1862. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMEK. 



185 



For the New Ensland Farmer. 

 BABNS AWD BABKT CELLAKS. 



I have been perusing your paper of March 1st, 

 and noticed the report of the Legislative Agricul- 

 tural Society at their seventh meeting. Subject 

 — Farm Buildings. I Avould like to make some 

 inquiries in regard to the ventilation of barns 

 ■with cellars under them. 



First, If a man should build a room, lay a tight 

 floor, double board the sides, build a good foeplace 

 •without any chimney in one side, and then lay a 

 loose floor overhead, and then cover with hay, and 

 build a fire in the fireplace, would he be surprised 

 if his hay should be smoky ? taste smoky ? smell 

 smoky ? or if his clothes should come in contact 

 with the hay, or remain in the room a short time, 

 ■would they not smell smoky ? Is this to be ■won- 

 dered at ? I would ask how many barns are built 

 upon the principle of the room above described ? 

 Or how many stables are there in the country 

 ■which are ventilated in the same way ? (through 

 the hay mow.) It is not to be wondered at that 

 people complain about ventilation in such barns 

 as have cellars under them ; also, about bad hay, 

 or yellow hay, that lays over the stable, it woidd 

 not be surprising if all the hay and straw that 

 ■was in the barn should smell or taste a little strong. 



Second, A barn that is 40 by 60 feet may be 

 properly ventilated by two pipes, viz. : Place one 

 of them in the vicinity of the stable, M'hich should 

 have a box pipe running the whole length of the 

 stable, with small openings as necessity would re- 

 quire, at the different tie-ups. Then there should 

 be another in the opposite end or part of the barn, 

 and if there should be another stable, there should 

 be another tul^e running the length of the stable, 

 to unite with the large ventilating pipe. These ven- 

 tilating tubes, for a barn of the size given, should 

 be two feet square, with a damper (af the lower 

 end) to turn as occasion would require. In no 

 case should they diminish in size towards the top 

 of the barn ; to contract the tube at the top would 

 be to stop the draft, but to enlarge the top grad- 

 ually would increase the draft, and they should 

 be placed as near the centre portion of the cellars 

 as convenient. 



Lastly, If any man will follow this last rule, 

 he would not have smoky, yellow, or bad flavored 

 hay, providing it was got into the barn in good 

 condition. Natilvn Way. 



West Burke, Vt., 1862. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 EXAMIWINQ EGGS FOB SETTING. 

 As the time of setting hens is near at hand, a 

 few hints may, perhaps, be of some benefit to your 

 readers. Select a warm, dry, secluded place ; set 

 four hens, or more, if possible, at the same time, 

 so as to allow one hen to rear the four broods, as 

 it is no more trouble to take charge of forty chicks 

 with one hen, than one-third that number. After 

 setting four days take the eggs from under the 

 hens in the evening, hold them before a strong 

 light, between your hands ; if the eggs are good, 

 you will perceive a small, floating ball, wliich is 

 the eye of the chick, and the eggs will appear thick 

 with bloody veins passing from side to side. Re- 

 place such eggs carefully ; those that have not 

 changed can be used in the family, as they wiU 



not be injured. If you first placed thirteen eggs 

 under each hen or fifty-two under the four hens, 

 you may find upon examination, perhaps, twelve 

 without chickens, Avhich would become what are 

 commonly called "rotten eggs." Place the re- 

 maining forty-eight eggs under the three hens, and 

 set the other hen with fresh eggs, and if the hens 

 set steadily, you may expect forty-eight chicks 

 from the three hens. 



In selecting eggs for setting, choose those of 

 moderate size, and well proportioned ; thirteen 

 eggs is a suflicient number for one hen ; you will 

 get more chicks from that number than from more, 

 as a larger number annoys the hen, who will be 

 continually endeavoring to cover them, thereby 

 shaking and often killing the chickens in the eggs. 



Salem, March, 1862. John S. Ives. 



Ftnr the Nero England Farmer. 

 BEET SUGAK. 



Mr. Editor : — In your remarks on my beet 

 article in last Farmer, I am glad you led me to 

 correct an error, either of my pen or your printer. 

 Instead of 10 or 12 bushels, it ought to read 10 or 

 12 cwt. It appears to me that the article you 

 quote from, in the American Encyclopedia, has 

 been, by the compilers, copied from Loudon, and 

 that he wrote when the production of sugar and 

 brandy from beet was in its infancy, and hence the 

 discrepancies with regard to quantity and results, 

 &c. It must also be borne in mind that the boiling 

 of the pomace, or pulp, before pressing, adds a 

 third more of syrup, and that is but of recent in- 

 troduction in the manufacture of beet sugar ; and 

 a great many still adhere to the old system of 

 pressing the pulp cold, as it comes from the mill. 

 I have seldom found two people to agree about 

 the quantity of the raw material required to pro- 

 duce a given quantity of sugar, even in the sugar- 

 making districts of France ; and in my own expe- 

 rience I have found the quantity vary from 8 to 16 

 cwt. of clear roots to the cwt. of sugar. Tliis va- 

 riation is scarcely to be wondered at in a new 

 branch of business however, when malted barley, 

 under the hands of old and experienced brewers, 

 often produces like variations of quantity and 

 quality of ale, under certain circumstances. 



I have more than once seen whole pressings 

 of hundreds of gallons rendered almost useless by 

 the too liberal application of lime and sulphuric 

 acid, when a third part of each was only necessary, 

 and a few drops of the oil of violets administered 

 at the critical moment, would have saved the 

 whole mess. The quantity of molasses has also 

 to be taken into account. The more molasses the 

 less sugar, and the more sugar the less molasses, 

 which has to be regulated by the application of 

 chemical agents, upon which much depends in the 

 manufacture of a good article. The Avhole econo- 

 my of the thing consists in adapting means to ends, 

 and having the different departments work in per- 

 fect harmony. For example, the sugar manufac- 

 tory and the distillery ought to be united, as mo- 

 lasses and other refuse of the sugar is good enough 

 for distillery into brandy. The pulp, after being 

 pressed, is sold to the paper-makers, and brings a 

 good price, as it is found to make the best and 

 most durable paper, and is much in demand for 

 that purpose, in many parts of Europe. The Lon- 



