340 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[September, 
could not determine whether it was one of the half 
dozen or more native species of Cascuta, or a Euro¬ 
pean one, imported with the willows. At all events 
it is in such abundance as to threaten to seriously 
injure the value of the willows, and if not exter¬ 
minated, their culture in that locality will be im¬ 
possible. The course to be pursued will depend 
upon the future development of the weed. If that 
flowers and perfects its seeds so late that the wil¬ 
lows may be cut without injury to the stools, then 
it may be well to wait a while, but if there is dan¬ 
ger of stocking the soil with seed before it will 
answer to cut, then hand-picking of the clusters 
must be resorted to. As Dodders always start 
from a seed that germinates in the ground, and 
draw their nourishment from the soil until the stems 
have thoroughly attached themselves to the bark, 
it will not be difficult, now that the nature of the 
pest is kno ,vn, to keep it down in the future. 
A Large and Complete Barn, 
The plans and perspective view presented here¬ 
with, represent the fine stable on Houghton Farm, 
the property of Mr. Lawson Valentine, Mountain- 
ville, Orange Co., N. Y. It is located in a central 
The farm buildings are numbered, this being No. 
1, shown by a conspicuous figure in white over the 
main door. The interior exposed wood-work 
is varnished, making a neat and substantial finish. 
Systematic work is en¬ 
forced in the care of the 
animals, and is en¬ 
couraged by appropriate 
mottoes about the stable 
in the basement, such as 
the following: Over the 
horses, “ I’ll do my best 
for a kind and generous 
master ” and “Take good 
care of me and I will 
serve you long and well;” 
on the feed passages, 
“ Waste not, want not,” 
and “ Be regular in feed¬ 
ing and watering; ” over 
the carriage-way, “Be 
prompt; ” and con¬ 
spicuously before the eyes of the men when harness¬ 
ing, the well-known saw of Davy Crocket, “ Be sure 
yon are right, and then go ahead over the farm 
harnesses, “A stitch in time saves nine ; ” over the 
tools, “ A place for everything, and everything in 
gates for separating the cattle department from the 
horses. Another bam serves for stabling a portion 
of the cattle. Figure 3, shows a plan of the main 
floor ; a, is the tool room, on the wall of which are 
Fig. 1.— BARN AT HOUGHTON FARM, MOUNTAINVILLE, N. T. 
position on the farm, about 25 rods from the house, 
on a side hill, and supplied with water brought 
from springs. The barn is handsomely propor¬ 
tioned, and with its slated roof and red-painted 
walls, with black trimmings, presents a fine appear¬ 
ance. For the keeping of the owner’s large stud of 
carriage, saddle, farm, and breeding-horses, it is ad¬ 
mirably adapted, and worthy of imitation by any 
well-to-do farmer desiring a handsome and useful 
ham; and in its general plan may be followed on 
a smaller scale by any one having numerous horses 
and fine cattle to provide stabling and shelter for. 
Its place.” There is also the precaution, “Look 
well to ventilation;” and oft repeated, “No 
smoking.” A clock on the wall marks the mo¬ 
ments of wasted or utilized time. Iron-framed 
lanterns, with reflectors, are made fast to the wall 
at one end of each passage. Opening into the 
basement, and extending nearly to the roof are four 
ventilating flues, each 
4 ft. square. Their outer 
edge is on a line with 
the drive-way, and the 
inner side has openings 
fitted with movable 
slides, at various hights, 
which make the flues 
serve as convenient hay 
shoots into the floor 
below. The building is 
110 feet long, by 55 feet 
wide, with 20 feet posts, 
and is 40 feet from the 
main floor to the ridge. 
It rests on a stone base¬ 
ment ten feet high in 
the clear; this basement 
provides comfortable and convenient stabling for 
the owner’s fine stud. The division is shown 
at figure 2 ; a, a, are the horse stalls ; 5, the harness 
room, 4 x 25 ft. ; c, stairs ; d, box-stalls, 104 x 144 
ft. ; e, e, cow-stanchions; /, ox-stanchions ; g, g, 
MO'O" 
3.— PLAN OF MAIN FLOOR. 
the words, “Return every tool to this room ; ” b, 
contains a horse-power for driving a feed-cutter, 
thresher, etc.; c, is used as a stowage-room for cut 
feed, etc. ; d, is the grain room, provided with bins 
and convenient shoots ; e, is a room for the trainer, 
who there sleeps just over the animals he loves 
and cares for so well; the room also contains 
closets for the nicer harnesses. An opening in the 
ventilator, and a wakeful ear, enables the trainer to 
hear every sound from below. The letters v, v, v, v, 
indicate the ventilators; s, shows the large plat¬ 
form scale, on which every load of hay or grain is 
weighed as it enters the barn. The floor of the 
basement is made of brick, laid on edge in mortar, 
underlaid by concrete. Figure 4 represents oue of 
the horse-stalls. The upper portion consists of 
iron rods extending from the top of the sides to a 
railing two feet above, and from the manger to the 
railing, as illustrated. The stall is 9 x 44 ft.; and 
the manger is 1 ft. 9 in. from front to back. An 
iron feed trough for grain occupies one end of the 
manger, indicated by the dotted line at O ; the re¬ 
mainder is taken up by the hay-box, H, the bottom 
of which is shown by the dotted line ; a door in 
front allows for cleaning out the feed box, and a 
closet for storage. The box-stalls are also pro¬ 
vided with the iron rods for a top-finish, so that a 
person can easily see into them without entering. 
This barn has so many conveniences that we have 
not space in one article to describe them. In its 
general completeness, —fine proportions, conveni¬ 
ences, and compact arrangement, it has few equals. 
Fruit Growing In California.— Until re¬ 
cently, the California fruit growers enjoyed an 
enviable immunity from the various insects, blights, 
and other obstacles with which Eastern growers 
have to contend. The Californians have shown 
great enterprise in introducing fruits from ail parts 
of the world, and with them have come the enemy, 
Fig. 4.— VIEW OF HORSE STALL. 
and for the last year or two, the California Horti¬ 
cultural and Agricultural Journals are almost as 
much devoted to the extermination of insects and 
fungi, as are similar papers in the older States. 
