279 
On  the  Construction  of  Farm-Buildings. 
Tlic  stable  affords  ample  accommodation  for  ten  cart-horses 
and  two  nags,  having  a convenient  harness-room  and  hull-house. 
A large  tank  for  rain-water  is  added,  supplied  from  the  adjacent 
roofs,  and  having,  if  necessary,  a supply-pipe  from  the  engine 
cistern,  so  that,  while  the  engine  is  being  used,  warm  water  can, 
if  required,  be  obtained  in  the  stable. 
In  our  plans  we  have  afforded  no  space  for  a pond,  as  we  be- 
lieve such  an  addition  within  the  precincts  of  the  farm-buildings 
is  quite  unnecessary.  The  horses  should  never  be  allowed  to  go 
into  a pond  to  drink  ad  libitum , such  a practice  being  a fruit!  ul 
cause  of  both  external  and  internal  disease. 
We  do  not  recommend  that  any  hay  should  be  given  except  in 
the  state  of  chaff,  no  loft  therefore  is  required,  and  the  litter  and 
chaff  will,  on  the  trucks,  be  brought  opposite  and  tolerably  close 
to  the  stable  door. 
The  dung-pit  has  three  doors,  each  wide  enough  to  admit  a 
cart,  whether  employed  in  removing,  adding  to,  or  compressing 
the  manure,  either  to  pass  up  or  down  on  the  dung  as  that  may 
be  high  or  low  in  the  pit.  The  liquid  portion  passes  off  into  the 
adjacent  underground  tank,  which  receives  also  all  the  liquid 
manure,  undiluted  by  rain-water,  from  the  piggeries,  stable,  and 
cattle-boxes,  drains  being  laid  from  all  these  places  to  the  tank  in 
question.  A pump  fixed  over  this  tank  would  fill  a liquid  manure- 
cart,  or  by  means  of  a short  hose  proceeding  to  the  dung-pit  or 
to  the  artificial  manure  and  ash-house,  affords  the  means  of  satu- 
rating the  dung,  ashes,  or  earth  with  liquid  manure  previous  to 
being  carted  out  on  the  land. 
The  floors  of  the  cattle-boxes  are  formed  18  inches  lower  than 
the  passages  between  them,  and  the  litter  is  allowed  to  accumu- 
late till  it  reaches  to  18  inches  above  the  level  of  such  passages. 
The  feeding  troughs  must  thus  be  made  moveable,  and  the  rails 
which  bar  the  entrance,  will  also  require  to  be  made  to  shift ; 
the  divisions,  as  high  as  3 feet,  are  formed  of  walling,  and  above 
this,  of  posts  and  open  railing,  wide  enough  apart  to  allow  of  the 
cattle  getting  their  heads  through,  as  the  litter  will  thus  be  better 
trodden  down. 
The  roofing  over  these  cattle-sheds  is  of  the  simplest  construc- 
tion. There  are  no  gutters  here,  or  indeed  in  any  part  of  the  build- 
ing, but  the  water  is  caught  in  the  iron  eaves’  spouts.  Light,  air, 
and  ventilation  are  obtained  by  the  manner  in  which  the  passages 
are  roofed  over ; in  snowy  weather,  violent  rain  or  at  night, 
wooden  flaps  (hinged  to  the  end  of  the  rafters,  and  doubled-up 
under  them  in  convenient  lengths),  by  means  of  a cord  passing  over 
a wheel,  are  let  down  and  thus  keep  the  snow  or  heavy  rain  from 
drifting  into  the  passage.  The  whole  of  the  other  roofs  are  of  very 
simple  construction,  requiring  only  timbers  of  very  small  scantling. 
