Vo l. XLIV. No. 1854. NEW YORK, AUGUST 8, 1885. 
* 92.00 PER YEAR. 
(Entered according to Act of Congress, In the year 1885, by the Rural New-Yorker In the offlce of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.) 
&rcl)itcrturf. 
THE NEW BARN ON THE RURAL'S 
WESTERN N. Y. FARM. 
Well, the new bam oil the Western New- 
York Farm is tinished, and like all other 
farmers, we feel a little justifiable pride in it, 
and take pleasure in showing it to our friends, 
and as all our Rural readers cannot come to 
see it (how wo wish they could 1 What a 
grand old picnic we would have Ij, we have 
done the next best thing, by having cuts 
made, and will show it in the Rural, and 
here it is. Fig. 363 shows it in perspective, 
looking at it from the southeast. The main 
barn standing north and south on the west 
side, is 50x90 feet, 30-foot posts. The L, an 
old barn 30x43, with 16-feet posts, was turned 
around against the other barn and re-covered. 
The whole is on a basement wall of stone, two 
feet thick and nine feet high. The manner of 
framing the ends of the large barn and side 
of the L is shown in Fig. 863. The inner 
bents of the main barn are the invention of 
the very ingenious builder, Mr. R. L. Cush¬ 
ing, of Maple Street P. O., New York, and 
show the result of much thought, aud are 
more perfectly adapted to the construction of 
a largo barn than any we have ever before 
seen. The peculiarity of construction is seen in 
Fig. 364, (p, 538), which shows one of the center 
bents. The main posts are 30 feet high; the 
purlin posts are 40 feet. By placing the pur¬ 
lin i*ost as shown, the purlin plate comes 
directly under tiro center of the upper set of 
rafters, the foot being supported by a plate 
on tho end of a short beam supported by a 
long brace. The whole system of upper rafters 
and roof, Iming thus carried ou tho purlin posts, 
all spreading of rafters or settling of roof is 
prevented, two things It is alrut st impossible to 
avoid in gauabrel-roofed barns. This plan also 
dispenses with all beams and ties across the 
center of barn,leaving it entirely unobstructed 
from end to end for the use of the hay fork, a 
very important advantage. This is a new fea¬ 
ture iu burn building, this being the second 
one constructed ou this plan by Mr. Cushing, 
We regard it as perfect. Fig. 365 (p. 528), repre¬ 
sents the main iloor, showing the drive-w r ays, 
the granaries in tho center; the chutes down 
which hay and other fodder are thrown, are 
shaded, and the dotted lines by one represent 
the stairs for passing down into the alley be¬ 
tween tho sheep pens; also the winding stairs 
for passing down to the feeding alley between 
the cows; the square about these stairs 
is a large biu for holding gruiu for feed¬ 
ing the cows. The bln in the oast grauary, 
having tho shaded chute by its corner, is also to 
be used for the same purpose. Fig. 366 (p.538), 
represents the basement plan, showing the 
south part of the main basement, tinished for 
lamb raising and sheep feeding, with racks 
and water troughs. It also shows the north, 
34 feet finished for co w feeding or steer feed¬ 
ing, ns desired, with water trough iu yard for 
accommodation of the stock. The basement 
under the L is to bo all used for the storage of 
roots, or, if desired, a part cau lie used for 
storing potatoes; four doors in the floor above 
will admit them, aud one of these is large 
enough so that barrels cau be put in or taken 
out. The water for the stock iu this barn is 
supplied from tho tauk shown ou page 199 iu 
the illustrations of the other set of barns, aud 
it is brought over iu an Inch galvanized irou 
pipe, somewhat over 800 feet long. 
This barn will afford room for feediug 30 
head of cattle and for raising about 150 
winter lambs. The timber of the frame is 
of first-class hemlock, the Huishiug lumber of 
pine, with pine shingles, and the whole thiug 
complete will cost something under $3,000, 
Slircp 
Tumil Wr.stevn $t. |J. Javm JJotcjs. 
RAISING WINTER LAMBS. 
CONDITIONS OF SUCCESS. 
A correspondent writes to know why we 
recommend oil meal in preference to corn 
meal as a food for ewes when coupled with 
the males for early lambs. It has long been 
known that turning ewes upon a fresh growth 
of rape, turnips or cabbages, and feediug 
rape seed had a tendency to induce early 
breeding; aud more recently it has been 
found that feeding any highly nitrogenous 
food has a tendency to make a large amount 
of blood, and this induces fecundity and the 
early reception of the male; while those 
foods highly carbonaceous, or containing a 
surplus of carbohydrates, such as corn meal, 
sugar, starch, etc., have a tendency to rapidly 
put ou fiesh aud induce obesity and barren¬ 
ness. And this agrees with our experience, 
as we have never found any feed so efficacious 
for the desired purpose as oil meal aud bran, 
WHEN TO REMOVE THE MALES. 
We do not care to have any of our sheep re¬ 
maining after the first of June, consequently 
we want no lambs dropped after the first day 
of March, and as five months, or 33 weeks, is 
the average period of gestation, we remove 
the males promptly ou the first day of Octo¬ 
ber, preferring either to sell as stores, or sort 
out and fatten any ewes not then with lamb. 
If the males have not been too hardly run aud 
have good feed aud care from this time till 
the last of November, the period of common 
use, they will be in condition for further ser¬ 
vice, and can thus be made to do double duty. 
But this should never be allowed unless they 
have had extra care for the seven or eight 
weeks between the periods of service. 
TREATMENT OF THE EWES. 
It should be remembered that the cheapest 
time and cheapest method of fattening a sheep 
is during the Summer and at grass, and that 
a ewe going into Winter in good condition is 
almost half wiutered; so the ewes should have 
very good fresh pasture with plenty of water, 
or they should, in addition to a short pasture, 
have a daily feed of grain, such as oats, peas, 
beans, or a mixture of bran aud oil meal 
equal parts, aud one-half part of corn meal. 
Besides this, they should have free access to 
good water, and should be salted regularly 
twice each week. 
WHEN TO HOUSE. 
The first heavy freeze that is seveie euough 
to freeze the grass solid, ruins it as a food for 
sheep. Although it may look fresh aud greeu 
and be a “full bite," it has lost its nutritious 
qualities in a great measure, and although the 
sheep may eat enough to keep full and plump, 
if they are closely examined they will be found 
to fall off in flesh every day, and any one who 
tries the experiment will find that it is much 
easier to keep any animal, and above all a 
sheep, gaining, than it is to stop one from go¬ 
ing down hill when it has once got fairiy 
started. Hence the ewes should be put into 
the barns at once after the first heavy freeze, 
or if this is not convenient, it is indispensable 
that some provision be made so that they can 
be “grained" each day to such an extent that 
they be not allowed to commence to lose flesh. 
SHEEP barns. 
As we have before stated, it is worse than 
folly to think of raising lambs profitably in 
cold weather without some sort of housing. 
We know there is a great difference of opinion 
as to how closely the sheep should be protected, 
some maintaining that it is necessary only 
to provide shelter from storms; others that 
there should be closed barns into which they 
should be shut in very cold weather, and al¬ 
lowed to run out on all fair days. But, speak¬ 
ing alone from our own experience, which 
has been by no means limited, we prefer that 
sbeep be allowed to run in open fields with 
protection only from rain aud snow, or that 
they be closely and permanently housed. 
When housed on cold and stormy days, and 
nights, they are almost sure to be constantly 
suffering from colds, which they take by being 
forgotten and left out, or by becoming over¬ 
warm when in the houses and becoming 
suddenly chilled when turned into the open 
air. We regard it as much the safest and 
most economical plau to keep them constantly 
housed in close quarters in a uniform temper¬ 
ature as near 60degrees as can be maintained. 
To accomplish this, our barns must be made 
close, so as not to be subject to currents of 
air. aud, above all they must be thoroughly 
provided, for constant and rapid ventilation, 
und this must be secured not by opening 
windows, but by the use of air-trunks extend¬ 
ing to the roof Our barns have heretofore 
been fully described, and the new one is illus¬ 
trated aud described in this number of the 
Rural, so it is only necessary to refer to the 
descriptions to say that a pen containing 320 
square feet is amply large euough to accom¬ 
modate 30 ewes up to lambing time and, with 
very careful attention to ventilation, even 
less space will answer. 
SORTING AND GRADING. 
As soon as the sheep are put into the pens 
(about 30 iu each.) the shepherd should make 
it his business to at once ascertain which ewes 
are and which are not with lamb, that those 
failing to breed early may be put into separate 
pens, to be hurried forward so as to be sold fat 
in time, that the space they occupy may be¬ 
come available for the lambs later. Or, if de¬ 
sired, these barren ewes may be sold, or used 
for spring breeding. To select the ewes not 
with lamb, any cheap scrub male may be 
used to "mark them." This is accomplished 
by putting an “apron" on him. The aprou is 
made of good stroug cotton duck and should 
be cut 18 by 30 inches, and one aide should be 
hollowed out so a3 to tit the sheep’s body; into 
this side should bo firmly sewed a strong cord, 
long enough to fasten the aprou to the male 
by tying it firmly arouud his body just back 
of his shoulders. Venetian red is then to be 
applied to the breast of the male. This should 
bo repeated quite often, and may be best put 
ou by using a large-sized dredging box. He 
should thou be turued iuto the pens, one after 
the other, once each day, aud as soon as he has 
marked a ewe she should he caught aud put 
iuto the ally or into a separate pen. In about 
teu days, all not with lamb will be found aud 
sorted out. After this, and as soon as possible, 
NEW BARN. Fig. 363. 
