274 
On  the  Construction  of  Farm-Buildings. 
required,  one  being-  loaded  and  the  other  unloaded  at  the  same 
time ; they  will  merely  require  to  be  a light  frame-work  on  four 
wheels,  and  may  be  constructed  at  the  cost  of  15/.  If  necessary, 
a rick  can  be  taken  in  and  threshed  and  winnowed  at  the  same 
time ; but  on  a small  farm  it  will  probably  be  more  convenient 
to  carry  on  these  operations  on  different  days.  It  will,  however, 
be  quite  unnecessary  to  have  more  barn-room  than  is  sufficient 
for  one  rick,  as  corn  of  every  description  can  be  kept  much 
better  in  stack  than  in  barn.  If  the  expense  of  thatching  is 
objected  to,  this  may  be  obviated  by  having  a moveable  roof, 
made  of  thin  board,  on  a light  frame,  and  covered  with  felt,  and 
hoisted  up  and  lowered  on  a long  pole  running  up  through  the 
middle  of  the  rick,  or  on  four  poles  on  the  outside. 
To  return,  however,  to  the  rail.  We  have  seen  that  it  effects  a 
saving  of  horse-power  in  taking  ricks  into  the  barn,  but  it  will  also 
serve  the  still  more  useful  purpose  of  economizing  manual  labour 
in  the  daily  feeding  of  cattle;  for  which  object  we  have  two  lines 
of  rail,  each  running  through  a double  range  of  cattle-boxes. 
The  Cattle- Boxes. — In  deference  to  the  opinion  of  many  excel- 
lent judges,  we  have  allowed  the  space  of  10  feet  square  to  each 
fatting  beast,  believing  that  box-feeding  with  linseed  compounds* 
is  the  best  and  cheapest  method  of  manufacturing  beef,  and  at  the 
same  time  preserving  the  goodness  of  the  dung  by  compression, 
for  which  latter  purpose  each  box  is  sunk  18  inches  in  the  ground. 
However,  where  litter  is  scarce,  or  a greater  number  of  cattle  are 
required  to  be  accommodated,  it  is  only  necessary  to  convert  each 
box  into  two  stalls  ; but  whether  boxes  or  stalls  are  preferred,  we 
propose  to  have  under-ground  drains  under  each — these  drains 
discharging  into  the  manure-tank. j The  saving  of  litter  by  thus 
draining  away  the  liquid  portion  of  the  manure  into  the  tank  is, 
we  take  it,  very  great.  It  must  be  confessed  that  one  of  the 
principal  arguments  in  favour  of  boxes  over  stalls — viz.  the  capa- 
bility of  preserving  the  dung  in  a compressed  state  and  under 
cover — is  in  some  degree  rendered  less  striking  by  means  of  our 
* In  consequence  of  the  high  price  of  linseed-oil,  the  cost  of  linseed  so  greatly  ex- 
ceeds that  of  linseed-cake  that  the  rise  of  the  latter  will  he  found  more  economical. 
It  may,  however,  be  readily  ground  into  meal,  and  used  as  mucilage  mixed  with  chaff 
or  other  food. 
f Some  amount  of  expense  may  he  saved  by  availing  ourselves  of  the  combined  ad- 
vantages of  box  and  stall  feeding  in  this  manner : — When  the  beasts  are  first  put  up,  being 
light  in  ilesh,  they  do  not  require  so  much  space  as  subsequently.  Two  therefore  may 
be  tied  up  in  each  box,  the  dung  being  removed  as  it  accumulates  by  means  of  the 
tramway  into  the  covered  dung-pit.  As  the  beasts  are  fatted  off,  and  their  numbers 
lessened,  the  fattest  of  them  may  be  allowed  the  entire  box,  so  that,  by  the  time  one- 
half  are  gone,  box-feeding  will  be  in  full  operation;  and  at  the  end  of  the  term  the 
boxes  will  be  left  full  of  good  dung,  and  the  manure-pit  likewise.  Thus  double  the 
number  of  beasts  can  by  this  plan  be  fatted  off  with  the  same  amount  of  building  as  by 
ordinary  box-feeding. — Authors. 
