30 



THE FARMERS MONTHLy VISITOR 



February, 1842. 



lie looked old from sickness ami suftering. His 

 face livid, his lips blue — his uncles, from which 

 the chains had lieen removed, swelled ; he sat 

 anxiously absorbed in his own painful sensations, 

 and was" breathing quick. We needed not feel 

 his pulse, but we did. The custode smiles, and 

 asks if we are medical. " These are three days 

 that he has been off work," said the custode. 

 " Caro lei die voleie ?" — " How can I work ?" 

 asked the breathless man. " He is not fit to work," 

 «e interposed. "II sigiior chirurgo," said the 

 keeper, " must settlfe that — my present orders are 

 so and so; but he has a diseased heart!" And 

 so in fact had the custode, only of a different 

 kind ; so he merely shrugged his shoulders, and 

 said, as he turned "away, " Xon so !" Sometimes 

 they employ him, it seems, to write letters to their 

 friends — " but we always see what they write," 

 said our amiable guide, who was the last jierson 

 we should have chosen for our confidant; "some 

 w rite long Ictturs to their wives, some to their 

 children, lor no wuiiien are admitted here." Here 

 is a life where there is no admission for love or 

 friendship — a life of degradation and privation — 

 a life of peril, hard fare, and reproach. Can any 

 live such lives long? Yes; I saw many there 

 who told me, with glee, that they had passed 

 within a few months, or years, their full period of 

 suffering, and would be liberated at last I 



For tlie Monthly Visitor. 

 Farm Architectnre, No. 5. 



ECONOMY OE THE BARN. 



In this number I propose to show the details 

 of the Barn and its appendages. It may not be 

 superfluous to add to the illustrations of my last 

 ninnber a few remarks upon the accommodations 

 of the sheds and out-houses. It may be seen by 

 a reference to the ground plan, that the vat-house 

 is situated immediately in the rear of the dwel- 

 ling-lionse and in the centre of the ont-house. — 

 The object in doing this is most probably appar- 

 ent to those who have examined the plans ; to 

 those who have not, and to those to whom the 

 plans may not be sufficiently intelligible, a fur- 

 ther reference may be necessary. By i)laeing 

 this room as it is in" the plan, the labor of cook- 

 ing the food for cattle and swino is greatly les- 

 sened and ceases to be that severe task that many 

 fiinners considfer it. The vats are conveniently 

 situated to the house, tha barn, and the piggery. 

 A spout from the pumii-room will conduct water 

 to the vats and boilers when needed. A door 

 opens into the passage! Uading lu the piggery, and 

 II door into the barii-yard : whether vegetables 

 lor stock are kept in the house-cellar or the barn- 

 cellar, each is near by, and it requires but trifling 

 labor to bring them to the room for cooking. 

 Taking it as granted, that the superiority of cook- 

 ed food over raw tbod for cattle and swine, is ac- 

 knowledged by all, it would seem that this de- 

 partment in the farm buildings is not misplaced. 

 The same conductor which leads to the vats 

 and boilers may lead from the pump to the wa- 

 tering-troughs," situate in the cattle shed, suffi- 

 ciently sheltered, and always accessible. The 

 (liggeries arc laid out large, and it would seem, 

 well located in every res|)ect; a good distance 

 from the house, convenient to the outbuildings, 

 adjoining the barn-yard— avoiding on one part all 

 disagreeable odors, and securing on the other the 

 benefit of all juices and manures arising from 

 them, with the convenience of allowing the swine 

 the range of the barn-yard when needed. If the 

 granary is located in the attic of the wood-house, 

 it will be no less convenient to the barn, than to 

 the house and vat-room, and will begot at liy the 

 flight of stairs in the shed, leaving a good room 

 near the vat-room lor a dung-room, which can be 

 furnished with a boiler leading into the chimney 

 ill the centre of the building. — This with the ar- 

 rangement proposed in the last number will reu- 

 der'the dairy a well situated and convciiieut room. 

 The wood-shed, tool house, poultry-houses and 

 cattle-shed need no further explanation. "J'heir 

 situation is indicated on the floor plan, showing 

 iheir connection with the other departments of 

 the farm buildings. 



In the barn-yard near the front of the barn a 

 vat is sunk to receive the juices and wash from 

 the cattle st^ills and stables, by means of drair 



.f tli( 



M-lloor, iiicru-.cil from the ce 

 iiciently to allow the liquid to run 



towards the vat ; v, in the centre lliey join in a branch, 

 e, leading iiito the vat. In order to facilitate the collection 

 of the liquid in the drain, the inclined part of the stable 

 floor is raised two inches above that whii'h is usually level, 

 but in this case should incline also towards the principal 

 inclined floor, and nnderlap about two inches. 



Fig. 4. 



This arrangement answers for co\\' stalls and other fe- 

 male slock, but, for male stock, such as horses and oxen 

 an additional conductor is required, such as Fig. 5, and fi. 



In Fig. :?. a represents the main drain and conductor from 

 I the biiru floor; v, the branch leading to the vat; c, the 

 ' opening to tiie drain and conductor; d, flooring joist ; e, 



stable floor. Fig. 4 shows the stall and 

 position of the female stock. Fig. 5 is 

 a plan of a single stall ; a, is the open- 

 ing to the drain to be used for male 

 stock, and is covered by a rack made of 

 iron, of white oak or any strong mate- 

 rial ; if of oak it may be made of stuff 

 two inches wide, and one inch thick, 

 leaving openings in the grate of about 

 two inches square and let into the floor 

 even with the to[) of it ; g, the drain. — 

 Fig. 6 shows the stall and the position 

 of the male stock; f, is the conductor, 

 g, the drain. 



It is no part of my undertaking, to 

 show the benefits to be derived from ur- 

 raiigements of this kind for the collec- 

 tion of liquid dressing, as very many 

 have given their testimony in its favor, 

 and those of long practice and experi- 

 ence in this mode of arrangement still 

 speak in high terms of its usefulness. 

 If they would make their views known, 

 its adoption would be ensured into 

 every extensive fiirm establishment. My 

 own short cxiierience \% decidedly for 

 its iiitrodnclion into every barn. No 

 fears need be entertained of the cold- 

 ness of the climate, if the stable is pro- 

 perly secure, even what it should be, to 

 secure the stock from the effects of the 

 cold weather. 



Immediately beneath the principal 

 floor of the barn and in the centre, the 

 plan represents a cellar, w; intended 

 for the storage of vegetables, to be fed 

 to the stock during the winter season. 

 The utility of this, I think, will be per- 

 ceived at once. No objection can bo 

 raised to it, excepting the coldness of 

 the climate, and this is shorn of all its 

 force, if the barn is underpinned with 

 stone and mortar wall, as every barn 

 should be, and the cellar laid up in 

 brick or stone, or cased with plank, no 

 severity of weather will reach it. To 

 illustrate my views more fully, I give in 

 connection with design 'A : 



Fig. 7 : a section of the barn through 

 the centre ; w, represents the cellar 

 paved and laid iq) with slone ; p, the 

 iniderpinning of the barn; s, tlie stalls 

 or tie-up; d,the drains and conductors; 

 all other parts of the barn will be plain 

 to be seen without n particular refer- 

 ence. 



A little experience of my own, un- 

 der disadvantageous circumstances, haa 

 learned me that no arrangement for sav- 

 ing labor ar.d securing vegetables for 

 stock is equal to this, and will amply re- 

 pay the farmer who constructs one and 

 fills it with such vegetables as are cal- 

 culated for the nourishment of his cat- 

 tle. A Hulijcot of this kind gives rise to 

 many refWclions in regard to the treat- 

 ment of that portion of the farmer's 

 family and care ; the former manner of 

 using, the neglect, the abuse and the 

 want of interest for the faithful ox or 

 horse bring thoughts to the mind, 

 which are not ininicdiately connected 

 with the subject of my essays, and 

 therefore must be suppressed. 



S. GiLMAM, Architect. 

 Manchester, M H., 1841. 



