]NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



PUBLISHED BY THOMAS W. SHEPARD, ROGERS' BUILIJINGS, 



\' OL. I. 



BOSTON, SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 1823 



CONGRESS STREET, (EOURTH DOOR 1 ROM STATE STRE1:T.) 



No. 



FACTS AND OBSERVATIONS RELATING TO 



AGRICULTURE & DOMESTIC ECONOMY. 



BY THE KDITOR. 



tbod of making the lloor? are, that when the 

 brick work is well executed and made pe'-fcctiy 

 level, vermin cannot bo concealed underneath 

 them, nor damp air be communicated ; besides, 

 floors formed in lliis way are found to wear 

 better than those placed simply on sleepers." 



The author of " Letters of Agricola," after 

 condemning the mode in which barn floors 

 have usually been constructed, in Nova Scotia, 



BARNS AND BARN FLOORS. 

 We have given, page 3G1, some remarks on 

 .hi subject; but the following additional obser- 

 rations may perhaps be useful. 



In constructing the floors of barns, care should (which is probably similar to our usual method) 

 be taken that they be made firm, dry, and solid, ■ gives the following directions for obviating its 

 jflbrding no place o( refuge for reptiles, small i evils : " After tearing up the planlis, and build- 

 inimals, &,c. To effect this purpose, it is re- jng the foundation round and round, close to the 

 ommcnded that the surface of the ground un-j<ills. the void should then be tilled and packed 



der the floor should be dug away to the depth 

 Df about six inches, and the earth taken out, 

 when of a proper kind, and, after being well 

 cleared of stones, be mixed with clay and made 

 into a stiff mortar, which as it cracks in drying 

 is beaten down till it becomes solid. 



The ancients were remarkably careful in the 

 construction of their threshing floors. Colu- 

 mella states that they used to dig up the ground 

 to some depth in order to moisten it with fresh 

 lees of oil, but not with any that had saline mat- 

 ters in them ; then to mix it thoroughly with 

 chaff, and ram it down as close as possible ; al- 

 lerwards as it dried, to stop all the cracks and 

 crevices that appeared, they continued beating 

 it down with great force to render it quite level. 

 They then strewed it again with chaff, which 

 ;hey trod in, and left it to be completely dried 

 jy the sun. The lees of oil were probably in- 

 :endetMfa. preserve the floors from dampness, 

 which Wa great advantage. Rees' Cyclopeuui 

 3bservcs that " a floor made in this manner, 

 though not good, was probably preferable to 

 llp.ither stoue or the earthen floors formerly com 

 mon in many parts of this country, from which 

 such dampness has been communicated to the 

 grain, as has rendered wheat, lor example, six 

 pence or a shilling a bushel the worse either 

 for keeping or exportation. Bricks, when hard 

 and well made, may form a tolerable floor for 

 many purposes; but from their attracting mois- 

 ture, are not by any means to be recommended 



'jere grain is to remain much on them ; and 

 stones are liable to the same objections. 



" Wood is much the best for this use. Board- 

 ed threshing floors, made of sound, thick, well 

 seasoned planks of oak, are excellent for thresh- 

 ing upon, will last a long time, and may be con- 

 verted into good floorings for rooms, by planing 

 them down after they become too uneven for 

 the purpose intended. 



" There are various ways of laying and con- 

 structing barn floors, when made of wood. — 

 The most common method is that of nailing the 

 planks, after their edges have been shot true 

 and well joined, down to wooden sleepers firmly 

 placed on the ground. But in the mid land 

 counties another method is ibilowed, which Mr. 

 Marshall says, is that of first having the floors 

 laid with bricks, and then covering them over 

 with the planks, without any other confinement 

 than having thena doweled together, or plough- 

 ed and tongued, and their ends let into the sills 

 or walls, placed in the usual manner on each 

 side of the floors. The advantages of this me- 



firra with earth. As there will be a necessity 

 to cut away all the present sleepers or joists, 

 which besides supporting the planks, bind and 

 unite the two sides of the frame, pieces of square 

 timber may be stretched across the whole breadth 

 and at a lower depth, and be secured to the bot- 

 tom of the sills, either by a mortise, or by driv- 

 ing down an iron bolt. By this means the 

 strength of the frame will be preserved unim- 

 paired, and the operations may proceed without 

 endangering the structure. The earth should 

 then be filled in, till it rises to the level with 

 the present floor, and it should be beaten down 

 uhh a heavy mallet, till it is completely con- 

 solidated. A stratum of clay should next be 

 laid over the whole surface, by wiiich the mois- 

 ture may be retained and hindered from escap- 

 ing through the earth." He advises to place 

 the planks, which are to compose this floor, 

 while the clay is yet a little yielding, that they 

 may be im! .dded with the greater firmness. 



Dr. Deane observes that the threshing floor 

 should be laid on strong and steady sleepers, 

 well supported from beneath ; otherwise carting 

 in loads upon it will soon loosen it, and render 

 it unfit fof the operation of threshing. It should 

 be wen seasoned, and nicely jointed ; and care 

 should be taken to keep it very tight. If it 

 should be so open as to let grain or other seeds 

 pass through, the grain will serve to feed and 

 increase vermin. These directions appear to 

 proceed on the supposition that a space is left 

 between the bottom of the floor, and the sur- 

 face of the ground. Such space however should 

 never be left unless it can be converted to some 

 purpose more useful than that of harboring ver- 

 min ; as it may be if situated seven or eight or 

 more feet from the ground, according to Mr. 

 Gibson's directions, as given in our paper, page 

 361. Indeed there are said to be advantages 

 in setting the floor at some distance from the 

 ground, so that it may have some spring or 

 elasticity, which causes the grain to thresh out 

 with more facility. But the mode of placing 

 barn floors practised in some instances which 

 have fallen within our notice, is the very worst 

 which could be deviled. We have seen them 

 in many places laid from 6 to '24 inches from 

 the ground, alTordiiig a convenient dwelling 

 place for skunks, woodchucks, hedgehogs, cats, 

 puppies, weevils, worms, bugs, and other insects 

 of all known and unknown denominations; rats, 

 mice, chickens, and other poultry ; toads, snakes, 

 &,c. &.C. In this strong hold of noxious and ti'.lby 

 animals and animalcuUe, all creeping and flying 



things which can vex, annoy and plunder the 

 farmer, find a city of refuge, a secure asylum, 

 and hiss or growl dofiance to his attempts to 

 dislodge them with a long handled pitch-fork of 

 a pointed sled slake. 



Where threshing machines are used, there is 

 less need of large barns than where the flail is 

 the only implement for separating the straw 

 from the grain. Sir John Sinclair says " Noth- 

 ing can be more absurd than the enormous barns 

 usually attached to all the great farms in Eng- 

 land. " Grain in the straw keeps infinitely better 

 in the open air than in close barns; it is less 

 apt to be destroyed by vermin, and saves the 

 enormous expense of constructing and repairing 

 great barns. Threshing mills, when geuerally 

 introduced, will soon prove the absurdity of 

 erecting such unnecessary buildings." 



The calculations of Sir John Sinclair, how- 

 ever, are not precisely adapted to our meridian 

 or hemisphere, although perhaps the introduc- 

 tion of threshing machines might have some in- 

 fluence to diminish the size of our barns in cer- 

 tain cases. ludge Peters well observes, that 

 " When the farm becomes productive, it seldom 

 or ever happens that the barn is too large. The 

 most general mistake is, that it is too small ; 

 and most commonly the floor is too narrow tor 

 treading out crops with horses, or using our 

 simple machines for threshing. In the moist 

 countries of Europe, wherein there are late 

 harvests, stacking is preferred to confining grain 

 in barns, which is said to be injurious, on ac- 

 count of retaining dampness, and promoting 

 mouldiness t-jlh in hay and straw. But in onr 

 climate, favoring early harvests, with generally 

 fine weather, no such consequences follow, and 

 barns are all essential." 



GENERAL CAUTIONS IN COUNTRY COOKERY. 



Soups are never to be filled up or have even 

 a drop of water, hot or cold, added ; and are 

 never to boil briskly. They are to be long, 

 long over the fire, siinmeriiig rather than boil- 

 ing. And all soups having roots or herbs, are 

 to have the meat laid on. the bottom of the pan, 

 with a good lump of butter. The herbs and 

 roots being cut small are laid on the meat. It 

 is then covered dose, and set on a very slozv fire. 

 This draws out all the virtue of the roots and 

 herbs, and turns out a good gravy, with a fine 

 flavor, from what it would be if the water was 

 put in at first. When the gravy is almost dried 

 up, then fill the pan with water ; and when it 



begins to boil, take off the fat. Never boil 



fish, but only simmer, till enough. Beef quick 



boiled, is thereby hardened; simmer or s]oyv boil 



if, in not too much water. Veal and poultry 



are to be dusted with flour, and put into the 

 kettle in cold xvalcr. Cover and boil slo-u.' as 

 possible, skimming the water clean. It is the 

 worst of faults to boil any meat fast. In bak- 

 ing pic, a quick oven, ^aell closed, prevents fal- 

 ling of the crust. 



Wasteful or indolent people overlook calcu- 

 lation ; and loo many may think but little of the 

 wholesome and nourishing qualities ot food. — 

 But here are well informed and most actively 

 good men, recommending to the world the re- 



