GENERAL REMARKS. 3 



with steam-hammered, perfectly-fitting wrought iron plates, 

 secured and strengthened by double-grooved pieces between 

 the middle rails and sills of the partitions. Whether the use 

 of iron, especially of wrought iron, is expedient to this extent, 

 must be a question of experience ; but as the hardest wood is 

 often reduced to a fragile shell in a single night by a visitation 

 of ants, it would seem, in such countries as Africa and India, 

 for instance, to be, in conjunction with masonry and cement, 

 the only available material. 



An iron homestead, to accommodate loo cattle, and An iron home- 

 attached to a farm of 400 acres, has been built by Mr. st^^^* 

 Humphreys, of Albert Gate, from a design by Mr. Clark, and 

 as the arrangement is unique in its way, a short description of 

 the stables and yards may not be out of place. The range of 

 buildings is only one story high ; the stalls and boxes are 

 connected with the mixing-room and chaff-house by means of 

 covered passages, so that the animals may be fed without being 

 disturbed, in the manner shown on Plate i. They are lighted 

 from the roof by skylights, and adjoin a covered yard. The 

 cart, implement, and tool-house, including a workshop, are 

 placed in immediate proximity to the stables. The stores for 

 hay, straw, roots, &c., are all in close relation to the mixing 

 floor and machinery for the preparation of food. There are 

 two open and two covered yards in this design, the former 

 being, of course, provided with feeding-sheds for the cattle. 

 The description of roof well suited for this kind of yard will 

 be found on Plate 44, and by the necessary increase of its 

 several members may be made to a much wider span, without 

 the use of intermediate posts, and also afford ample scope for 

 ventilation. 



Galvanised corrugated iron has been in use for many years, Portable iron 

 for temporary and portable buildings, and has been largely used stables. 

 for stables. These are usually constructed of fir framing, 

 mortised \ so as to be taken to pieces and re-erected without 

 difficulty. They are built with air spaces and filled in also 



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