214 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[JCXE, 
Fig. 1.— ELEVATION OF EARN. 
Good Farm Bam. 
The accompanying plan of a barn is present- 
ed in compliance with the often expressed 
wishes of readers of the Agricultwrist, that we 
would give less elaborate and expensive plans 
than some which have been presented heretofore. 
Here is one for a barn 40 x 55 feet, with a large 
shed for cattle attached. It is, on the whole, a 
good plan, but not nearly so philosophical and 
labor-saving as the one in the Agricultural An- 
nual, neither is it so expensive. This plan, 
like that, is susceptible of modification to 
accommodate a smaller farm, or a smaller 
number of animals, as we will explain. First 
is the 15-foot barn floor — of good medium width 
— if wider, the room would not be wasted. On 
the left are the horse stalls, 5 feet wide. There 
might be five stalls 4 feet wide, but for a large 
horse, the width ought to be about 5 feet. The 
whole space given to horses is 15 x 20 feet. 
Then the floor widens 7 feet, and the rest of the 
left side is devoted to cattle stalls — 25 feet, giv- 
ing room for six; cow and ox stalls, and two 
passage ways, one of which maj 1 ' be closed and 
made a stall for a cow. The 7-foot space affords 
abundant room for hay-cutter, feed-box and 
accompaniments, located close to both cattle and 
horses, and if cattle are fed in the shed on feed 
prepared in the feed box, a passage at the rear 
matched boards 
over the stables, 
at a bight of 8 
feet. The posts 
are 16 feet to the 
eaves. The roof 
is what is usu- 
ally called half- 
pitch, more last- 
ing than if flat- 
ter. A substan- 
tial, tight floor is 
laid upon the 
straining beams 
of the roof. This 
may be extend- 
^^H 
BOILER 
B.ARM YARD 
-60 FT.- 
Fig. 2. — PLAN OP BARN. 
conducts conveniently to their mangers. A three- 
foot square trunk extends from over the 7 x 25- 
foot space in front of the cow stalls to the roof, 
securing abundant ventilation, and affording a 
shute, through which lray, or straw, may be 
readily dropped from the mow, or corn cobs, 
and other matters, from the granary. 
The right side of the barn floor is occupied 
by a hay bay. There is a tight ceiling of 
ed, if desired, through, the entire length of the 
bam, or only from one end to over the bam floor. 
In it is a large trap door directly over the thresh- 
ing floor; and a small gable with a door in it, 
over the great doors, affords communication 
with the front of the barn, so that grain in 
bags or barrels may be raised or lowered as well 
here as through the trap door. This floor is the 
granary or corn loft— easily made rat-proof, 
close under the roof, and 
consequently very hot in 
sunshiny, autumn weather. 
Corn in the ear is easily 
hoisted by horse-power 
from the wagons; and, if 
spread on the floor not more 
than a foot thick, will cure 
much sooner and more per- 
fectly than if in cribs. This 
grain floor is reached by a 
stairway from the floor over 
the stables ; under the stairs is a shute or shutes 
for conducting the shelled corn, etc., to the feed- 
ing floor. This arrangement requires strong 
posts and roof-framing, but not stronger than 
for a slate roof of a less pitch — and such a roof 
will support double the weight likely to be 
placed on such a floor — for not only is it con- 
structed to bear the weight of the slates, but of 
2 feet of snow, and the force of high winds in 
addition. The 
weight of grain 
will only give in- 
creased steadi- 
ness, a large part 
being borne by 
the posts — the 
floor preventing 
all racking. The 
shed is 30x40 
feet, with 12-foot 
front, and 8-foot 
rear posts; open 
in front, and having windows in the back. 
At the rear, a passage way 4 feet wide 
communicates with the cow stable in 
the barn, and forms the feeding alley to 
the loose boxes and stalls in the shed. 
Cattle will not suffer in such a shed, left 
entirely open, in the severest winter 
weather, but it is best to close the front 
_ J by boarding, and doors, having large win- 
dows for light and air. The hog pens 
are placed contiguous to the barn-yard, 
so that the swine may be allowed the free 
range of the compost heaps, at least in their 
own cornel'. In the hog house is a steam boiler; 
and a pipe, boxed and packed in sawdust, and 
laid underground, crosses the yard to the feeding 
floor, for steaming and cooking the fodder for the 
cattle. By this arrangement the h ogs are located 
at a considerable distance from the granary and 
root Cellar, but this is not a serious inconve- 
nience, and it is best to remove any source' of 
danger from fire as far away as possible. 
The root cellar is 7 feet deep under the hay 
bay, on the right side of the barn. There are 
two shutes from the floorto the cellar, and there 
is a stairway as indicated. Besides, access is 
had by a cellar-way on the eastern side. 
"We think this plan will please many of our 
readers. It may be easily reduced, making it, 
say 30 x 42 feet. The floor, 13 feet ; bay, 15 feet ; 
4 horse stalls, 18 feet, and 4 cow stalls, 12 feet, 
in a line across the left side ; the floor being 
15 feet wide in front of the cow stable, and 
other contractions made on the same principle. 
The manure will be, of necessity, only in 
part under cover. The sheep barn and yard 
will be on the east side, accessible to the root 
cellar. It is not represented in the plan given. 
Decker's Plow Clevis. 
Mr. J. "W. Decker, of- Orange Co., N. T., in- 
vented, sometime since, the simple contrivance 
which we figure, for the purpose of regulating 
at will, and without stopping, the depth of the 
Fig. 1. — PLOW WITH CLEVIS ATTACHED. 
furrow in plowing. His success, as he reports 
to us, was complete, so much so that the clevis 
was soon adopted by his neighbors. A plow 
with this attachment was exhibited a few years 
since at the Orange County Fair, where it at- 
tracted considerable attention, and elicited gen- 
eral commendation. Mr. Decker thinks, though 
he does not wish to take out a patent for his in- 
vention, that it is worth)'- of being more widely 
known and generally used. He allows us, there- 
fore, to illustrate it, aud present it to the readers 
of the American Agriculturist. See figure 1. 
The construction of the Clevis may be seen 
from fig. 2. The draft-rod is a piece of wrought 
-JH 
Fig. 2. — clevis. 
iron, similar to a common clevis, but much 
longer, with three notches for the ring, and fast- 
ened well back on the beam, by a bolt passing 
horizontally through it. This is set for the deep- 
est plowing when against the bottom of the 
beam, and it is depressed for lighter work by 
drawing upon a light chain attached to a lever 
which moves two cast iron cams. There are 
thin plates of iron of a form indicated by draw- 
ing a circle touching the sides of a square, and 
cutting off three corners of the square to the 
line of the circle. These plates have square 
holes Dear the angle, and fit upon a bolt having 
a cylindrical body with square ends, to which 
they, together with the forked lever, are fasten- 
ed tightly by means of a nut. 
Indian Corn in Drills. — Is the practice of 
growing this crop in hills sustained by good 
reason ? Flat culture is much the best prac- 
tice, even when rows both ways are return- 
ed. The advantage of cultivating in two direc* 
