536 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



I beg, Mr. President, of that noble and patriotic Institution, to 

 accept the assurance of the gratitude I feel for the honor done 

 to me by this benevolent recollection of me. Devoted, as I am 

 to the interests of your beautiful and powerful country, ever 

 since the time of Jefferson, I feel sensibly this mark of your 

 remembrance of me. Condescend to accept kindly this assurance 

 from an old man, almost an ante-diluvian, of the homage, respect 

 and gratitude of your very humble and very obedient servant, 



A. L. HUMBOLDT. 



FARM BUILDINGS. 



Mr. Pell — In the construction of farm houses, and other build- 

 ings necessary for the economical and advantageous management 

 of farms, too little attention seems hitherto to have been paid, 

 considering the great practical importance of such objects. It is 

 obvious, that the facility and convenience of carrying on different 

 operations must greatly depend on the judicious form and arrange- 

 ment of such erections. By the commodious distribution of such 

 buildings, servants are enabled to perform more labor, and with 

 greater ease to themselves, or where offices are injudiciously 

 placed, much of their time must, of necessity, be lost to the con- 

 veyance of different articles, such as hay, straw, &c., from one 

 place to another. 



The size of farm buildings should in general be proportioned 

 in some measifreto that of the farm, and their construction regu- 

 lated by its nature and situation. Where the farm is merely a 

 grazing one, fewer buildings are required, and these are chiefly 

 of the slied kind, which may be formed in a cheap manner, of 

 such materials as are nearest at hand, or can be easily procured. 

 In such cases the sheds should always have permanent roofs, 

 except they are built in the field for summer only. For dairy 

 farms composed of grazing and arable land, cow houses should be 

 so arranged as to suit the number of cows that can at any time 

 be kept; and such other conveniences should be provided as are 

 proper for the dairy business, whether they be managed as cheese, 

 butter, milk, or siickling farms; for such farms small stables and 

 barns are in general sufl&cient. And for the arable or corn farm, 

 as partaking in general of both the other sorts, the offices and 



