-24 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



At the side of the platform is the manure trench which is 

 eighteen inches wide. The floor of this trench is made of one 

 thickness of two inch plank laid directly on the floor sleepers. 

 Narrow strips of one inch boards, for furring, are laid on the 

 sleepers, from the manure trench to the outside sill of the barn, 

 and are floored over with two inch plank, covered with one inch 

 boards, breaking joints. When completed this leaves the 

 trench two inches deep. Our stalls vary from three feet and four 

 inches, to four feet in width; the wide ones being reserved for 

 some of the larger animals. Three feet and six inches is about 

 the right average width. 



A convenient course to pursue in constructing the stalls is, 

 first, to set the three by four inch studs at the corners of the 

 stalls next to the feed floor of the barn, and then to put in place 

 the eight inch plank which is the bottom of the feed rack and 

 extends from post to post. The bottom of this plank should 

 be twenty-nine inches from the floor, and its back edge should 

 be beveled- to take the narrow strips of the feed rack which are 

 nailed to it. The top or head rail, which is two by four inches, 

 is set at an angle, the upper corner being five feet and ten inches 

 from the floor and twenty-eight inches from the front end of 

 the stalls. 



The partitions are a single thickness of one inch boards nailed 

 to the three by four studs at the front end of the stalls, and 

 extending back; the ends being cut on an angle to fit into the 

 groove in the inclining three by four header which is nailed to 

 the head rail at one end and the floor at the other end. 



This header piece has its corners chamfered and the one inch 

 deep groove is in the four inch side. The manger strips are 

 one by two inches in size, and are placed four inches apart. 

 The head rail is held in place by strips nailed to it and the front 

 studs. 



The top floor of the stalls is put down last and is of one inch 

 boards running up and down the stalls. Pieces of three by 

 four joist are placed on edge across the stalls near the ends of 

 the partition and fastened to the floor by two large wire nails. 

 The upper corners of these pieces are chamfered. They are 

 to be put just in front of, and close to the hind feet of the ani- 

 mal when it stands up in the stall with its head close to the 

 slats of the feed rack. 



