PREPARING FOR MARKET. 29 



stacked separately in the wagon and kept apart in all 

 future operations. 



THE DRYING OR CURING HOUSES. It has been stated 

 that for small crops, almost any shelter may serve, but 

 large crops require ample accommodations, as the price 

 'will depend much upon the proper drying. On farms 

 where a change has been made from tobacco to Broom- 

 corn, the tobacco houses may be easily so arranged as to 

 answer for this crop. Still, as a general thing, growers 

 put up special drying houses. These are frame buildings 

 vvitb. a tight shingled roof, the sides are covered with up- 

 right boards a foot wide, with the joints battened, or 

 covered with narrow strips ; every fourth or sixth board 

 is hung upon hinges, so that they may be opened to allow 

 of a free circulation of air ; provision must be made for 

 fastening them by a button or otherwise, during a storm. 

 For the sake of durability, the building should be painted, 

 though this is often neglected. One grower estimates 

 that 50 acres of Broom-corn require a building 20><40 

 feet and 16 feet high, with a shed upon one side 10 feet 

 wide and 8 feet high. 



BACKS TOR DRYING. Racks are fitted up inside of the 

 building upon which to place the brush to dry. These 

 are built where timber is at hand, with poles for uprights, 

 or light scantling 2><2 inches is used ; where these are 

 not the most suitable and cheapest, oak plank may be 

 sawn into strips 1x3 inches. Whatever the material 

 used for the uprights, they should be 12 feet long. Each 

 pair of poles has narrow strips 4 feet long nailed to them, 

 G inches apart, to form a sort of ladder ; if good mason's 

 lath can be had, these may be used ; these are 3 feet 10 

 inches long, and if free from knots, will be strong enough. 

 These racks are then set up on the floor of the house, 3 

 feet 10 inches apart ; figure 6 shows the lower part of 

 one of the racks. Other laths are laid across the strips, 



