326 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[September, 
they come in. There can be little doubt that, 
as a general rule, cows are not fed high enough 
during winter to afford the best results during 
summer. A cow kept in a comfortable and well- 
ventilated stable, with abundance of nutritious 
food, will be healthier and better able to stand 
the strain on her constitution at calving, than if 
kept on a low diet ; and there can be little doubt 
that, with a cow of the right sort, all the fat that 
is accumulated while she is dry will find its way 
to the pail during the summer in the form of 
butter. In the dairy districts wintering a cow 
is expensive, even on the poorest description of 
food, and it is a short-sighted policy to stint her, 
as we thus lose the whole benefit of her exist- 
ence during several months. It is just as im- 
portant to feed her well while she is dry as 
while she is giving milk. Of course the matter 
may In overdone, especially with cows not 
adapted to high feeding, but as a general rule, 
there is very little danger in this direction. 
Barn Building at the West. 
The barns of the West have hitherto not been 
models either of architectural style or practical 
utility, which could be held up for imitation. 
Of late, however, we know of a great awaken- 
ing taking place on the subject of barns, and 
i''ig. 3.— PLAN OF BAKN. 
of manure, — two subjects than which none 
more important can be discussed, and which 
will soon be followed by great interest in rota- 
tion of crops. This, indeed, is already becom- 
ing the theme of thought and discussion among 
wide-awake men. To get the best crops we 
must have manure. The crops .must be convert- 
ed into beef or money, and manure. To get the 
most manure and the best and cheapest beef, 
we must have barns ; while to make the best 
use of the manure and secure clean culture, 
we must adopt a rotation of crops. Our West- 
ern friends are, perhaps, too apt to measure the 
merits of a barn by its size, its substantial fram- 
ing, and good finish. The criterion of excellence 
should be convenience and adaptation to its uses. 
Mr. AVm. B. Collier, of St. Louis, has lately 
erected a fine barn on his estate, in New Mexico, 
Adrian Co., Mo., and as it is regarded by well- 
informed people as the best barn in the State, 
he sends us a photograph and ground plan. The 
plan is a modification of that of the barn of Ru- 
fus J. Lackland, St. Louis Co. It was occupied 
January 1st of the current year, and with a large 
corn crib 35 feet square, 
not seen in the engrav- 
ing, cost $9,000. The 
building is 84 ft. square, 
and nearly 50 feet in ex- 
treme bight, not in- 
cluding the cellar; it 
fronts the south. There 
are 8-4 stalls, arranged 
as in the ground plan, 
fig. 2, there being two 
rows of horse stalls on 
one side and three rows 
of cattle stalls on the 
other. The proportions 
of the interior are as 
liberal of space as those 
of the barn itself. The 
central drive-way or 
barn-floor is 16 feet 
wide. The carriage 
and wagon-rooms on each side the floor are 
20 feet square each. Two large loose boxes 
are for the accommodation of the stallions "St. 
Louis" and "Pilot Temple"; and from the 
sketch sent we judge that the various passage- 
ways between the rows of stalls, and at the rear 
of them, must be more than 4 feet wide, while 
— ] we make out the horse stalls to be 
| nearly 6 feet, and the stalls for 
two cows to be nearly 8 feet in 
width. The two spaces enclosed 
between dotted lines on the barn- 
floor indicate the position of the 
hoistways for hay and grain, un- 
der the skylights. The spaces at 
cither end outside these hoisting 
spaces are floored over above the 
great doors, and are to be finished 
off as granaries for keeping the 
stock of oats, meal, etc., required 
Ql for the stock. On each side of the 
v" barn is a rain-water cistern, 13 feet 
9 inches in diameter, and 25 feet 
deep ; these are connected by a 
pipe, passing underground across 
the front of the barn. There are 
j seven windows on each side, and 
six besides the five sliding doors, 
; in each gable. These, with the 
! three great ventilators, afford un- 
usual provision for pure air. The 
cattle are, doubtless, as we judge 
from the arrangement of this 
plan, fed from the floor above. The passage 
between the rows of horse stalls is for feeding. 
The building stands upon 54 stone pillars, and 
has a tight board floor, any part of which may 
be easily renewed, as occasion may require. 
Foul Water in Wells. 
Some wells furnish periodically water un- 
pleasant to the taste, and doubtless unwhole- 
some. The bad taste usually comes out in the 
summer at low stages of water, and disappears 
with the winter rains, when the wells are full. 
This occurs when the temperature of the water 
is raised sufficiently to allow the moderately 
rapid decomposition of organic substances 
which might otherwise remain without giving 
any hint of their presence. These substances 
may be derived from several sources ; the most 
usual is from leaves and small animals falling 
into the well. In examining one of these taint- 
ed wells recently, we found that a lead pipe had 
been put into the well leading very near the 
sink drain, and the filth of the sink followed the 
outside of the pipe into the well. Sometimes 
other causes of pollution are in close prox- 
imity. We cannot be too careful in secur- 
ing pure water for family use at all seasons of 
the year. Quite often the secret of disease is 
found in the well. Temporary relief may be 
found in the use of charcoal, but this does not 
relieve the heads of the family from the respon- 
sibility of ferreting out and stopping the cause. 
Throw a peck or half bushel of good charcoal 
on the fire ; let it get partially ignited through- 
out; then take it out, crack the large lumps, 
and put it immediately into a wet gunny bag or 
any wet sack of coarse, open stuff. Put into the 
bag, also, a stone weighing 10 pounds or more, 
and, attaching a cord, lower it to the bottom of 
the well. Churn it up and down a few times, 
and after an hour, repeat the " churning," and 
this time fasten the cord so that the bag will 
hang near the surface of the water. Repeating 
the operation in a few hours the water will 
probably be sweet and healthy for several days. 
- ' ~»»i — •-» 
The Lance-head Hoe. 
A few weeks since our good friend James P. 
Swain, of Westchester Co., brought into the 
office three hoes like the one engraved, and the 
very same day we received a letter from " P.," 
of Gloucester Co., N. J., which we give in part 
below. The hoes brought in by Mr. Swain 
seem to have been made exactly after the pat- 
tern described by " P," so much so that we in- 
l||§jl| 
LANCE-HEAD HOE. 
quired into the matter and found the gentlemen 
to be entire strangers to each other, find that 
Mr. Swain had originally made his hoe in his 
father's blacksmith shop some 50 years ago. 
These hoes are quite distinct from the common 
bayonet hoe, being 4'|j inches long by 3'| a in 
