344 
PREMIUM FARM HOUSE. 
OBITUARY NOTICE OF COL. KIRBY, 
Col. Edmund Kirby, of Brownsville, N. Y., 
long distinguished for his intelligence and zeal in 
the practice and improvement of agriculture, died at 
Avon Springs, on the 20th of August last. Col. 
Kirby entered the army in 1812, and during the 
then existing war, in which he subsequently served 
as aid-de-camp to General Brown, was distinguish¬ 
ed by his military character and acquirements. He 
held the office of paymaster for many years previ¬ 
ous to his decease, and while in that capacity, 
during the late war with Mexico, acted as a volun¬ 
teer aid to General Taylor, during a part of his 
brilliant career. 
Wvsft^-«s. 
Farm House.—Fig. 85. 
Col. Kirby was for many years interested in a 
large woollen manufactory, at Brownsville, where 
he owned an extensive farm, and kept a large flock 
of fine-wooled sheep. But his enlarged views and 
patriotic purposes were not limited to his own pe¬ 
culiar interests, but with the liberality of a patriot 
and philanthropist, he eagerly promoted any object 
connected with the agriculture of the state. He 
has long held important offices in the State Society, 
and was, at the time of his death, one of the com¬ 
missioners for the organization of our proposed 
state agricultural school. 
PREMIUM FARM KOUSE. 
Although there were no premiums offered by 
the New-York State Agricultural Society, last year, 
for designs of farm buildings, the following plans 
and description were presented by Mr. F. R. Elliott, 
of Cleveland, Ohio, for which it was recommended 
by the committee that he should be awarded a silver 
medal and diploma. v 
In offering the accompanying plan for a cheap 
and commodious country house, I do not lay spe¬ 
cial claim to originality, in all particulars, although 
I do not know of one exactly like unto it ever 
having been published or built. 
The elevation and plans, figs. 85, 86, and 87, 
comprise the house as I 
myself prefer it. I will 
confine myself to the ele¬ 
vation and ground plan, 
fig. 87. It is particularly 
designed to point either 
north or west,and should, 
if possible, be placed upon 
a slight rise of ground 
from the adjoining pub¬ 
lic highway or surround¬ 
ing grounds. 
The value of land in 
the country, as compared 
with the disadvantages of 
basements for kitchens, 
etc., should not receive 
a thought; and while 
this plan may be said to 
cover a large area of 
ground, I trust to be able 
to show that it can be 
built for a much smaller 
amount of money than 
any plan of equal con¬ 
venience, room, and char¬ 
acter yet published. A 
free circulation of air, 
connected with large and 
convenient rooms, are 
material points, and in 
this they may be had. 
The size of cellar may 
be according to the wish¬ 
es of the builder, hut my 
estimate and plan is for 
a cellar only under the 
wing in which is the 
kitchen, that being of 
size sufficient to hold all 
vegetables, etc., that will 
be required for the con¬ 
sumption of a large family. Vegetables for stock 
should, for easy access in feeding, as well as the 
injurious effects sometimes resulting from a too 
large quantity'stowed in the house cellar, always 
be confined to the barn cellar. 
The main house is 24 by 3:2 feet, with 18-foot 
posts, and having a porch 7 feet wide in front, sup¬ 
ported by brackets. The wings are each 16 by 40 
feet, with 11-foot posts, and falling back 12 feel 
from the front of the main building. Of the 
first story front, the main building has a single 
door panel,, and one large window, opening each 
