1884.] 
AMEEIOAjST ageicultueist. 
499 
Cheap Shelters for Swine. 
The gain from sheltering farm stock in winter is 
so great that it should never be neglected, and no 
animals give a larger return for shelter than swine. 
When exposed to the weather, these animals will 
huddle closely together, and in their struggles 
to get to the center of the heap, where it is warmest, 
some may be severely injured. They will become 
heated in the heap, and when they get up the cold 
air strikes their bodies, and producing congestion, 
induces the fatal diseases so prevalent during the 
latter part of the winter. There is a great saving 
in food by sheltering; experiments have shown 
that in severe winter weather, sheltered hogs will, 
from the same amount of food, lay on nearly twice 
as much flesh as those exposed. The hog seems to 
be the least adapted of all farm animals to endure 
exposure ; it has not the thick skin and coat of the 
ox, or the warm fleece of the sheep to retain bodily 
heat and to protect them from the piercing cold. 
The farmer who has a few logs or large poles, 
and straw for a roof,"need be at no expense for 
materials in making a swine shelter. Select a south¬ 
ern or eastern slope, when possible, and if wooded, 
all the better. Build up-with logs or poles a square 
pen four feet high. Any sized logs or poles may 
be used, but the best are a foot or fifteen inches in 
diameter for the four lower ones, using lighter 
ones (say six inches in diameter) towards the top, 
where it would be difficult to place logs as heavy 
as those used in the bottom. The logs must be 
notched, or else the chinks between them stopped 
with boughs or slabs, to make the sides tight for 
two feet from the ground ; above this, notch the 
poles only enough to make them lie solid, and 
leave the chinks open. The lower logs must be 
notched enough to keep them from rolling. On 
the upper sides of the pen, dig a shallow trench a 
foot or so from it, and bank up earth from this 
against the logs, to prevent surface water from 
running in. Lay poles across the top and on these 
build a roof of straw. In the east or south side 
saw a doorway three feet wide, nailing boards to 
the ends of the logs to keep them in place. No 
door is required. Give no litter ; the animals will 
be warm enough without it. The roof should pro¬ 
ject a foot beyond the poles all around, to keep the 
snow from drifting in at the crevices ; this can be 
done by making the poles which support the roof 
sufficiently long. This pole shelter protects the 
swine from rain and snow, and the lower part of 
the walls being solid, from cold winds. Hogs 
sleeping iu a shelter soon contaminate the air ; as 
their bodies and exhalations heat this air, it rises 
and passes out at the openings in the walls, while 
the cold outside air enters and gradually settles ; 
this allows the hogs to constantly have pure air, 
while cold wintry blasts do not strike upon them. 
An excellent shelter may be made on a hill-side, 
sloping towards the south or east by digging down 
the bank perpendicularly to form a wall four feet 
high, making the floor level. Ten or twelve feet 
from this wall set a row of forked posts, upon 
which lay a pole for the roof to rest upon. Upon 
this pole smaller ones or rails may be laid, and 
upon them a straw roof is built, or a board roof 
may be laid from the wall to the pole. In this case 
it is best to have a pole in the middle also. If 
there is to be a straw roof, the pole in the forks 
and the top of the wall must be on a level, but for 
a board roof the pole must be six inches lower 
than the top of the wall. Dig a shallow ditch 
along the upper side. The lower side is left open. 
The two sides will be partly open, and are closed 
by driving down stakes and banking straw against 
them, which is to be covered with earth. Leave an 
opening along the top for ventilation. This is as 
good a swine shelter as can he made, and requires 
little labor and material, as the walls are of earth. 
Another good shelter is made by setting on three 
sides (north, west, and south, or east) a row of 
stout stakes four feet high, the corner ones being 
foi'ked. Against these pile straight brush with the 
leaves on if possible, and cover this with earth. 
Place poles in the forks of the corner stakes, and 
on these make a roof of boards or straw, as directed 
for the other shelters. The bank of brush and 
earth should not reach quite to the roof, but leave 
openings for ventilation. If desired, a portion 
of the open side of these shelters can be closed 
in the same way that the other sides are closed. 
Preparing Hay for Enel. 
K. G. NEWTON, DAKOTA. 
As a fuel fr)r the prairie pioneer, hay is the most 
easily obtained, but its consumption in a common 
stove is accompanied with several disadvantages. 
It burns out quickly, makes a litter in the cabin, 
leaves abundance of ashes, and Alls the pipe full of 
soot. The first two disadvantages can be overcome 
by having the hay in a compact form. This is 
usually accomplished by twisting it up in bunches. 
To do this easily, the hay should be moistened with 
water, and thrown together in a heap. Pull a 
A wv-: 
Fig. 1.— PULLING OUT THE HAT. 
small handful partly out, and twist it with both 
hands as shown in figure 1, thus making a rope of 
any desired size or length—about two inches in 
diameter and four feet long is the most conven¬ 
ient. Double up the rope or strand as in figure 2; 
twist the throe strands together and push the 
ends through the loops as shown iu figure 3. 
A better method, requiring two persons, is with 
a tool shown in figure 4. Take a piece of half inch 
round iron about three feet long, bend one end to 
form a handle, drawing the other down to a point 
for a hook. Before tuniing the hook, slip on a 
round block of hard-wood and then a large washer. 
Set a two by six-inch scantling iu an upright 
position, either by fastening the upper end to joists 
overhead iu a barn or slied, or by placing the bottom 
thirty inches deep in 
earth. Bevel the ends 
of a piece of the same 
scantling a foot long, 
and bolt it on the up¬ 
right so that the centre 
of it will come about 
three feet and a half 
Fig. 2.— A STEAND. 
a hole through the two pieces with a half inch 
auger, as shown in figure 5. Place the handle 
in this hole as shown in figure 6, smearing it with 
some tallow or wagon grease. One person turns 
the crank and the other handles the hay. Take up 
a small armful of the moistened or green hay, hook 
a lock of it on the iron, and when the handle is 
being turned step back, allowing the hay to be 
drawn out by the twisting. When the rope is long 
enough catch hold of the end and twist it as 
hard as desired, then double and twist it as in 
figures 2 and 3. This gives a firm roll of hay; 
the harder it is twisted the longer it will burn. 
By means of this device, one can make hay 
ropes of any length, of two or three strands, which 
can be used to throw over the hay stacks, fastening 
stones at each end, to 
prevent the tops of 
the stacks from being 
blown off. The han¬ 
dle, figure 4, can be 
made from an old 
wringer or similar ma¬ 
chine if at hand. 
With a wooden handle on the crank 
more easily, and it will not blister 
Tile dryer the hay is before it is burned, the less 
soot it will form in the pipe. The Mennonites build 
their houses with four rooms, and a large brick 
arch in the centre (fig. 7), so that it will heat all 
the rooms. The walls of the arch are thick, and will 
hold heat fora long time. Tlie arcli requires filling 
only two or three times a day, and may be so con¬ 
structed that the cooking is done on it at the same 
time. By having , - 
the arch open 
into one room, it 
prevents the lit¬ 
ter from getting ^ 'ff- twisting ikon. 
into the other parts of the house, while in the 
next room can be set a sheet iron casing or box 
in which to place dishes or utensils for cooking. 
If this iron box is well made and has a door fitted 
in, it can be made use of as an oven for baking. 
Watch, the Flues. 
Nine-tenths of the destructive fires are the result 
of carelessness. It is difficult to understand why 
any careful farmer’s buildings should burn unless 
set on Are by lightning. On the farm there are no 
fires for manufacturing purposes ; fire cannot be 
communicated from one’s neighbors ; that class 
which furnishes incendiaries is lacking; and all 
household fires can be kept under the eye of the 
farmer and his family. The newspaper reports of 
the burning of farm buildings show that the fires 
can nearly alvv'ays be traced to negligence, and in 
more thau half the cases to faulty flues. The sea¬ 
son is now at hand when all the occupied rooms 
will be heated, and the danger from defective 
flues is consequently great. Let there be no delay 
in examining all flues to make sure that they are 
perfectly safe. If any are found defective, repair 
them at once. The most dangerous place in a flue 
is the point where the pipe enters it. If the flue 
is not built from the floor up (a common way of 
construction once), this point is in the garret, and 
Fig. 5. 
rarely noticed. Unless the pipe fits the opening 
very closely, sparks will escape, and falling upon 
the adjacent wood-work, made dry and combusti¬ 
ble by the heat from the pipe and flue, will occa¬ 
sion a conflagration. At least twice every year the 
joints about where the pipe enters the flue, should 
be plastered, pressing the mortar firmly against the 
flue and into the crevice 
between it and the pipe. 
Winds, etc., so jar the 
house, that in the course of 
months the pipe will work 
out of the opening, unless 
well held in place by wires; 
a point which must be at¬ 
tended to. The mortar be¬ 
tween the bricks of the flue may crumble and 
leave openings. Close these with fresh mortar. 
Make the flues safe, and keep them so. Inspect 
frequently. It is not generally known that wood 
exposed for a long time to a moderate heat, be¬ 
comes very dry and inflammable, and will take fire 
with astonishing readiness. Look well to all points 
where flues and pipes are very close to wood of any 
kind. Even if there is a space of several inches 
between the wood and the pipe or flue, protect 
the wood by covering it with tin. Old fruit cans, 
by melting the solder and flattening the tin, will 
answer for this use. Carefully watch the flues. 
