1880 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
14,3 
made with the greatest convenience in a bam of 
this kind. At figure 1 is given a plan of an octagon 
sheep barn, supposed to be 36 feet in diameter, and 
intended for a flock of 150, to 200 sheep. A range 
of feed racks, made as shown at figure 2, runs 
rrTrrTflr 
Fig. 2. “ARRANGEMENT OF FEED RACKS. 
around the barn, and another 9 feet from it; the 
latter is double, and is fed from both sides. Feed 
spouts are dropped from the floor above at conven¬ 
ient intervals, to carry the cut chaff into the feed¬ 
ing troughs. The most economical power for cut¬ 
ting the feed, would be a wind-mill, placed over the 
center of the barn, and a well might be dug in the 
center of the building, from which water could be 
forced into troughs in a yard made around it. The 
feed trough is made as shown at figure 3, consist¬ 
ing of a box for the feed with a sloping board in 
Fig. 3.— CONSTRUCTION OF FEED RACK. 
front, coming down to within 4 inches of the bot¬ 
tom, to prevent the sheep from wasting the fodder. 
Sloping stakes should be fixed about 2 or 3 feet 
apart in front of the troughs, to prevent the sheep 
from crowding each other away from their feed. 
A push rake, (fig. 4), would be found useful for 
putting the chafE into the spouts. It would not be 
advisable to wet the feed for the sheep, the labor 
would not be repaid by any advantage that might 
be gained. Any grain which may be given to the 
6heep, might be fed in the troughs once each day 
The Sewage Waste of the Family. 
We are making some progress, both on the farm 
and in the village, in utilizing the contents of the 
sink-drain, and the water-closet, or the earth-closet. 
But still there is great room for improvement. We 
consume in our families abundance of animal food, 
furnishing all the materials out of which plants are 
made. These fertilizing matters are nearly all 
wasted, unless there is some contrivance to incor¬ 
porate them with the soil. If properly saved, the 
wastes of the family would fertilize the half-acre 
garden adjoining the dwelling, and make it produce 
Fig. 4.— A PUSH-RAKE. 
maximum crops of fruits and vegetables for the 
supply of the table. We have tried the two most 
common methods, that of composting fecal mat¬ 
ters, and that of turning them into a cistern for 
the manufacture of liquid manure. While both are 
good, and each has its advantage, we prefer the ap¬ 
plication of these wastes in the form of liquid ma¬ 
nure. There is not much choice in either ease as to 
the labor to be expended in conveying fertilizers to 
the soil. The use of the liquid manure involves a 
little more expense in the fixtures. For this pur¬ 
pose a cistern is needed of sufficient capacity to 
hold all the water used in the family for six or eight 
weeks. The privy vault enlarged and cemented 
will answer a good purpose. A large earthern or 
iron pipe four or more inches in diameter, should 
conduct the sink and laundry water into this cis¬ 
tern. This liquid mauure can be used to advantage 
at all seasons of the year. For the seven months or 
more it is available for direct application to grow¬ 
ing vegetables and fruits in the garden, and for the 
winter season it can be pumped on to the compost 
heap where all the vegetable wastes of the garden, 
and leaves, and muck, are fermenting for next sea¬ 
son’s use. This liquid not only furnishes plant 
food, but supplements the rain-fall which is often¬ 
times quite deficient for maximum crops. So great 
is the satisfaction of seeing luxuriant vegetation in 
the garden, and of eating well-grown fruit and veg¬ 
etables, that we should use liquid manure even if it 
was more expensive. Connecticut. 
-SLIDING STABLE WINDOW. 
Stable Windows. 
Many horses are made partly or completely blind 
by want of windows in the stable, or by windows 
improperly 
placed,or not 
correctly 
made. If the 
light comes 
from one side 
only, the eye 
furthest from 
the light re¬ 
ceives less of 
the sun’s rays; if it comes from behind, it is 
almost as injurious to the sight; if there is no light, 
the sudden transition from darkness to bright sun¬ 
shine, more especially in the winter when snow is 
on the ground, is painful and injurious. A direct 
face-light is preferable, but a diffused light is bet¬ 
ter than any other. It is rarely possible to have 
windows on every side of a stable, and therefore 
_ one must choose 
the best. This is 
the side in front of 
the stalls, so that 
the horse faces 
it, and the light 
should come from 
above. A win¬ 
dow made to slide 
(figure 1), is per¬ 
haps the best for 
a stable, as it is 
cheap, simple,and 
may be opened 
a short or longer 
space for ventila¬ 
tion. A shade to 
deflect the light 
may be fitted below the window, for use in bright 
weather, as shown at figure 2. This shade is hinged 
below the window, and may be made to rest on 
brackets, and form a shelf if desired, or may fall 
down against the wall. It may be raised by a cord 
or a short brace from the wall. It should be paint¬ 
ed white, so as to reflect and diffuse the light as 
much as possible. An excellent kind of window is 
a swinging sash (fig. 3), which, being made to swing 
out at the top, and in at the bottom, provides at 
the same time a good means of ventilation. The 
air will escape at the top, and pass in at the bottom 
as shown by the arrows. Stable windows, upon 
which direct sun-light falls, should be shaded by 
spatter-work, done by spraying lime-wash on the 
glass, from a paint brush over a round stick. This 
covers the glass, and while it is translucent, it is not 
transparent, and softens and diffuses the light. 
Fig. 2. 
Pure Cistern Water. 
There is frequently much difficulty arising from 
impure cistern water. Constant complaints are 
made of it, and inquiries often come to us to know 
how to purify the water or cleanse the cistern. The 
difficulty arises from the admission of impurities 
into the cistern, not that there is anything wrong 
with the cisterns or with the method of keeping 
PURIFIER FOR CISTERN WATER, 
the water. The impurities are carried in with the 
first water of a shower that falls, washing the roof 
of all the various accummulations that gather 
upon it and in the gutters during the dry weather 
between the rains. Numerous insects and leaves, 
a large quantity of dust and various organic mat¬ 
ters, such ao the droppings of birds, pollen of 
trees, spores of fungi, etc., are thus carried into the 
cistern, where they decompose, ferment, and foul 
the water. This is not nearly so easy to cure as to 
avoid. It may be prevented by some arrangement 
by which the first water is turned from the cistern 
into the overflow, with the gathered impurities. 
Such an arrangement is shown in the accompany¬ 
ing illustration. The leader from the roof is con¬ 
nected with a pipe into the outlet, as shown, and a 
valve is made to shut off the water from the cistern 
(at a). The valve is connected with a lever, 
weighted at one end to keep it closed, and at the 
other end is a receptacle for water which runs in a 
small stream from the offset of the leader pipe. 
When the rain falls, the water flows off into the 
outlet, a small portion falling into the receptacle. 
When this is full it overbalances the weight, and 
drops, when the valve is moved, so as to close the 
waste-pipe and turn the water into the cistern. 
Farm Ladders. 
The accompanying engravings of farm ladders, 
(for which we are indebted to the “ London Agricul¬ 
tural Gazette”), show very clearly 
their character and uses. These are 
made in sections, connected in such 
a manner, as to be rigid or pivoted, as 
may be required for different pur¬ 
poses. The ladders may be joined so 
as to form an independent step-lad¬ 
der, for use in the orchard or in builfl- 
HANDY FARM LADDERS. 
ings, or as a long ladder, that may be turned over 
the peak of a roof for thatching or shingling. By 
using a third section placed upon a stack, it may 
be used for building up, or for finishing off the top. 
