256 Our Farming. 



barn I would make them twenty-two or even twenty-four. Out 

 barn being so wide, forty-five feet, and having a one-third pitch 

 roof, it is pretty high to the peak, forty-five feet above basement 

 floor. The front of basement runs into the ground a little, three 

 or four feet, then a wall of stones was laid eight feet away (P), and 

 a bridge was built over to barn floor. This makes the basement 

 drier than if front side was all under ground and gives a chance 

 for windows on this side. We have one in front of E, you will 

 notice, which we could not have without the bank and bridge, 

 and K would not answer our purpose without light and ventila- 

 tion. This way is cheaper, as one can then put a light wall under 

 barn. Our wall under tool house and barn is of hollow brick, 

 only eight inches thick, just the thickness of sills ; no projecting 

 stones or room wasted inside. 



Again, the great weight of hay and grain being on the ground 

 floor, the barn can be built much lighter. Our largest timbers 

 are 8x8, sills, plates and posts. The bays D and F are boarded up 

 right down to the heavy floor on which they rest, which is raised 

 a little from the earth. Up stairs, the barn floor over K is thirteen 

 feet wide, just enough and no waste room, and continues on over 

 H and the horse stable. Then when we thresh, the straw is put 

 over these stables. Our way of getting it there is simple. The 

 beams in barn are sixteen feet above floor. A plank floor is laid on 

 these beams over H, five feet wide, from the centre bent to the 

 next one each way, just right so the separator when placed will 

 deliver straw on top of the planks. Two light men on these 

 planks will push it off at the ends. Of course, it mostly goes to 

 the east. Two or three men can mow it away there the same as 

 they would stack it out doors. When we get through, the straw 

 is all under cover and right where we want it over the stables. 

 The planks that we slide straw on are planed so as to make it 

 slip easy. If we lack room for all, some can be put over hay on 

 one bay, the one that wheat was threshed from first. We put a 

 couple of loads of hay in H when drawing in, always, so as to 

 have some to feed from until the threshing is done. We have* 

 five chutes for throwing down hay and straw. Those for straw, 

 of course, have to go to top of barn. One chute for straw is over 

 centre box-stall, the other over centre of H. A ladder to get up on 

 barn floor goes up one of the hay chutes. The hay is pressed down 

 by weight of wheat so most of it is thrown directly out into feeding 

 alley through doors. No windows in main barn up stairs except 

 the round ones in gables. Light and air injure hay. It is only just 

 light enough so we can see to get around when doors are shut. 

 Our barn when shut up is quite tight. To give ventilation when 

 threshing or drawing in crops, we have doors about 3x5 feet in 

 each bent just under the eaves, both rear and front, and one in the 

 end, and then a large ventilator on top. This is about 6x8 feet, 

 and has a pair of good house window blinds on each side. These 



