462 SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. Part II. 



feeding-houses, or both, according to the number of cows and cattle ; and so on, till 

 the whole accommodations, and their dimensions, are fixed upon. Having ascertained 

 these, and the situation for building on being also settled, the ground must be carefully 

 and attentively viewed ; and if not very even, the different levels must be observed, and 

 the best way of conducting all the necessary drains, and carrying off all superfluous 

 moisture ; and also the best situations for dung and urine-pits, or reservoirs, which will, 

 in a great degree, ascertain at once where the cattle-houses and stables should be. These 

 being fixed on, the barn should be as near them as possible, for the convenience of 

 carrying straw to the cattle ; and the barn- yard should be contiguous to the bam. 

 These main points being determined on, the others will easily be found ; always observing 

 this rule, to consider what is the nature of the work to be done about each office, and 

 then the easiest and least laborious way to perform that work, so far as it is connected with 

 other offices. In case this should not be sufficiently explicit, suppose, by way of illus- 

 tration, the situation of a feeding-house is to be considered of. The nature of the work 

 to be performed here is, bringing food and litter to the cattle, and taking away their 

 dung. The place from which the greatest part perhaps of their food and all their litter 

 comes, is the barn ; therefore the feeding-house should be as near the barn as possible. 

 If turnips or other roots, or cabbages, make a part of their food, the most commodious 

 way of giving these must be determined on ; whether by having a root-house adjoining 

 the cattle-house, and that filled occasionally, or by having a place to lay them down in, 

 near the head of the stall, from which they are thrown in at holes left in the walls for 

 that purpose. The easiest method of clearing away the dung must also be considered, 

 and the distance from the main dung-pit and urine reservoir. The same general rule 

 being observed in determining on the site of all the other offices or accommodations, 

 together with a careful examination of the ground to be occupied (upon which the 

 arrangement of the offices in a great measure should depend), any person conversant in 

 rural affairs, who attends to these particulars, and can lay down liis ideas in a drawing, 

 may easily direct the planning and building of a very commodious set of offices. With 

 respect to the site of the dwelling-house, it may be remarked, that, although the middle 

 of a regular front is in some points of view the most pleasing, and in many situations 

 perhaps the best, yet, unless the ground and other circumstances in every respect favour 

 such a disposition, it should not invariably be adhered to ; for it may often happen that 

 a much better situation for the dwelling-house may be obtained at a little distance from 

 the offices, a pleasing uniformity be observed in them at the same time, and the house be 

 more healthy and agreeable. In some cases, and for some kinds of farms, it may be 

 particularly necessary to have the house so placed, in respect to the offices and farm-yard, 

 as to admit of their being constantly inspected, and the labour that is to be performed in 

 them attended to and overlooked. 



2920. Farm buildings in the colder latitudes of Europe and Ameiica are most advan- 

 tageously combined together under one roof, and on a square or parallelogram ground 

 plan. The saving in the first erection, and in all future repairs, is very considerable ; 

 and not less so the saving of heat during the severe weather of winter. In such 

 countries open straw-yards for cattle are not wanted ; for in summer these are either in 

 the fields, or stall-fed, and in winter both cattle and sheep are kept almost always in the 

 house. In Britain, however, where the winters are mild, and where it is the custom to 

 keep cattle loose in the straw-yards, it is found desirable to distribute the buildings 

 around such yards, for the sake of shelter to the cattle : but in the case of sheep farms, 

 or where all the cattle kept are stall-fed, there seems no reason why the greater part of 

 the buildings of a farmery might not be included in a cube with a single roof. 



2921. Waistell considers a " parallelogram, the most ample and least expensive form for the arrangement 

 of farm buildings ; if any other form be adopted, more of both materials and labour will be required." 

 Much the best publication on the subject of farm buildings is that of Mr. Waistell, entitled Designs 

 for Agricultural BuUdings. London. 4to. 1827. It ought to be consulted by every proprietor intending 

 to erect or alter farm buildings. According to this author, a farmery ought neither to be situated on a 

 hill nor on a dead flat, but, if possible, on gently waving grounds on a southern declivity. At all events 

 the spot should be dry, and of easy access ; dry, that it may be warm and easily kept clean ; easy of 

 access and central, to facilitate carrying home the crops, and out the manure, and for general despatch 

 of business. It should not be far removed from a public road, and should, if possible, command a view 

 of the greatest part of the farm. The site to be built on should be level, or made so, or nearly so, 

 declining in preference to the south. Drainage must be got, or a deep cesspool formed for the house ; 

 and a urine pit for the farm-vard. A gravelly soil, on the banks of a quick-running stream, is one of 

 the healthiest of situations ; while a rich and marshy soil is the reverse, and peculiarly unwholesome. 

 Plenty of good water is desirable ; and if that cannot be got otherwise, it must be obtained by a "looe 

 which never fails "by putting spouts round all the buildings, to collect the rain-water which falls 

 upon them into one, two, or more tanks : by this last means a sufficient supply of water has been 

 collected from the roof of a cottage to answer every purpose of the family during the driest season, 

 while other cottagers in the neighbourhood, having only ponds, had to travel miles for water. Ponds 

 naving a large surface exposed to the sun and air, soon lose a great proportion of water by evaporation ; 

 the water in a covered tank is not liable to this loss, and will keep quite clean, and, if properly ventilated, 

 will always be sweet. The quantity of water that falls annually upon every hundred superficial feet 

 or square of building, is about 1,400 imperial gallons. Besides the water collected from the buildings 

 feeing useful, the buildings themselves will be benefited by the spouts, as the walls and their foundations 

 will be kept much drier, and will last longer than they would do if all the water from the roofs 

 were suffered to fall upon them." The manner of constructing tanks will be found in Part III. Book IlL 



