THE COST OF BTHLDINGS 25 



build less expensive barns or to provide only open sheds for 

 dairy cows. In most sections this will greatly decrease the 

 overhead, keep the cows in a more healthy condition, and 

 decrease the cost of labor. Some large producers plan to have 

 one central milking and cleaning barn and allow the cows to 

 run in open sheds or in closed yards. This arrangement will 

 do away with the expensive milk barns and greatly reduce 

 the cost of labor, as it will not be necessary to keep so much 

 space clean enough for the milking. Some expenditure for 

 convenient barns often lowers the total cost of production by 

 decreasing the cost of labor. 



The open shed system, however, has not come into general 

 use, and the calculations herein are based on the cost of per- 

 manent closed buildings. Stone, brick, cement, hollow-tile, and 

 other permanent buildings for dairy cows have come into gen- 

 eral use in recent years. The cost in some sections is only a 

 little more than for frame buildings, and the depreciation and 

 danger from fire is considerably reduced. The latter item is im- 

 portant, especially where a good strain of cows has been devel- 

 oped. Concrete floors with cement plastered walls are desirable 

 from the standpoint of sanitation. They can be cleaned easily 

 and thoroughly. Cork and creosoted wood blocks also are used. 

 These make the bed for the animals more comfortable; they 

 are not so cold, and the cows are less Hkely to be injured by 

 slipping. It should also be noted that these floors require less 

 bedding than where concrete is used, which in some sections 

 is suflScient to warrant the additional expense, in view of the 

 relatively high cost of bedding. The interest per cow on well- 

 constructed buildings is comparatively high, but the depre- 

 ciation is low. It has been the practice to build two-story 

 barns, with the feed stored above. In a study of this prob- 

 lem made by the author it was found that no saving in cost 

 results from the arrangement when the safety of the cattle 

 is considered; also that with the proper arrangement of feed- 

 ing facilities the labor required is not made greater by having 

 separate buildings for the feed and for the cows. 



A two-story barn must be built strong enough to hold the 

 hay, and if a fire-proof floor is included the expense is consid- 



