CONVENIENT Cow STALLS. 209 



from a feeding truck, in which it is brought from the feed room, 

 where it is prepared. A long staple of half-inch iron rod is fastened 

 to each side, in which a steel ring and chain may be fixed, and one 

 cow can then be fastened on each side, and two cows kept in each 

 stall if desired. A double door is made in the front of each stall, 

 four feet wide, and in warm weather the upper half may be left open. 

 A long sliding window is made at each end of the shed, and, if neces- 

 sary, other sliding windows are made in the rear, opening into the 

 feeding alley. These windows provide for ample ventilation and 

 light; and light is as necessary as fresh air for the welfare of cows. 

 It is well to have close shutters to slide over these windows to darken 

 the stable for the purpose of keeping out flies in the worst of the 

 season, so that the cattle may rest comfortably in the heat of the day. 

 The floors of the stalls should be of earth, and graded to the rear, 

 where a gutter should be made to carry off the drainage into the 

 drains, which conduct it to the middle of the yard, where it is absorbed 

 by the manure which is thrown into a heap there. Sheds of this 

 kind can be put up for about one dollar and a half a running foot, in 

 a plain rough fashion, and as much more money can be spent upon 

 them as the owner's purse will allow. Paint is thrown away upon farm 

 yard buildings, excepting for the sake of appearance. I have seen 

 wooden buildings, unpainted, eighty years old, in which the boards 

 had been worn but a very little, and if these had been painted once in 

 five years the painting would have cost in all five times as much as 

 the buildings. For painting farm buildings the common brown 

 iron paint and raw linseed oil I think is the best; it is very durable, 

 is fire-proof, and is not soiled by use. The color, too, is agreeable, 

 as a contrast to the green of the trees and the fields. 



HAY BARNS AND SHEDS. 



Barns for storing hay and fodder are necessary where much stock 

 is kept, and these buildings may be constructed very cheaply. High 

 barns require heavy timber and firm framing and bracing, both to 

 resist the winds and the pressure of the hay inside. Where land 

 costs no more than it does in this country it is poor economy to build 

 high barns. Lighter, broader and longer buildings can be built more 

 cheaply and serve every useful purpose. The engravings represent 

 two kinds of hay barns or sheds; one of large capacity for a good 

 many head of stock; the other intended for smaller farms, and holding 

 nearly one ton of hay to the running foot when filled to the top. The 

 former, if thirty feet wide with sixteen-feet posts, and the self-support- 



