400) 



NRW ENCT.AM) FAUIMEK, 



July 9,1830. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY , J ULY 9, 1830. 



BARNS, &c. 



A correspondent, who signs ' A Suliscribcr,' and 

 dates ' Middlesex County, June 26lh, 1830, states ; 

 'I have been induced to ask your advice, ns to the 

 most approved model of a harn, calculated to ac- 

 coiniiiodatc the stock, looU, and produce of a farm 

 of 80 to 100 acres.' 



The American Edition of Rees' Cyclopedia, Art. 

 • Bnrn,' contains some remarks hyMr Samuel 

 Gibson, an inleHi;;ent Pennsylvimia fartner. His 

 opinion is, that 'The situation' (Coraliarn) ' should 

 be as near the middle of the farm as can conve- 

 niently be, and on ground sloping to the south, 

 so ns to admit of water being bn uglit through 

 wooden pipes from the ground above, and raised 

 in the yard if praclicable, or at least that it may 

 l)a.ss through the yard. The site of the barn 

 should not be nearer than GO, nor farther than 100 

 yards from the dwelling-house, as in case of firi' 

 breaking out in either, the other might be safe ; 

 it also conduces more to cleaidiness, a iil when any 

 of the family may hapi)en to be sick, they will 

 not be disturbed liy thi; noise of the barn, stables, 

 &.C. The dimensions might be 70 feet by 3G ; 

 the bill dug into upon a level, and the eartli re- 

 moved from the barn yard. The building to be 

 of stone ; the foundation sunk two feet below the 

 level ; the walls two feet and a half thick at 

 bottom, atiii to continue so to the height of the 

 stable dooi-s ; the ground so muqli sloped as to be 

 five feel high where the hill is cut down, and a wall 

 raised close to this, at the distance of seven feet 

 from the barn. This intermediate space wouhl ad- 

 mit a free circulation of air round the tiarn ami 

 stables below. Over this a gangway is to be rais- 

 ed, leading into the harn floor ; an exravation may 

 also be made in the hill under this, to which a 

 door through the aforesaid wall may conveniently 

 lead, wliich will form a very suitable place for the; 

 Blowing away potatos and other vegetables. The 

 stables to be seven feet in the clear ; and the wall 



iiig grain, &c. The ialior nt rul^•in;,' llie entrance , ing, and projecting a penlhouse from the sijuare, 

 to the barn flo,.r is iriHinu in comparison of what] whi. h if attended to, and a sufficieul number of 



windows left, all of which that are under the eyes. 



the labor of pitching it would otherwise occa- 

 sion ;■ and if the gn.und rises with a considera- 

 ble angle backwards, the difficulty of raising the 

 gangway will he still less. The barn floor should 

 he laid with three inch oak plank, well seasoned ; 

 each plank ploughed with a half inch iron, within 

 an inch of the lower edge, and a strip put in each 

 point, which will keep the whole firm and solid, 

 and effectually prevent dust, &c. from getting 

 through; it might also be an advantage to have 

 glass ^yilldows in the granary, and back of the 

 liarn floor, the sides of which may be defended 

 by the hoards which form tliC sides of the grana- 

 ries, next the bay-mows, an<l ou^'ht to rise four 

 feel above the thrashing floor. Fixed ladders on 

 each siile of the harn floor are also convenient to 

 gel at the hay above. In each hay-mow a square 

 hole f four feet must be run up, from the entry 

 b.low the top of the mow, and framed to prevent 

 the hay from stopping it up. These may serve a 

 two-fold purpose, that of conveying hay down to 

 feeil with, and as ventilators. It may also he ob- 

 served that the stable and entry doors oiiglit all 

 to be arched, atid the hinges and fastenings of a" 

 he dnors of iron, built int" the wall in the sim| 



ami otherwise not exposed, having Vemtian blinds, 

 with a large ventilator on the tO|i of the roof on 

 which may be fixeil a lightning-rod ; such pre- 

 cautions will most assuredly prove the superiority 

 of such a stone bani to all others.' 

 [to be continced.J 



BIRD SHOOTING. 



Perhaps there is no minor off-mce against that 

 principle of mercy, wliich forbids the wanton in- 

 fliction of pain, on animated beings, that de- 

 serves more severe reprobation than the unmanly 

 practice of shooting innocent and serviceable birds. 

 And yet, how often those 



'Are prematurely cIoomM to fall 

 By man the dcsolalor! ' 

 'Instead of being regaled by the whistling robin, 

 and chirping blue bird, liu.~ily employed in guard- 

 ing us from that which no human foresight or la 

 bor is enabled to avert, our cats are assailed, out 

 lersons are endangered, our fences are brokei:. 

 our crops are trodden rhjwn, our cattle are lacerated 

 our flocks are harassed by the idle shooter. 

 V' 1 regardless alike of the expensive attempts of the 



,he doors ol iron, built int.. the w^aM n. tne -"^^^^\--^^^^^,.^^ f ,, „f „,e ,,ores of the lah..r- 



form of hooks and eyes, the hook making V'^r\oi\J ,„„,,„„d,„an ; whilst all the energies of bis 

 the hinge; the stable floor should also be as high fe ^^^ aim of his skill, are directed to- 



as the sill of the door, and ascending back 

 Round stone ])illars, two and a half feel 

 iameter, mav be raised at equal distances from 



wards the murder of a few little birds, worthless 

 when obtained. The injuries, which are immedi- 

 ately committed by himself and his doRS are 



e:ich other in front of the stabl.s, and <='>g'" feet I |„,,ii ton,,,ared with the multiplied effects of t 



apart ; these may he made as high as the stable 

 doors, upon which a frame might be erected to 

 such a height ns to he conveniently covered by 

 the general roof; which wouM form an excellent 

 corn-lioiise, and would nl>o .■>liadu the stable doors. 

 Slops should be placed under this frame leading 

 into it, anil also in the granary under the barn 

 floor. This frame or corn-house should be so high 

 from the ground as to admit a carl or wagon below 

 it ; anil should also have an opening in the floor 

 to iiour the corn down. The main entry to the 



two feet thick set right on the middle of the wall corn-house t.) be through the thrashing floor.' 

 below; from thai to the square of the barn the ' A barn built upon these ])rinciples would (iro- 

 thickness maybe reduced three inches on each duce a saving of at least one hand daily in the 

 side, and carried up 20 feel above the stables. I single artich; of pitching hay, as one person may 

 Above this the gable ends may be raised 15 feet, j haul and tumble into the liurn as much hay as 

 which will give sufficient slope to the roof, which three could stow away, in the usual way, which is 

 ought to be covere<l with the best cedar shingles | of considerable consequence in harvest time, when 

 or slate. The ground area below may be divi.led ] work is pressing. One man will pitch the buy 

 into four spaces for cattle, horses, &,c ; none of from the wagon on the barn floor, up to the whol 

 which divisions ought to be less than 12 feet wide, 

 with an entry between the two rows of creatures, 

 whose beads should be towards the entry. The 

 foundations of the partitions a stone wall 18 in- 

 ches thick, rising 10 or 12 inches at least above 

 the floor, on which a frame of wood work should 

 rise to the joists. The stable floor paved with 

 pebble stones, descending from the troughs, with 

 n like descent towards the door. The advantages 

 of such a floor are, that it will not harbor rats 

 and other vermin, ami is durable. The hardness 

 ought to be no objection, as plenty of beihling 

 should be furnished for the purpose of increasing 

 the quantity of dung. Raise the barn floor seven 

 feet above the bolloin of the hay-mow, which 

 will leave 12 feet for the hcigiit of the barn floor, 

 which ought also to be its hrnadtb. The advanta- 



sqnare of the barn, as fast as two or three can 

 stow it nwav ; whereas, in the common way of 

 building barns, it would take two to pitch it up. 

 Indeed it might be questioned whether it would 

 not he an advantage to raise the floor still higher, 

 on this account, as pitching hay is the hardest part 

 id" stowing it away ; this would also increase the 

 si/e of the granaries. To this some object on 

 account of its rising above the square of the barn, 

 hut this is nothing when put in competition with 

 the advantages to be derived from the facility of 

 pitching, as the roof may readily be formed so as 

 to ndinit of it. 



'Ohjectioiis have been made against stone barns, 

 as not Kufticiently airy, and being damp, so as to 

 injure the grain ; inconveniences more imaginary 

 than otherwise, and which the writer of these ob- 



({cs of raising it thus are nnuiy ; thi' labor of pitch- 1 servations has never experienced; but which, if 

 ing your hay is very much reduced, you acquire 'they did exist might soon he remedied by plaister- 

 a good room between ihul and the Htubles fur stow- '. ing the outaido of the north caDt cod of the build- 



myriads of insects, which would be destroyed by 

 the animals whereof they are the natural prey.' 



This destruction of the little feathered friends 

 of the farmer is not only an act of reprehensilde 

 cruelty, but an oflence against the laws of this 

 State, as appears by an Act to prevent the destruc- 

 tion of certain useful birds &c, passed Feb. 12, 

 1818. The preamble to this act recites that, 

 ' Whereas there are within the Commonweahh 

 many birds which are useful and profitable to the 

 citizens, either as articles of food, or inslrumeula 

 in the hands of Providence to destroy various nox- 

 ious insects, grubs ami caterpillars, which are pre- 

 judicial ordestructive to vegetation, fruitsand grain ; 

 and it is desirable to promote the increase and 

 preservation of birds of the above description, and 

 to prevent the wanton destruction of them at im- 

 proper seasons: Be it enacted, &c. That hen' 

 after it shall not be lawful for any person to ta!, 

 kill or destroy, any of the birds called partriilg' - 

 and quails, at any time from the first day of Mart h 

 to the first day of September in every year ; and 

 no person shall take, kill or destroy any of the birds 

 called woodcocks, snipes, larks and robins, at 

 any time from the first day of March to the fourth 

 day of July in each year; and if any person shall 

 take or kill, or shall sell, buy, or have in his pos- 

 session after being killed, or taken, any of the liir'" 

 aforesaid, within the limes limited as aforesaid, i ' 

 speclively, he shall forfeit and pay for each :.: 

 every partridge, quail or woodcock, so taken, k. 

 ed or in bis possession, two dollars ; and fi>r c. 

 and every snipe, lark, or robin, so killed, taken, i i 

 in his po.sse.ssion, one dollar; the forfciinrcs afore- 

 said to be recovered by any person who will sue 

 for the same within one year fnmi the lime of the 

 oflence committed, to bis own use, in an action of 

 debt in any court having jurisdiction of the amount 

 ilomaniled ; or said forfeitures may be recovered 

 by complaint to any justice of the pence in the 



