions and these gates are only about five 

 feet high, except between their heads at the mangers, where they 

 run up higher to prevent them from quarreling when eating. G 

 is the feeding alley ; O windows. I like plenty of light in a stable. 

 H would make a nice stable for fifteen or eighteen cows, but we 

 use it for storing potatoes when we dig, and in the winter let the 



