1877.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
379 
stalls, with a gutter behind each row. This stable 
is the most convenient and well arranged that we 
have yet seen in any farmstead. The calves are 
here provided with all the comforts which are fur¬ 
nished to the older animals. Each stall has its feed 
trough and tie, and the floor of the stable is kept 
perfectly elean and littered with white sand. The 
bull’s stalls are next in order. Each of these is se¬ 
cured with a strong chain, hooked up in the rear, 
(shown by the dotted lines), and is furnished with 
feed boxes in front. Next is a sloping passage way, 
from the cows’ stable in the main building. The 
floor of this passage is covered with cross slats for 
secure footing, and it serves as a means of access 
for the cows to the bull’s apartment. The dotted 
lines in front of this and in others, represent slatted 
doors. The next apartment is a stable for the 
work oxen ; the stalls in this are provided with hay 
shoots, (3, H). Beyond this is a manure cellar 135 
x 40 feet. The cow stable is in a portion of the 
main building, and is a wide, roomy, light, well 
ventilated apartment. Here the cows are arranged 
in two rows, with their heads towards the wide 
feeding passage which runs down the center. Near 
by is a dressing room for the workmen, where wash¬ 
ing materials and other facilities for the utmost 
■cleanliness and neatness are provided. The use of 
these, as well as orderly conduct, and quiet, kind 
demeanor to the stock, are enjoined. A surprisingly 
beautiful sight is offered to the visitor who views 
the fine herd of Jersey cows tied in their neat, sub¬ 
stantial, not to say ornamental stalls, and taking 
with easy deliberation and contentment, their mod¬ 
erate ration of roots and meal, which is given them 
just previous to milking. For the sake of preserv¬ 
ing this perfect quietude, and its accompanying 
contentment, and preventing any nervous distrac¬ 
tion, which might tend to disturb the cattle, and 
interfere with their milking, no visitors are admit¬ 
ted at this time of the day. Not only the structure 
and arrangements of the barn, but the general ad¬ 
ministration of this farm, shows the owner to be a 
thorough man of business, who is intent on making 
his business pay ; and not one of show, who is de¬ 
sirous of mere popularity, or who farms for amuse¬ 
ment. At this season of the year, when farmers 
have leisure to visit places worthy of note, it will 
be an agreeable and profitable thing for them to 
visit the pleasant town of Litchfield, and examine 
for themselves the barn here described, and the 
excellent herd which occupies it, not forgetting 
to gather a few hints as to the management of a 
■“gilt-edged” butter dairy. The visitor will meet 
with great kindness and attention from Mr. Starr. 
Cisterns for Storing Rain-Water. 
Several letters are at hand from Florida and other 
localities, where cisterns for water are found neces¬ 
sary or convenient, with inquiries about the method 
of constructing them. It is very important that 
such cisterns should be properly constructed, else 
-the cost and trouble in making them may be lost. 
There are a few things to be determined accurately 
before a cistern is made ; these are the locality, the 
depth, the form, the capacity, the material, the cost, 
and the manner of constructing and preserving it. 
Where to Built! si Cistern, am! How Deep. 
The locality should be such as will be convenient 
for receiving the supply of water, and also for 
-drawing it for use, and it must, by all means, be 
either naturally so placed, that surface water can 
•not enter it, or it must be made so artificially, by 
raising a low mound around it. The depth should 
be such as to maintain a proper coolness in summer, 
and prevent freezing in winter. The top of the cis¬ 
tern should therefore be not less than three feet 
beneath the surface of the ground. 
Tlic Best Shape for Cisterns. 
The shape should be such as will give the great¬ 
est strength, with the largest capacity. Both of 
these are gained by using the circular form, both 
for the sides and the bottom and top. Where the 
greatest strength is required, as in loose sandy soil, 
an egg form will give this and with very little loss 
in capacity. The usual form is shown at figure 1. 
There is no better shape than this where strength 
is the first consideration. Where economy of space 
and material is desired, the form shown at figure 2 
may be adopted. This is circular, and a circle en¬ 
closes more space than 
c any other figure having 
< the same length of line 
^ around it. The top, if 
° of brick or stone,should 
c£ be arched, or if covered 
z with timber and earth, 
.g, the most durable kind 
of wood should be pro¬ 
cured. In the latter 
case, the ends of the 
timbers should have a bearing of at least two feet 
on the earth at each side of the cistern, and should 
be bedded in cement, as shown at figure 3. 
How Much will it Hold.—Tabic of Contents. 
The capacity may easily be found by taking the 
diameter in feet, and multiplying it by itself, thus 
getting the square of the diameter. This is reduced 
to round measure by multiplying it by .7854, and 
cutting off the last four figures ; a sufficiently near 
approach may be made by taking three-quarters of 
Fig. 1.— CEMENT CISTERN, ARCHED. 
the square as the round measure. This gives the 
area in square feet, and for every foot in depth, the 
number of cubic feet contained. As there are 7i 
gallons in every cubic foot of water, and 30 gallons 
in a barrel, the number of barrels contained in any 
size may be soon ascertained. By doubling the di¬ 
ameter, the contents are increased four times. Thus 
a round cistern 4 feet in diameter, will hold a little 
over 3 barrels for every foot in depth ; if 8 feet in 
diameter, it will hold 12? barrels for every foot; 
but if 12 feet in diameter, it will hold nine times as 
much, for if the diameter is enlarged 3 times, the 
contents are increased 3 times 3, or 9 times ; and if 
enlarged 4 times, or to 16 feet, the cistern will hold 
4 times 4, or 16 times as much water for every foot 
in depth. Thus a great advantage is gained by 
making the cistern as wide as possible. The fol¬ 
lowing table will be found useful for reference. 
Contents of a round cistern for every foot in depth of 
4 feet in diameter = 03 gallons, = 3‘/io bbls. 
6 “ = 212 “ = 7 
8 “ 375 “ = 12 Yi 
10 “ “ = 588 “ = 19 * | 
16 “ “ = 1500 “ =50 “ 
Tlic Best Materials for Cisterns. 
Cisterns should be constructed of the most dura¬ 
ble materials,and to preserve the purity of the water, 
these must be perfectly insoluble and unchangeable 
in it. Good, hard-burned brick, laid in hydraulic 
cement, or, as it is otherwise called, water-lime, be¬ 
cause it will set hard under water, is the best ma> 
terial. The next best, or as good under some cir¬ 
cumstances, is stone. Stone, however, being more 
bulky than brick, requires a larger excavation, and 
therefore costs more for labor. In the absence of 
Fig. 2.— cylindrical brick cistern. 
brick, cement alone makes an excellent material, 
both for durability and cleanliness. Wood of any 
kind should never be used, as it quickly decom¬ 
poses, and charges the water with poisonous sub¬ 
stances, which produce fevers, chills, and diseases 
of the bowels and blood. More so-called “ma¬ 
laria,” summer complaints, dysentery, and serious 
fevers of a typhoid character, are caused by using 
water charged with decaying vegetable and animal 
matter, than are produced from any other source. 
The Cost and Mode of Construe! ion. 
The cost will depend upon its size and the ma¬ 
terial selected. The expense of excavation may be 
estimated at 25 cents for a cubic yard, or one cent 
per cubic foot. This may be ascertained by the 
method already given for finding the contents of the 
cistern. The length of wall around a cistern may 
be found by multiplying the diameter by 3'/ 6 . Thus 
one 8 feet in diameter will be over 25 feet around it. 
14 bricks will lay one square foot of wall, 8 inches, 
or one brick thick ; 25 will lay a square foot, 12 in., 
or 11 brick thick. Thus for every foot in hight, an 
8-foot cistern will require 350 bricks, if the wall is 
one brick lengthwise thick, or 180 if it is a half 
brick thick. For a small-cistern, the bricks may be 
laid in this manner, but those over 6 or 8 feet in di¬ 
ameter, should have an 8-inch wall to resist the out¬ 
side pressure, especially if the soil is of gravel or 
sand. To lay 1,000 bricks, 2 barrels of cement will 
be required, if used clear; but there may be one 
barrel of sand used to one of cement, without dan¬ 
ger of weakening the wall. Where expense is no 
object as compared with durability, we would use 
clear cement. P.osendale (American) cement is 
good enough for all purposes. Where the wall is 
laid up of cement, it should be made of such a 
thickness as will sustain the sides of the excavation 
Fig. 3.— cement cistern, covered with plank. 
perfectly well. But if the soil is solid clay or hard 
gravel, a two or three-inch wall will he strong 
enough; if the sides are of sand or loose gravel, 
the wall should be four inches thick. 
