On  the  Construction  of  Farm-Buildings. 
201 
barn,  including  straw-barn,  as  being  the  focus  from  which  the 
principal  part  of  the  fodder  is  obtained.  In  fixing  upon  the 
situation  of  the  straw-barn,  I was  anxious  to  get  the  same  as  near 
the  centre  of  the  buildings  as  possible,  and  also  to  get  a communi- 
cation at  both  sides  with  it.  This  led  me  to  the  projecting  it  out  at 
right  angles  with  the  beast-houses  on  the  east  side  and  sheds  on 
the  west.  After  considering  the  disposition  of  the  barn  so  placed 
over,  I think  it  is  much  superior  to  the  more  general  mode  of  placing 
same ; for,  in  the  first  place,  it  gives  an  opportunity  of  attaching 
the  necessary  buildings,  at  the  north  or  east  side,  for  the  use  of 
water  or  any  other  power  that  maybe  applied,  without  at  all  inter- 
fering with  the  other  arrangements.  Further,  in  thus  getting  the 
centre  place  for  the  straw-barn,  I gained  what  I was  most  anxious 
to  secure,  a communication  on  both  sides,  that  on  the  east  side 
with  beast-houses,  milching  cow-house,  sheds,  and  on  the  west 
side  with  large  shed,  cart-horse  stable,  and  hack-horse  stable, 
thus  acquiring  a very  important  acquisition  with  respect  to  the 
convenient  foddering  and  littering  of  these  several  houses. 
There  is  also  in  the  position  of  the  barn  so  placed  every  conve- 
nience for  getting  in  the  unthreshed  corn,  either  by  having  a 
sheaf-hole  at  the  north  or  west  side  of  same.  On  the  east  side  of 
the  barn  I have  laid  out  the  necessary  buildings  for  a steam- 
engine.  This  of  course  is  only  presumed,  the  situation  being 
quite  as  applicable  for  the  fitting  up  of  any  other  power  that 
might  be  determined  upon.  In  connexion  with  the  barn,  by 
stone  steps,  is  the  granary,  situate  over  large  open  shed  and  tur- 
nip-house. Over  the  latter  house  is  a trap-door,  shown  in  the 
section  of  the  line  A B on  the  plan.  Thus  every  facility  is 
afforded  for  the  quick  transport  of  the  grain  from  the  barn  to  the 
granary  without  going  out  into  the  yard,  and  afterwards  in  loading 
it  for  the  market,  or  getting  same  for  home  consumption.  The  pre- 
ferability of  having  the  granary  over  an  open  shed,  in  order  that  the 
corn  may  be  kept  perfectly  dry  and  free  from  that  damp  and  moist 
state  in  which  the  same  is  if  placed  over  a stable  or  other  occu- 
pied house,  ought  to  be  more  generally  known  in  order  that  the 
practice  which  is  at  present  too  prevalent  may  be  abandoned  at  once. 
I will  now  direct  attention  to  the  double-stalled  beast-house 
adjoining  the  straw-barn  on  the  east  side,  which  will  be  found  a 
great  acquisition  to  a farmstead  in  thus  getting  so  large  a quantity 
as  forty  head  of  cattle  into  one  house.  Also  by  the  proposed 
arrangement  of  having  a passage  down  the  middle  of  the  house, 
the  time  occupied  in  foddering  and  littering  such  a large  quantity 
of  cattle  will  be  much  less  than  if  the  same  were  in  one  continuous 
range. 
At  the  extreme  end  of  the  beast-house  are  the  turnip  and  hay- 
houses,  and  I propose  that  a wood  tramway  for  a small  waggon  to 
TJ  2 
