Irish Agriculture. 
67 
A small king-post, supported by struts, should be added from 
the wall-plate to the ridge-pole, for the support of the roof in 
front, and at the remote end it may be stayed in the same manner. 
The rafters also should be secured by means of cross-braces, 
which will be found useful to bind the whole together. The 
following particulars show the cost of a hay-barn of this kind, as 
erected in Ireland : — 
£. «. d. 
15 Upright posts, at 2s 1 10 0 
Wall-plate, 136 feet Uneal, at 2{d 18 4 
Rafters, 110 feet (plank 9x3) at 3c? 17 0 
Cross-braces for ditto 05 0 
Ridge-pole 0 2 6 
Roo6ng-plank, 11 squares at 7s. &d 4 2 6 
Nails, tar, &c 1 10 0 
Workmen erecting barn 400 
Total cost of erection 14 5 10 
In other cases the cost has been higher. Thus, on one farm 
where 4 hay-barns have been erected, each 70 feet in length, 
30 feet in breadth, and 18 feet in height to the wall-plate, the 
cost of each barn was 42/. In another case, where pillars of 
masonry supported the roof, the cost was as follows : walls and 
pillars, 17/. 15^.; roofing, 28/. I85. Id.; total, 46/. ISs. 2d. 
The dimensions in this case were, — length, 72 feet ; width, 
inside, 28 feet ; height to wall-plates, 19 feet. These barns are 
used for storing the corn crops of the farm, as well as hay. 
A light form of roofing, introduced by the Messrs. Malcomson, 
Portlaw Factory, Co. Waterford, has tended much to lessen the 
expense of hay-barns, &c. This roof is constructed in the form 
of a segment of a circle, having very little rise in the centre, 
and is formed of light wooden trellis framing, covered with a 
coarse calico, specially manufactured for the purpose by Messrs. 
Malcomson. The calico is afterwards dressed with two coats of 
coal-tar, applied hot. The lightness of this description of roof 
will be understood when it is stated that the girders and arched 
pieces are each 2^ inches by 1 inch, the trellis laths 2 inches by 
half-an-inch, and the sheeting laths 3 inches by half-an-inch in 
dimensions. The use of these roofs has extended very much 
in different parts of Ireland, and they have been applied to cow- 
houses and other kinds of farm-buildings, and even to cottages 
and dwelling-houses of a class superior to cottages. Felt may 
be used instead of the Portlaw calico, provided it is of the best 
quality. The Messrs. Malcomson construct the framing of these 
roofs, so that it is only necessary to set it up and cover it ; and they 
have export^ considerable quantities of the framing to different 
parts of Great Britain, as well as supplying the home demand. 
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