172 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Mat, 
A Pennsylvania Dairy. 
Eastburn Reeder, of Bucks County, Pa., sends 
us a sketch and description of a combined ice ana 
daiiy-house, which he has had in successful opera¬ 
Fig. 1.—VIEW OF THE DAIRY. 
tion since July last. Nothing in dairying is more 
important than to secure a proper temperature and 
perfect purity of atmosphere, in the apartments 
where the milk and cream are kept, and the butter is 
made, and it will be seen by the following descrip¬ 
tion, that these points have been well considered 
in the arrangement of this dairy. The building is 
shown in figure 1. It is 84 feet long, and 15 feet 
wide, and stands at a distance from any other 
building or any contaminating influence. It is 
divided into five apartments, the ice-house, 
seen at a, figure 2, the milk room, 6, the 
vestibule, c, with stairs leading to the winter 
milk-room below, and an attic above, for the stor¬ 
age of sawdust for the ice. The ice-house is 12 ft. 
square, and 14 ft. deep, holding 36 loads of ice, or 
over 2,000 cubic feet. It is 6 ft. below ground, and 
8 ft. above. The walls are of stone, 18 inches thick. 
The frame building above the wall is 8 ft. high. 
The lining boards of the ice-house extend down the 
face of the wall to the bottom, making an air-space 
of 18 inches, which is filled with sawdust. The 
ice-house is filled through three doors, one above 
the other, at the rear end. There is perfect drain¬ 
age at the bottom of the ice-house, ample ventila¬ 
tion above, and no currents of air can reach the ice. 
The milk room (6) is 12 feet square, and is 1 foot 
lower than the ice-room. It is divided into two 
stories of 71 feet each, for winter and summer use. 
A ventilator enters the ceiling of the lower room, 
and leads to the cupola at the top, furnishing com¬ 
plete ventilation for 
1 
■ 
i 
3 
V 
r 
B 
■ 
r 
© 
both rooms. The vesti¬ 
bule (c) is 4 feet wide, 
and 8 feet long. Here 
the milk is strained and 
skimmed, the butter is 
worked, and pans are 
stored. The floor is 
of flagging laid in 
cement, as is that of the winter or lower dairy. The 
pool (d) which contains ice-water, is 36 inches long, 
16 inches wide, and 20 inches deep, and in this the 
deep pans and cream kettles are immersed. The 
waste from the ice-box ( c ) can be turned into this 
pool. If the deep can system of setting milk 
Fig. 3.— OPEN DOORS. 
should be practiced, this pool can be lengthened to 
12 feet. A drain (/) carries off all the waste water 
from the room. At g, figs. 2 and 3, is a cooling 
cupboard, located in the wall between the ice-house 
and the milk room, 6 feet high, 4 feet wide, and 18 
inches deep. This is lined with galvanized sheet 
iron, has a stone slab at 
the bottom, and two 
slate shelves 15 inches 
wide, on which the 
cakes of butter are 
hardened before they 
are packed for market. 
A current of cold air 
can circulate around the 
shelves, as they are 3 
inches narrower than 
the depth of the cup¬ 
board. There are lat¬ 
ticed blinds in the doors 
of the cupboard, shown 
at i, i, figs. 3 and 4, 
where the doors are 
shown as open and 
closed. A current of 
cold air can pass 
through the lower lat¬ 
tices, and this causes 
an equal current of 
warmer air to pass 
through the upper 
ones. This warmer 
air, cooled by contact with the ice-box, e, passes 
down and out into the milk room, where a temper¬ 
ature of CO degrees is easily maintained. By clos¬ 
ing or opening these lattices, the change of temper¬ 
ature is regulated as may be desirable. At A 7i, fig. 
2, are ventilating pipes, which are provided with 
registers, seen at r, r, 
figs. 3 and 4. These 
communicate with the 
air chamber beneath 
the ice-box, and also 
with air flues at each 
end of it; thus two ad- 
i 
i 
r 
11 
jg 
r 
© 
© 
Fig. 4.-CLOSED DOORS. ' ditional currents of cold 
air can be created when 
they may be needed. The windows of the lower 
milk-room are close to the ceiling, and above the 
surface of the ground outside. They are 
3 feet 18 inches high. They are made with 
outer wire cloth screens, glazed sashes, and 
inner shutters or blinds. The milk-room 
can thus be aired and darkened at the same 
time, if this is desired. In operating this 
dairy, it has been found necessary to use 10 
to 15 bushels of ice weekly, in the hottest 
weather of the summer; the ice-box then 
requiring filling two or three times each 
week. The air within the milk-room has al¬ 
ways been dry, so that the floor will not re¬ 
main damp after it is washed, longer than a 
few hours. The dairy has been examined 
when in operation, by a committee of the 
Solesbury Farmer’s Club, who reported that 
it was the best dairy Rouse they had ever 
seen. By an annoying mistake, the eleva¬ 
tion of this dairy was some months ago 
used in place of one of a horse stable, 
because it happened to be of the same size. 
The Dog Nuisance. —While much of the 
destruction of sheep by dogs is the result of 
carelessness on the part of the owners of 
both sheep and dogs, at the same time there 
are cases in which no possible amount of 
care can prevent damage. The protection 
of sheep against these ravages is therefore 
a matter to be provided for by law. The 
number of dogs may be usefully lessened, 
and when damages occur, the owners of the 
dogs which do the mischief, should proper¬ 
ly be held liable for it. “Dog-laws,” as 
they are called, are now becoming general. 
A very stringent law has recently been 
enacted in West Virginia for the protection of 
sheep, with a view to encourage wool and mutton 
growing in that state, which presents so many 
favorable conditions for this industry, aud a bill 
has been presented to the New York State Legis¬ 
lature for the same purpose, which deserves to have 
the hearty support of every farmer in the State. 
A Convenient House Costing 
BY S. B REED, ARCHITECT, CORONA, LONG ISLAND, N Y. 
The accompanying plans were designed for a sim¬ 
ple, compact, and economical house, and will be 
appreciated by any one who may desire to know 
just how little is required to build a comfortable 
home. They provide ample room for a small fami¬ 
ly— The Cellar extends under the whole house, 
the walls are built as showm in the details of foun¬ 
dation and frame, given in the April Amer. Agricul¬ 
turist, with 3 feet of masonry, and 3 feet of frame 
work-The First Story contains a good sized 
Hall, Parlor, and Kitchen or Living Room, with 
two closets, pump, aud sink. The stairs to the cellar 
lead directly from the kitchen, passing down un¬ 
der the stairs in the main hall. A “ fire-place heat¬ 
er” can be put in the parlor fire-place, which will 
also warm the chamber above. This method of 
heating is economical, and occupies but little room. 
_The Second. Story has three good sized 
rooms, two closets, and small hall, in the main 
house, and an attic over the kitchen. -The floor of 
the attic is one foot lower than that of the main 
house ; this gives valuable room for storage, etc. 
... .The highth of the first story of the main house 
is 8 feet 6 inches ; of the second 6tory, 7 feet. The 
highth of the kitchen ceiling is 71 feet. The attic 
is arranged to have just standing room in the cen¬ 
ter_A great saving of time and trouble is made, 
when openings are provided for regular sizes of sash, 
blinds, and doors, as they may be obtained of sea¬ 
soned and well made stock, at any time, from any 
dealer in such materials. These plans are drawn 
with reference to such regular sizes, viz. : the first 
story windows are 2 ft. 7 in. by 5 ft. 6 in. ; second 
story 2 ft. 7 in. by 4 ft.6 in.; cellar, 2 ft. by 2 ft. 8 in., 
all 11 inch thick. All principal windows should 
have their frames made with pockets and pulleys— 
and the sash hung with iron weights and good cord. 
The cost for the addition of these necessary parts, 
beyond what is required for the plain frame, is about 
1.—front elevation. —Scale, 8 feet to 1 inch. 
as follows, for each window of ordinary size: 4 
pulleys, (at 40c. per doz.) 14 cts.; 20 lbs. iron 
weights, 2ie. per lb., 50c.: i lb. sash cord, 16c. per 
