Best Plan of a Barn. 329 
drink in quantities which, not for it, might pass off to load the 
atmosphere with noxious effluvia that may engender disease. 
We have seen liberal quantities of compost manufactured in a 
season, by thus collecting the littles which would otherwise been 
of trifling account, without much encroachment of time, or toil of 
labor. In November, previous to the setting in of frost, we have 
seen these contributions distributed over the meadow as top-dress- 
ings, and when spring awoke at the soft whisperings of southern 
breezes, we have seen the tender herbs and the blade of grass 
spring up at her early bidding, there arrayed in robes of richness 
and health — and when summer came, bringing the rich treasures 
of the early harvest, we have seen the rich swath and the heavy 
winrow there; and in autumn, when fierce winds were driving 
the dry leaves from the solitary forest, we looked upon that spot, 
and verdure lingered there, to bid farewell to the last fading leaf, 
and deck the grave of faded vegetable nature with its lovely as- 
surances of a resurrection, when the death-like winter of the year 
was passed. 
And when a second spring time came, it was from that spot 
last visited by decay, that the earliest shootings of green gems 
was seen to aw^aken joy in the heart of the husbandmen, that na- 
ture was ever ready to aid his operations in causing the earth to 
smile in beauty and produce abundantly for the comfort and hap- 
piness of man. 
Elmwood, July, 1848. 
BEST PLAN OF A BARN. 
It has been remarked that no building on the farm in the 
northern states is of more importance than the barn. Those who 
have had the charge of cattle during our long winters, can at 
once see that much time and hard labor could be saved by a judi- 
cious arrangement of stalls, and bays, granaries, &c., so-that every 
creature could be fed by taking as few steps as possible. One 
very important thing to be considered, is the best mode of pre- 
serving as well as collecting manure, so that it shall retain all its 
valuable properties in the spring and be easily got out. We like 
the plan of having a barn on the side of a hill, and so arranged 
that you may drive your team or cart load pretty near the ridge 
pole, and thus pitch most of your hay down, instead of up. Hav- 
ing your stalls near, you can continue to pitch the hay down, and 
if you have a cellar beneath, you can throw the manure down 
also, and thus make the attraction of gravitation perform much 
of the labor of transportation from the mow to the manure cart. 
