BUILDINGS 281 



layers of concrete when the floor is constructed. The rough part 

 may be painted with two coats of tar, and then the top layer of 

 cement one inch thick or more is placed on the tar. The tar 

 is a perfect insulator from soil moisture. When sows are lying 

 on such a sleeping bed, it becomes warm and retains its heat 

 much as soapstone does. 



The roof is supported by four lines of posts to which the 

 partitions are fastened. Each row carries a line of plates 

 which support the rafters. 



Light. There are six windows, each five feet long and two 

 and a half feet high, in the south wall, and the same number 

 in the roof, placed as already described. The north wall has 

 only two windows. 



Not Good Farrowing Pens. The pens as described are 

 not suitable for farrowing pens. As stated in another place, 

 it is better to have the sows in a building away from other 

 pigs, especially during cold weather, when the building must 

 be kept pretty well closed up. The air of a piggery where a 

 large number of pigs are kept does not agree well with little 

 pigs. If a part of the large piggery is to be used for farrowing 

 pens, it should be closely partitioned off from the rest of the 

 building. The same style of pen could be made suitable for 

 sows with little pigs by making the sleeping apartments two 

 feet wider, thus giving beds eight feet square. 



The absence of a loft for storing straw will be a strong 

 objection in the eyes of many. The ventilation of the build- 

 ing, however, and the health of the animals are of vastly greater 

 importance than the inconvenience occasioned by the absence 

 of a loft. It is generally possible to locate the building so as 

 to make it comparatively easy to obtain straw for bedding. If 

 it is not possible to have the building situated with one end 

 adjoining a straw shed, a loft for straw could be constructed 



