THE BASEMENT. 93 



north to south. There is a line of "big beams" on either 

 side of this drive-way, 13 feet high, across which a scaffold 

 may be thrown to enable us to occupy the high space over 

 this floor. The posts being 28 feet high and roof rising 

 22% feet, the cupola floor is 50 feet above the drive- way 

 floor below. The space above these "big beams" is quite 

 clear of any obstruction, and a horse pitching-fork may be 

 run at pleasure to any part. The bay for hay on the left 

 side of this floor is 80 feet long, and has an area of 2,051 

 square feet, and is capable of holding, when filled to the 

 roof and over the floor, 200 tons of hay. This bay, extend- 

 ing along the floor 80 feet, may be divided into as many 

 parts as required for different qualities of hay, and each 

 part be quite convenient for filling and taking out. 



On the right-hand side of the floor is a scaffold, eight 

 feet high, having the same area (2,051 square feet) for car- 

 riages, farm tools and machines below, and above the 

 scaffold is a height of 18% feet to top of the plates a large 

 space for grain, affording ample room for the separate stor- 

 age of each kind to the aggregate of 3,000 bushels or more. 

 It will be seen that the large space in this barn is all 

 reached and filled from one floor, saving much labor in 

 changing from one floor to another. 



THE BASEMENT. 



Fig. 8 shows the basement as we use it, yet there are 

 many different ways in which it may be divided for stock 

 and other purposes. We build the basement wall of con- 

 crete. It is not only the warmest and best wall for basement 

 stables, but is much cheaper than the stone wall laid by a 

 mason, the concrete requiring no skilled labor, only such 

 skill as is required to mix mortar and tend a mason. 



The drive-way through the basement is from west to 

 east, being the feeding floor between two rows of cattle, 

 with heads turned toward the floor. The floor is fourteen 



