280 
On  the  Construction  of  Farm-Buildings. 
In  the  cart-house  and  barns  the  roofs  are  divided  into  two  spans 
by  upright  posts  supporting  the  ridge-piece,  to  which  the  common 
rafters  are  suspended  by  iron  straps,  thus  obviating  any  tendency 
in  the  roof  to  spread  or  thrust  out  the  walls. 
It  is  presumed  that  in  the  barns  these  posts  in  the  centre  would 
be  useful,  and  they  certainly  would  not  be  found  in  the  way  in  the 
cart-house.  It  is  proposed  to  construct  the  whole  of  the  walling 
with  hollow  tubes  of  baked  clay,  of  which  specimens  are  sent. 
Through  the  kindness  of  the  Duke  of  Richmond,  the  opportunity 
was  recently  afforded  us  of  making  a practical  trial  of  this  method 
of  construction ; and  from  the  experience  we  have  now  had, 
we  feel  no  hesitation  in  pledging  ourselves,  that  with  ample 
strength  and  equal  durability,  as  compared  with  common  brick 
walls,  our  method  of  construction  with  these  hollow  tubes  will 
effect  a saving  of  one-third  in  the  cost  per  rod  of  walling. 
The  geometrical  ground-plan,  having  the  names  of  the  various 
compartments  written  on  it,  will  serve  as  a key  for  the  isometrical 
section  and  elevations,  which  with  the  other  sections,  scales,  and 
figures  will  afford  sufficient  explanations  to  enable  any  country 
carpenter  to  put  up  such  a stack  of  buildings,  in  the  arrangement 
of  which,  simplicity  and  convenience  have  been  chiefly  studied, 
combined  with  economy,  strength,  and  durability — such  beauty 
only  being  attempted  as  was  to  be  obtained  by  regularity  and 
form. 
The  ice  that  has  been  employed  in  the  foregoing  observations 
is  not  the  “editorial  we,”  its  use  having  arisen  from  the  fact  of 
this  essay  and  the  accompanying  designs  and  arrangements  being 
the  joint  production  of  two  parties,  the  one  a practical  architect, 
the  other  an  agriculturist,  each  having  had  ample  opportunities 
and  a tolerable  amount  of  experience  in  their  respective  occu- 
pations. This  circumstance,  it  is  hoped,  the  Council  will  consider 
as  some  guarantee  for  the  correctness  of  the  authors’  calculations 
and  the  justness  of  their  views.* 
Estimate  and  Specification  for  Farm-Buildings. 
Yds. 
ft. 
in. 
s.  d. 
84 
0 
0 
Cube  digging  to  liquid  manure  tank 
2 12 
0 
0 
33  33 
covered  dung-pit  . 
50 
0 
0 
water-tank  . . 
227 
0 
0 
cattle-boxes  . 
178 
0 
0 
>3  >3 
foundations . . 
Rods 
fu 
in. 
29 
50 
0 
Superficial 
reduced  brickwork  with 
tubular 
bricks 

• 
The  first  part  of  this  essay  was  written  by  Mr.  Spooner,  the  latter  by  Mr.  Elliott. 
