36 
January 14, 192° 
Farm Barn Frames Past and Present 
O LD-TIME BUILDINB.—From the present view¬ 
point the frame of the farm barn of 50 years 
ago was a great waste of lumber, without insuring 
the strength of the modern frame that requires a 
greatly reduced amount of material. Under former 
conditions the timber sizes ran from 12x12, sills to 
ttxs ties and girths, so that each bent, when put 
together and raised, represented nearly as ranch lum¬ 
ber as is used at present for the whole barn frame. 
The bents were framed and joined together as they 
lay on the foundation frame of the barn. Then the 
Inst one, or end bent, was raised into its place by 
pike poles in the hands of the crowd of friends and 
neighbors, who had been invited to the raising, and 
nil to the tune of the boss carpenter. This first end 
bent had to be stayed securely until the next one 
was raised, and the lies, girths and braces had been 
entered and secured by the handmade wooden pins 
which were driven home with a heavy sledgeham¬ 
mer, and so mi with the remaining posts of the 
structure. (See Fig. 10). 
PLANK AND TIMBER COMBINATION.—I had 
a barn built in 1*77 after a plan that had not pre¬ 
viously been used in barn construction. It, was a 
combination plank and timber frame basement barn. 
The sills were Xxlft sawed hemlock. It. was a four- 
bent barn. This called for eight purline posts, which 
reached from the floor sills straight up to the pur¬ 
line plate. ('See Fig. 12). A Gx.S brace ran from 
outside drive floor sill to the plate mentioned. There 
were two of I hose braces, one on each side of the 
drive floor. The posts on either side of the doors, 
which usually were about. 12 in. square, in this case 
were simply 2xS planks or studdings that were used 
around the outside of Ihe barn. The sills or posts 
used to support the scaffold over the drive floor were 
made by sinking 2xS planks on either side of pur- 
line post and brace, and also to the plank studding 
at the side of the doorway. By this bracing and 
tying arrangement there was no need of a tie across 
from the purline plates, and the big beam, a had 
feature in all sorts of construction, was done away 
with. There was no more pitching hay or grain 
over the big beam. 
THE DRIVE FLOOR.—Now ns to the drive floor 
construction... In all the old heavy frame barns 
there was a cross sill, or to use the old term, Sum¬ 
mer sill, across the middle, to engage the ends of 
the heavy posts that ran lengthways of the drive¬ 
way to support the heavy 2-in. plank flooring. In 
this barn the floor supports all ran crossways, rest¬ 
ing in jambs, cut in the side sills. On these were 
laid 1x12 gang-sawed hemlock hoards, well nailed 
down. On these were laid l^-in. hard pine, dressed 
and matched flooring. In this way the surface was 
the same as in the old way. The advantage was 
that, this method eliminated the heavy Summer sill 
and the heavy planking, and again when the surface 
became worn and rough from being cut up by ihe 
shoe caulks of the horses, as they strike pretty hard 
for a footing when drawing in the heavy loads, Ihe 
expense of a new floor is not so groat, as only the 
surface layer has to he renewed. Also, the floor is 
stronger for having the two layers crossing each 
other. In this style of drive floor the joists under 
where the wheels of the heavy separator are located 
should he doubled, or there will he a vibration when 
the machine is in operation. When tin* carpenter, 
an old and experienced barn builder, came to put 
up the ha i n. and I told him of my plan for the 
building, lie was a doubting Thomas, but said if I 
v oil Id take the responsibility lie would build it my 
way. While this ham was being built a neighbor 
who wanted to ImiUl a much larger barn came and 
watched tin 1 work, and then engaged the same car 
i Miter to use the same style of frame in his barn. 
Both barns proved entirely satisfactory in every 
way, and they have continued to give good service. 
> 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1 
TRESS OR ARCH FRAME.— At the present time 
still better styles of barn structure and roof sup¬ 
port are employed. I think the most artistic and 
practical method is a truss or arch frame. (See 
Fig. 11). This includes both the body and roof 
structure. After the sills are placed and secured 
by bolts set in the concrete of Ihe walls, this base 
is floored over either permanently or temporarily. 
< in this flooring the form of the arch is laid out 
with great accuracy. The bottom of this arch or 
truss will set on the side sills, while the top reaches 
the very peak of the barn. This arch is then built 
up by using 2x2 strips of green-sawed lumber of any 
kind, bent to conform to the pattern laid out on the 
floor, and spiked firmly together until the sides of 
the arch measure 2x10 or 12 or more Inches, accord¬ 
ing to the size of the structure. These arches are 
all raised into place by mechanical means; there 
are no men around hut the regular workmen. When 
a barn of this style is finished the whole interior is 
entirely dear of all cross ties and beams from end 
to end. and one can read strength, beauty and 
economy in every detail, The outside appearance of 
the structure adds to landscape charms. While this 
method is patented, there are modifications of it 
that are not. The use of wood in the construction 
of the general purpose farm barn is not likely to be 
discarded for a long time yet, and this is the time 
of year to plan the necessary repairs and new build¬ 
ings that are needed. ii. e. cox. 
V. M. Shan kiln of Monroe Bounty, West Virginia, 
sends us this picture showing a strong growth of 
Soy beans last season. 
Planting Potatoes in Hills 
Would you recommend planting potatoes in check 
vows, when ground is ready? If so, how wide should 
they be planted? C. R. M. 
Maryland. 
W E expect to try this plan on about two acres 
of rather weedy land this year. The ground 
will he plowed deep and well fitted. Then it will 
he marked out 3 ft. each way. If the marker does 
not out deep enough to suit us. we will go one way 
with a small plow. Hood-sized seed pieces will he 
dropped at the checks and lightly covered. A little 
later a shovelful of chicken manure will he scat¬ 
tered along the furrow and over each hill, with a 
good-sized handful of acid phosphate dusted over it. 
The cultivators will run both ways as long as we can 
get: through the vines, and there will he one or more 
hand booings. The variety will he Irish Cobbler, 
'they will he dug early and. if possible, a cabbage 
plant, after double transplanting, will be put in each 
hill as the potatoes are dug. If the cabbage plants 
do not head fully they can he used for chicken and 
hog feed. Our experience has been that planting in 
hills does not give as large a crop as drill planting, 
hut with an equal amount of labor the field is kept 
meaner. 
The Ashes from Burning Corn 
Not long ago editorial comment in Tiie R. N.-Y. 
discussed the relative values of corn and coal as fuel. 
There was no consideration given as regards the fer¬ 
tility loss in burning corn. In "Feeds and Feeding” 
(ninth edition). Henry, on page 2G*. gives the pre-war 
value of the nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash in a 
ton of corn at $6.74. In burning the corn, are not those 
elements wasted, and with the higher prices for fer¬ 
tilizers now, should not that factor be a consideration 
in using corn as a fuel? J. F. FROST. 
Massachusetts. 
O F course, when ear corn is burned, the nitrogen 
is lost. The potash, phosphorus and lime re¬ 
main in the ashes. Mr. Frost seems to be figuring 
Horn Frame without Big Beam. Fig. 12 
n. shelled corn. It is car corn that is used for fuel. 
We stated on page 145G that a ton of ear corn when 
fully burned would leave about 12 lbs. of potash, 8 
lbs. of phosphoric acid aild perhaps 350 lies, of lime 
as ash. Our advice to fruit growers, gardeners and 
small farmers, in the districts where corn is burned, 
is to get till of these corn ashes they can find and 
use them freely. It is not likely there will be enough 
on any one farm to go very far, but by collecting 
them some few nfen in every district will have a 
fine supply of plant food. 
Benefit from Leached Ashes 
O N page 1472. J. C. II. asks for information 
regarding the worth of wood ashes that have 
been dumped out of doors from a mill. Something 
like 30 years ago I used to buy leached ashes from a 
soap man who gathered the ashes and leached them 
to get the lye for making soap. I paid him 10 cents 
per bushel for them, and I hauled them two miles, 
and spread thorn broadcast from the wagon over 
the field that I was to sow. after it was fitted, and 
•harrowed ashes in. If I did not get over the whole 
before seeding I would spread ashes on from wagon 
afterwards, and always had first-class results in 
grain. The catch of Timothy and clover was good, 
and 1 could see a marked difference in the crop of 
hay after for three or four years. I like wood ashes 
better than phosphates if they are leached. 
Orleans Co., N. Y. J- M - 
R. N.-Y. Leaching takes out most of the potash 
and a little of the lime. The average of a number 
of samples of leached ashes showed about 15 lbs. of 
potash and 500 lbs. of lime to the ton. In this case 
the chief benefit probably came from the lime. It 
is likely that any good form of lime would have 
made a showing on the grass and clover. 
