170 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



SOME SUGGESTIONS ON BARN BUILDING.' 



J. A, FOORD, PROFESSOR OF FARM ADMINISTRATION, MASSACHUSETTS 

 AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



The United States census for 1910 gives the value of farm build- 

 ings in Massachusetts as $88,636,149. If the value of farm dwellings 

 is omitted and also the buildings on the estates of wealthy men, 

 which are seldom built from the commercial standpoint, there still 

 remains a very large investment, and one that in the opinion of the 

 writer will abundantly repay for much more careful study and super- 

 vision than has heretofore been put upon it by the business farmer. 



The question of building a modern dairy stable on many farms 

 is complicated by the fact that there are already on the farm one 

 or more barns in a fairly good state of preservation. These barns 

 were considered good enough forty years ago, but owing to the in- 

 troduction of modern machinery and better methods of caring for 

 live stock and live-stock products, they are now in about the same 

 class as the log cabin or sod house would be for human habitation. 

 These barns are often too good to destroy or pull down and must 

 be used in any scheme of reconstruction if economy is to be con- 

 sidered. On the other hand, the farmer should not forget that labor 

 is a constant and continuous charge, and that any arrangement or 

 device that saves time or labor is worthy of careful consideration. 

 These factors make barn building on most farms an individual prob- 

 lem, but the following general principles may be of assistance. 



Location. — The location of the dairy barn should, if possible, be 

 near the center of the cultivated area of the farm, on well-drained 

 soil and so placed that there will be plenty of direct sunlight in the 

 stables, as well as opportunity for a warm, sunnj^, well-drained barn 

 yard that is protected from the prevailing winds. The question of 

 water supply should also be considered before the location is settled 

 upon. Placing the barn near the center of the cultivated area will 

 save labor in hauling hay, corn fodder and other forage, as well as 

 manure. The public highway often influences the location of farm 

 buildings, but more consideration might well be given to this point.. 

 The writer knows of a 65-acre farm in one piece, all of which may 

 be cultivated, where the barns are located at the highest corner of 



iCrop Report for October, 1912. 



