THE SMALL OCTAGON. 103 



timber, except posts, which would be better twenty-four or 

 twenty-five feet long. Each side would be only 20% feet, 

 and the wall for the basement 165 feet long, whilst the 

 other would be 184 feet long, saving 19 feet of wall and 

 siding by the octagon, requiring but eight corner posts, 

 and no intermediates, as the girths would be less than 

 twenty feet long. He would require no interior posts or 

 beams, except those for scaffolds. All the ordinary purlin 

 posts and beams would be saved, and the labor on them. 

 It is easy, also, to see that a few feet added to each side 

 would furnish room for another fifty acres, and so on to 

 any size desired. This form of building, properly under- 

 stood, would lead farmers to abandon the building of a 

 separate barn for each specific purpose, and to provide for 

 all their necessities under one roof. If several barns are 

 placed so as to be convenient, the danger, in case of a fire, 

 is about the same as in one barn, for all would burn in 

 either case. 



A FIFTY-FOOT OCTAGON. 



To instance a size of barn, ample for a fertile farm of 50 

 acres, to accommodate crops, tools and stock, we select the 

 octagon of 50 feet diameter. This requires a basement 8 

 feet in the clear, in which all the stock on the farm will be 

 kept ; with a drive-way through the basement 12 feet wide, 

 fifteen cows or cattle could stand on each side with their 

 heads to the drive-way or feeding-floor, and, using 2 feet on 

 each side of this floor for a manger, would leave a track for 

 cart or wagon of 8 feet. Behind each row of cattle would 

 be room for 4 horse stalls of good width ; but as such a farm 

 would not be likely to have use for more than 4 horse 

 stalls, the space on the other side would be used for lying- 

 in stalls for cows and calf-pens, etc. Here is abundance of 

 room for all the stock 50 to 75 acres can keep, and every- 

 thing is under one roof. 



