1863. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



25 



For the New England Farmer. 



NORTH FRANKLIN (Me.) AGRICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY'S SHOW AND FAIR, 1862. 



Mr. Editor : — Perhaps some may think that 

 the shows and fairs of a society out of your State 

 do not come within the cu'cle of those to be no- 

 ticed by you, but as your organ — the Farmer — 

 claims to belong to New England, so here is a 

 general notice of our society, in short ; but first, a 

 fevf words on sundry agricultural topics. 



There are croakers and growlers all around who 

 do not take any active part in agricultural socie- 

 ties, do not try to aid and encourage those who 

 do, but cry out against them, saying they will all 

 run down ; and in every way, almost, try to dis- 

 courage the farmer's festivals, by the cry of wasted 

 and wasteful appropriations, yet are ready to draw 

 a few dollars out of the treasury, when opportuni- 

 ty occurs, so freely thrown out. 



On account of the inconvenience of driving 

 stock twenty to forty miles to the Franklin Soci- 

 ety, ten years ago a wing was dipt off, and the 

 North Franklin Society was formed, to be held, 

 alternately, at Phillips and Strong. At the or- 

 ganization there were but one hundred and fifty- 

 seven members ; but little of the improved stock 

 of all kinds, and but little desire for, or apprecia- 

 tion of, any particular kind. Oxen at maturity, 

 girding six feet, six inches, were considered more 

 than an average. Sheep shearing two and a half 

 to three pounds were satisfactory, whether it was 

 wool or hair. 



But the influence of this society, and others, has 

 been such that, right in the midst of this terrible 

 war, we have had one of the best shows yet. It 

 has been a continual improvement from the first, 

 except when the weather has been unfavorable, 

 and then the signs of improvement could be seen. 



Now, oxen, to be good ones, must be well mat- 

 ed, kind, smooth, handsome and plump ; seven 

 feet at four j-ears old ; and sheep to be called a 

 good flock, must average over four pounds, lambs 

 and all, of good, fine, well washed wool, while 

 some are set down at seven pounds ])er head right 

 through the flock. Said an extensive wool buyer 

 to me, the average of the fleeces are more than a 

 pound more than ten years ago, and he had 

 bought for over twenty years in the same towns. 



Mr. A exhibits a fine calf, cow, bull, oxen, 

 sheep or buck with his half-dozen lambs, which 

 every one wants to buy, and Mr. B sees that all 

 are going to look at Mr. A's, and the committee 

 award the society's first premium with a thank you 

 for introducing such valuable blood stock into the 

 limits of the society, and he goes and procures 

 some kind of valuable stock, and in return re- 

 ceives his thanks. 



The good things growing out of agricultural so- 

 cieties, where peace and unity prevail, are so rap- 

 idly multiplying in my mind's eye that this notice 

 must be at once brought to a close, lest an enu- 

 meration of some of them should be attempted. 



O. W. True. 



Elm Tree Farm, Franklin County, Me. 



season. With their wool, constantly soaked, and 

 frequently fi-ozen, it is impossible for them to 

 thrive, no matter how well they are fed. Warm 

 shelter will save a vast amount of food. Stuck 

 well protected from the storms and cold does not 

 demand near the amount of food that it would, if 

 exposed. Life is from heat, and just in the meas- 

 ure that warmth is withheld, just in that measure 

 is life stagnated, and when it is entirely absent, 

 death supervenes. But not only do sheep need 

 shelter, but they demand good shelter. It must 

 not be close or damp — it must be airy. In this 

 climate, we believe that sheds for sheep would be 

 best, and on high ground, and without having the 

 sides enclosed at all, or if any, only on the most 

 exposed side. — Oregon Farmer. 



Farm Buildings and Fences.— If any of our 

 stock need shelter during the winter season, it is 

 our sheep. It is almost a crime to withhold from 

 them a good ample shelter during our inclement 



ESTIMATING THE CAPACITY OF BARNS. 



Very few farmers are aware of the precise 

 amount of shelter needed for their crops, but lay 

 their plans of outbuildings from vague conjecture 

 or guessing. As a consequence, much of their 

 produce has to be stacked outside, after their 

 buildings have been completed ; and if additions 

 are made, they must be put up at the expense of 

 convenient arrangement. A brief example will 

 show how the capacity of the bam may be adapted 

 to the size of the farm. 



Suppose, for example, that the farm contains 

 100 acres, of which 90 are good arable land, and 

 that one-third each are devoted to meadow, pas- 

 ture and grain. Ten acres of the latter may be 

 corn, stored in a separate building. The meadow 

 should aff'ord two tons, per acre, and yield 60 tons ; 

 the sown grain, 20 acres, may yield a correspond- 

 ing bulk of straw, of 40 tons. The barn should, . 

 therefore, besides other matters, have a capacity 

 for 100 tons or over one ton per acre as average. 

 Allowing 500 cubic feet for each ton, (perhaps 600 

 would be nearer,) it would require a bay or mow 

 40 feet long and 19 wide for a ton and a half to 

 each foot of depth. If 20 feet high, it would hold 

 about 30 tons. If the barn were 40 feet wide with 

 10 feet p'fsts, and 8 feet of basement, about 45 

 tons could be stowed away in a bay reaching from 

 basement to peak. Two such bays, or equivalent 

 space, would be required for the products of 90 

 well cultivated acres. Such a building is much 

 larger than it usually allowed ; and yet, without it, 

 there must be a large waste, as every farmer is 

 aware who stacks his hay out ; or a large expen- 

 diture of labor in pitching and repitching sheaves 

 of grain in threshing. 



In addition to this, as we have already seen, 

 there should be ample room for the shelter of do- 

 mestic animals. In estimating the space required, 

 including feeding alleys, ike, a horse should have 

 75 square feet ; a cow 45 feet ; and sheep aljout 

 ten square feet each. The basement of a barn, 

 therefore, 40 by 75 feet in the clear, will stable ."iO 

 cattle and 150 sheep, and a row of stalls across 

 one end will aff'ord room for eight horses. The 

 30 acres each of pasture and meadow, and the 10 

 acres of corn fodder already spoken of, with a por- 

 tion of grain and roots, would probably keep about 

 this number of animals, and consequently a barn 

 with a basement of less size than 40 by 73 feet 

 would be insufficient for the accommodation of 

 such a farm in the highest state of cultivation. 



