814 
Report of the Judges of Farm Plans, 
" The Eye of the Master is necessaey to the due 
Economy of Labour." 
Desceiption by the Author. 
Farm tuildings having been a well-studied subject with us for the last twenty 
years, we have lost no opportunity of inspecting anything out of the common, 
and the result of that experience has been the confirmation of our views, viz. 
that the best form of erection is that of three sides of two squares, placed to- 
form a rectangle, making a double range in the centre, with the barn ninning 
out of the square or rectangle into the rick-yard. 
We may, before going further, enter into the object to be attained by farm 
buildings, and in doing so, venture to assert that considerable vagueness of 
idea exists on this point, and we therefore give, as our opinion, what that 
object is, viz. the conversion of the hay, straw, and roots, into meat or 
manure, with the lowest possible expense on the one hand, and the greatest 
economy of worth consistent with health, so as to produce the greatest result 
from the food on the other, combining this with the greatest facility for the 
master's supervision. 
Here, however, another point arises, viz. the cost ; and our invariable rale is 
that if a tenant cannot afford to pay .5 per cent, interest on the outlay, it 
is not a profitable investment for the landlord ; but if one tenant keeps 50 
Shorthorns, worth 100 guineas each, he can afford very difl'erent buildings 
to another tenant with 100 head of young cross-breed stock worth, say, 10?. 
each. 
The high price of meat during the last five years has brought in, however, 
another element, and one of necessary impoitance. Meat at 9c?. or 10c?. per 
pound paj's for the consumption of a large quantity of cake and com, which 
was not the case when meat was at 6t?. or 7t?. ; and if a farmer uses much 
cake, he finds he can afford to protect his manure by covered yards, and have 
the increasing tendency in this direction. It is from a want of sufficiently 
studying the.'^e points so many conflicting opinions arise, and the want of 
a thorough practical man in designing farm buildings shows itself, for 
hundreds of pounds may easily be thrown away. 
In the accompanying plan we carry out these views, and we submit that a 
modification of this plan must be adopted on arable farms, if we are right 
in the three principles we have laid down, viz., economj' of labour, worth and 
health, and facility of supervision by the master's eye. 
Our plan is designed for 150 acres of heavy arable land that will not carry 
sheep, to which there would possibly be 40 or 50 acres of pasture land 
attached, and would accommodate 70 to 80 herd of cattle of various ages, l-l 
or 15 horses, and 30 to 40 pigs ; which is more stock than would generally be 
kejit on 200 acres. 
Chaff-Cutting and Pulping-IIousc. — The first consideration is the chaff- 
cutting and pulping- house, which is situated as near as possible to the centre 
of the buildings, and is thus within GO feet of the straw in barn, hay in the 
ricks, roots in the heaps, and most of the stock to be fed. It would form one 
end of the barn, the chaff being cut in a loft. One man, who may sometimes 
require the help of a boy, will thus be able to provide the food and feed 
all the stock. 
The Barn. — We take the barn next, as we claim a novelty here. To properly 
economise labour, the barn must be out of the square, and in these days 
of portable steam threshing-machines, a farmer wants a barn for something ■ 
more than putting corn in; he only saves 10s. or 12s. by putting a rick in the 
barn instead of the rick-yard. We therefore purpose the bam first to drive 
3 or 4 loads of hay or com in during a catching time, and then keep it for 
