1878 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
57 
An illustration is here given (figure 2) of a very 
cheap poultry yard, similar to those we have often 
seen about the French farms. It is in three parts, 
and any number of compartments may be added. 
In each division there is a small, cheaply con¬ 
structed house for roosting and laying. This is 
made low in the roof, for the purpose of warmth, 
and may hold a dozen fowls. For this number, a 
house four or five feet square, with roosts around 
three sides, will be large enough. If the floor 
should be sunk two feet below the surface, it would 
be warmer than if level with the ground. A few 
Fig 2. — ELEVATION OF CHICKEN YARD. 
nest boxes may be hung upon the wall, so that the 
eggs can be removed through the window as well 
as the door. In the summer the window would be 
removed- A few nesting places may be made 
amongst the bushes, or trees planted in each yard. 
The ground plan is shown at fig. 1, on p. 56. Each 
yard may be 12 feet wide by 25 or 60 feet feet long. 
It will be found much better to keep the fowls in 
small families, of a few hens with one cock, than 
to have them all together iu one yard ; the cocks 
may then be changed each year. The doors to the 
yards are made in pairs, thus saving cost iu making 
the frames. When desired, one lot of fowls may 
be given a run outside by leaving a gate open. 
each end, and runs two cords, or wires, from one to 
the other, as seen in the engraving. This device 
is not so effective 
as that of the 
iron feed trough 
made by J. S. 
Spencer’s Sous, 
of Guilford, Ct. 
Fig. 3.-IKON FEED TROUGH. ^ ghown at 
figure 3, is of cast iron ; it is provided with three 
flanges on the edges, two of which are double, and 
are tightened with screws. The wire cover, shown 
in the engraving, is fasten¬ 
ed to these flanges, and 
prevents the fowls from 
wasting the feed. A large 
size may be used for feed¬ 
ing pigs. The troughs be¬ 
ing of iron,and pain ted,are 
very cleanly and indestruc¬ 
tible. We have used sev¬ 
eral of these feed troughs 
in our yards, and find the 
saving of feed will pay 
for them in one season. 
A Useful Farm Gate. 
—J. 13. Berry, Casper Co., 
Mo., sends a plan for a 
farm gate, which he has 
had in use for 10 years,and 
which he made as follows: 
The posts {A, A, figure 4,) 
are of white oak sticks 
11 feet loug, and large 
enough to square 12 inch¬ 
es ; these are squared for 
7 feet, leaving! feet rough 
and round ; the bark being taken off, the rough ends 
are set in the ground 10 feet apart, and 4 feet deep. 
The post holes are filled with dry earth, well tamped 
all the way up. In loose soil, it is wise to set a sill 
between the posts near the surface of the ground, 
to prevent sagging, but in compact soil this is not 
necessary. The 6 bars are 101 feet long and C inches 
A A 
Hints and Helps for Fanners. 
— « — 
A Feed Trough for Pigs. — This (fig. 1) 
opens by a falling door in the front of the pen, 
and has an inner divid¬ 
ing board aud partitions 
in the front, by which 
the pigs are prevented 
from fouling the meal, 
or fighting each other 
away. In this trough 
the meal can be kept 
before the pigs all the 
time, so that they can 
eat when they wish. 
There is a watering- 
trough used with this 
pen, so arranged that 
one end is within, and 
the other outside of the pen. One pig, only, can 
drink at a time, and the water is not fouled. With 
meal and water, ready at all times, 21 pounds of 
flesh has been put upon a pig in a single day. 
Feed Troughs for Poultry. — “ W. L.,” 
Pontiac, Mich¬ 
igan, sends a 
drawing of a feed 
trough, (fig. 2), 
which he uses 
for his chickens. 
It is made of nar 
„ row boards with 
F,g. 2.—feed trough. squarc endg) and 
to prevent the fowls from getting into the trough, 
aud wasting the feed, he fastens a small post at 
Fig. 4 .—plan for farm gate. 
wide; the uprights at the ends ( B, B,) are 6 feet long. 
These are arranged and bolted together at every 
lap, as shown in the engraving. A brace (0,) 11 
feet long, is bolted on to the bars upon each side 
wherever they cross. The upright slat, D, is then 
Fig. 1. —feed trough 
FOR PIGS. 
Fig. 5.—LOCK FOR GATE SHU' 
bolted on. The latch is 7 feet long, 4 inches wide, 
and thin enough to work easily between the braces 
where it is pivoted at E. It is raised by pressing on 
the handle, F. The hinges are then bolted on to 
the eide from the post, so that the gate will open 
completely back. They are seated upon pieces of 
wood fitted to the upper and lower bars to make 
them level with the upright bar. To prevent the 
latch being lifted by animals, a lock, L, is fixed to 
the gate. This is connected by a wire, M ,, to the 
lover, K. Another lever, If is pivoted at /, and 
connected with the latch by a wire, J. When the 
lock is out of use, the loop, 17, i3 slipped over the 
lever, H; the latch will then work as if there was 
no lock. For the catch, a piece of 2 x 0 stuff is cut, 
as shown at A, B, C, tig. 7; the slope, B, being 4i 
Fig. 
-FORM OF CATCH. 
inches long, the catch 1 inch deep, and the stem, 
C, 2 inches square. The lock, when closed, is 
shown at figure 5, and when open at figure 6. 
A Brace for a Sled Tongue.— “J. K.,” Sul¬ 
livan County, Mew York, gives a description of 
a brace for the tongue 
of a sled, shown at 
figure 8. This is 
made of two short 
chains, one at each 
side of a ring, which 
slips over the tongue, 
and rests against an 
iron bolt. The chains 
are hooked to the rings which are fastened on to- 
the ends of the roller, as shown i:i the engraving.. 
The Value of Crooked Timber. 
When timber was plentiful many years ago, it 
was used without any thought of economy, or of 
the time when it would be worth saving. Then it 
was customary to use the finest pine, cherry, and 
walnut for fence-rails, and to split into slabs for 
making and flooring stables and pig pens ; the best 
of the timber was used for this purpose, because 
it was most easily split, and made the smoothest 
and broadest slabs. Now timber is scarce and 
valuable, but we have not yet learned to nsc what 
is left to the best advantage. We use the straight 
timber for sawing, and 
hum everything that is 
crooked. For some pur¬ 
poses crooked timber is 
most valuable. Where 
it will pay to freight 
timber to places where 
ships are built, crooked 
timber is more valuable 
than any other. For 
ships’ ribs, knees, etc., 
various kinds of bent 
timber are in great de¬ 
mand. But there are 
various uses for crook¬ 
ed timber on the farm, 
or for house-building. 
A brace of bent timber of such shapes as are shown, 
at figures 1, 2, and 5, would answer every purpose 
in a building that a straight one would do, and for 
supporting beams the lorms shown at figures 3 and 
4 would, altered slightly to make them right-angled. 
Figs. 1 and 2. 
