1908. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
©36 
A FIREPROOF BARN. DRIED PEAT FOR FUEL. 
I wish to build a fireproof barn. I ex¬ 
pect to use stone from old walls, etc., right 
near by, that costs only for hauling with 
my own teams. I wish to keep about 25 
cows and 20 sheep. I have in mind two 
plans, No. 1 and No. 2, a sketch of which 
I enclose. All the walls are of stone, 1% 
foot thick. The roof is of iron; rafters of 
railroad iron, floor of concrete. There is 
no cellar under the barn. The floor is to 
pitch to the east—down bill—the liquids 
caught in a tank. Are these practicable 
and economical ? Will you criticise them ? 
What do you think of the dimensions? 
What size doors and windows would you ad¬ 
vise? Would you have the cows face the 
light? I low would you ventilate it? How 
would cost at $4 per cord, laid, compare 
with wood, brick or concrete? Which plan 
is preferable? a. f. 
Woonsocket, R. I. 
The general plans suggested by A. F. 
will both make good barns if the inside 
D 
details are properly carried out. The 
windows should furnish about four 
square feet of light per cow. A window 
3x3 behind every cow will furnish abun¬ 
dant light. I think it is preferable to 
make the barn wide and then face the 
cows together and away from the light. 
T he rear of the cow should be toward 
the light, giving the best possible condi¬ 
tions for the production of clean milk. 
The light enables the milker to see what 
he is doing and to notice quickly any 
dirt or dust on the cow. Furthermore, 
the two rows facing a single feeding 
floor gives the most convenient arrange¬ 
ment for feeding, and that is of more 
importance than the work of cleaning 
out the stable. A litter carrier arranged 
behind each row of cows makes it very 
easy to clean out the barn. 
The King system of ventilation is 
best and can be arranged in this style 
of barn, as shown in Fig. 443. The cut 
also shows a good arrangement of floor 
space. Either form of roof shown will 
be satisfactory. It only needs to be 
made tight and durable. The heavy 
stone walls will be expensive to build, 
and the thickness of the wall will cut 
out considerable light. It would seem 
to me preferable to build of stone up 
to the bottoms of the windows and fin- 
A FIREPROOF BARN, Fig. 442. 
ish from there to plate with eight-inch 
brick wall. If no fodder is stored in 
the roof it will not be necessary to use 
railroad iron for rafters. Wooden raft¬ 
ers covered with iron or slate will be 
practically fireproof and very much 
cheaper than railroad iron and very 
much easier to place in position. The 
space for cows should be arranged as 
follows: Walk behind cows, five feet; 
gutter 4% foot; platform for cows, 4J4 
feet; manger, two feet; feeding floor 
(alley between rows of cows), nine 
feet. This would make the room 33 
feet wide instead of 30, and this is as 
narrow as it should be built; 36 feet on 
the outside, 33 feet in the clear inside, 
We often have letters from people who 
ask if peat is used for fuel in this country. 
This “peat” is rotting remains of grass 
and roots found in swamps or hogs. It is 
still used quite largely in Ireland in place 
of wood or coal. In parts of this country 
where coal is high and scarce, efforts are 
made to dry peat for fuel, and several pat¬ 
ents have been taken out for processes. The 
United tSates Geological Survey has sent 
us the following statement of facts about it: 
Cut peat has but recently been displaced 
by coal in some parts of Massachusetts, 
where it had been formerly used to quite 
an extent, but this peat was never very satis¬ 
factory as a fuel, for the reason that It 
was bulky, awkward to handle and burned 
very rapidly. There is at the present time 
a peat plant at Norwood, Mass., that manu¬ 
factures several tons of machine peat per 
day, and readily disposes of its entire out¬ 
put to consumers in its vicinity. The presi¬ 
dent of the company, whose headquarters 
are in Boston, claims that the demand for 
the peat is greater than his company can 
supply. This peat is put up in paper bags 
of a capacity of a bushel, and retails at a 
price of .$1 for five bushels. As this plant 
is still in an experimental stage, the output 
is somewhat irregular, but there seems to 
be no question regarding the desirability of 
this form of fuel, which is manufactured 
into air-dried bricks 2x2x4 inches, approxi¬ 
mately. 
At the present time there are only two 
or three other peat fuel plants operating, 
or ready to operate, in the United States, 
and these plants have done little during 
the present season for reasons other than 
the utility of peat as a fuel. The chief 
bar to success seems to have been ignor¬ 
ance on the part of the men undertaking 
the development of the industry in handling 
the peat, laying out the plants, and of prop¬ 
erly equipping the same. The conspicuous 
failures have been where attempts have 
been made to dry the peat artificially and 
to briquette it without a binder, or to use 
some secret process to convert the peat Into 
commercial briquettes. The plants that 
come the nearest to success follow the Eu¬ 
ropean practice of grinding the peat - while 
it is wet, pressing it into briquettes and 
drying it in the air. This method should 
make the cost of manufacture low, and 
reports of experiments snow mat even tin¬ 
der unfavorable conditions the actual cost 
of production is less than .$2 per ton of dry 
peat, which will sell at from $3 to $5 per 
ton. At London, Canada, there is located 
a peat briquetting plant, which has pro¬ 
duced three hundred tons of this form of 
fuel, which they sell at $5 per ton, the 
manufacturing cost of which is given at 
_ about .$1 per ton. This plant is, however, 
hardly beyond the experimental stage. 
At a meeting of the American Peat So¬ 
ciety, recently held at Toledo, Ohio, it 
transpired that there will be, at least, three 
large peat plants established and put into 
operation in different sections of the coun¬ 
try during 1909. It was reported that a 
large plant was in operation, during the 
past Summer, at Fertile, Iowa, manufac¬ 
turing peat briquettes for use in burning 
brick. This report was never investigated 
by the Geological Survey, and it is simply 
mentioned here for what it is worth. From 
the testimony of those who have used ma¬ 
chined or briquetted peat for domestic pur¬ 
poses it would seem that this form of fuel 
Is very satisfactory when used in cook 
stoves, furnaces and oiien crates; and the 
observations of the officer of the Geological 
Survey, who has had the investigation of 
this subject under his immediate charge, 
and who has come into personal contact 
with users of this kind of fuel under boil¬ 
ers, leads him to conclude that it is a sat¬ 
isfactory fuel for such uses, without the 
attendant black smoke, clinkers or acid 
fumes that accompany the burning of bi¬ 
tuminous COal. H. C. ItIZEIt, 
_____________ Chief Clerk. 
Buckwheat Straw in Manure. 
F. P. B., Warwarsing, X. I'.—I have been 
using buckwheat straw for bedding for my 
horses. Will the straw that is mixed with 
horse manure be injurious to strawberries 
when used on them as a Winter mulch? 
Ans.— We wish we had five tons of 
such straw and manure to use for 
mulching. Some growers sow buck¬ 
wheat as a special crop for mulching 
material. 
Air-Slaked Lime on Manure. 
A. B. C., Verona, X. Y .—What would be 
the effect of air-slaked lime on manure, 
when used as a partial absorbent in gutters? 
Ans.— The effect would be loss of am¬ 
monia. The lime would act to break up 
organic forms of nitrogen, and let the 
ammonia escape as a gas. The crushed, 
unburned limestone or land plaster 
would not act in this way—but do not 
put either caustic or slaked lime in the 
manure except to start fermentation in 
a compost heap. 
SAVE HALF THE LABOR 
in sawing wood. You can 
do this and at the same 
time, cut more wood in a 
given time than in any 
other way by using 
THE IRELAND 
WOOD SAWING MACHINE “ 
Table is mounted on grooved 
rolls,moves easily—cut of saw is 
down instead of against the operator as in old 
style machines. Must be seen to be appreciated. 
Send for prices and, full information. 
Ireland Muchinc & Foundry Co., 14 State St., Norwich, N. Y. 
btoMov 
® * £!► rA You * 
6 „ n * Lvryer Prvjiib 
| Send for It today— - 
Ifc Ffap Sjves lots of aiu- 
II 0 I ICC able information of tno N 
Swing,and cultivation of Beans and 
1 eas and their market, soil Ingand feed- 
*Pf £ al >nes. information furnished by 
manutectoe°th“ e8lnth0C0Untry - We 
OWENS 
Bean and Pea Threshers 
whichare made In four sizes to suit the 
need or both the small and large grower. 
I as well as job thrcshermcn. These thresh¬ 
ers are guaranteed to thresh all kinds 
of Beans and Peas directly from the 
the seed° P ° Wln8 vlnos wl,houl *P»*«lng 
Our Proposition to Bean or Pea growers 
Is the most fairand liberal ever made 
by a manufacturer. 
Write for it and the book today. 
J. L. OWENS CO. 
682 Superior St. S. E. 
Minneapolis, Minn. 
| “The Old Reliable” | 
DIETZ 
LANTERNS 
w 
THERE ARE NONE "JUST AS GOOD” 
WHEN YOU BUY A LANTERN INSIST OH A “ DI ETZ ’ * 
MADE BY R. E. DIETZ COM PANY NEWYORK 
Largest Makers of Lanterns in the World 
ESTA m.rsni.D 1840 
PIONEERS AND LEADERS 
CUT ICE 
MADE 
IN 
THREE 
SIZES. 
With the Dorsch Double Row 
Ice Plow We guarantee it will 
cut more than 20 men sawing byl 
hand. Cakes are cutunfiorm 
of any size and thickness. One 
man and a horse will cut more ice ... , 
a day than the ordinary farmer nnd dairy 
man can use. You can cut for others and 
make the price of our plow in two days use. 
Ask for catalogue ami introductory prices. 
JOHN DORSCH & SONS 226 WELLS ST,. MILWAUKEE WIS 
STAR POWER GRINDERS 
Large capacity. Speed slow. 
Light draft. Burrs easily removed. 
Strong. Simple. Capacity from 8 
to 40 bu. of feed per hour. We sell 
also sweep mills in various styles. 
Send now for catalog to 
THE STAR MANUFACTURING CO., 
13 Depot St., New Lexington, Ohio 
Jd 
Farmers* Favorite” 
Feed Cooker and Boiler 
C’ooks feed for stock and poultry, 
heats water for scalding hogs, etc., 
useful for rendering lard, boiling sap, 
canning fruit, sterilizing milk cans, 
and many other uses of farmers, 
dairymen, poultrymen, and fruit 
growers. Inexpensive and wears 
for yearn. 
Write for free circular. 
LEWIS MFG. CO., Box C, Cortland, N. Y. 
COOK YOUR FEED and SAVE 
Half the Cost—with the 
PROFIT FARM BOILER 
With Dumping Caldron. Empties 
its kettle in one minute. The simplest 
and best arrangement for cooking 
food for stock. Also make Dairy and 
Laundry Stoves, Water and 
Steam Jacket Kettles, Hog 
Scalders, Caldrons.etc. £F"Send 
for particulars and ask for circular J. 
D. It. SPERRY & 00.. Batavia, lib 
niPPI CVLC Improied 
BflrrLEI O Combination 
n STEAM COOKERS 
willoook l5 bushel* of feed in 2 hour*; 
beat water In stock tank 250 feet away. 
Will heat dairy, hog and poultry house*. 
Made of boiler steel; can’t blow up; no 
flue* to rust or leak. PRICES $5.00 TO 
$45.00; 5 style*and 15 sizes. Sold under 
a guarantee. Endorsed by Experiment 
Stations. Catalogue andpricetfret, 
PDlByHdw. Go.. Box 11 Grafton,III. 
elaatern Agents—Henry V. MichellCo. 
Philadelphia, Pa. 
“As Ye Sow So Shall Ye 
Reap.” 
We have often wondered why it is 
that some implement dealers persuade 
the farmer to purchase implements of 
inferior quality. There is only one 
logical reason for this, and that is that; 
the dealer makes a larp-er profit on the 
inferior article. 
It is of vital importance to purchase 
a grain drill of known merit. Just 
think for a moment what a poor drill 
can do for the farmer. It will put in 
his crop in such poor shape as to in¬ 
vite failure, and thereby lessen his 
profits. In short, he virtually works 
for nothing. Labor all wasted, or as 
Prof. Holden, of the Iowa State Col¬ 
lege, aptly puts it, “Fooling around all 
year, working hard and doing nothing.” 
Buv a grain drill of a well known 
make—a drill that will do i 'Our work 
right—a drill that will sow all known 
seeds and grasses and that will suc¬ 
cessfully handle all brands of com¬ 
mercial fertilizers, no matter how dif¬ 
ficult to sow. We have in mind that 
good old drill, the Farmers’ Favorite, 
made by the American Seeding-Ma¬ 
chine Co., Incorporated, Springfield, 
Ohio, and we advise our readers to 
write to them for their Farmers’ Fa¬ 
vorite catalogue; also go to your local 
dealer and ask to see this drill. It pays 
to own a good grain drill. Remember that 
“As ye sow, so shall ye reap.” If you 
want a good _ crop the way to get it 
is to plant right. When you put in 
your seed any old time, and in any 
old way you shake hands with that 
enemy of all mankind—Failure. 
I WANT 
RAW FURS 
from Eastern States 
and Canada. Price list 
now ready. A postal 
will bring it. 
CHARLBS A. KAUNTS, 
Box 298, Montgomery, 
Copyright Applied For. On nge Co., New York. 
LET US TAN 
YOUR HIDE, 
Whether Cow, Steer, Bull, or Horse 
Hiclo, Calf, Dog, Deer, or any kind of 
hide or skin, soft, light, odorless and 
moth-proof for robe, rug, coat or gloves, 
and make them up when so ordered. 
But first get our illustrated catalog, 
with prices, shipping tags and instruc¬ 
tions. We are the largest custom fur 
tanners of large wild and domestic 
animal skins in the world. 
Distance makes no difference what¬ 
ever. Ship three or more cow or horse 
hides together from anywhere, and 
Crosby pays the freight both ways. We 
sell fur coats and gloves, do taxidermy 
and head mounting 
THE CROSBY FRISIAN FUR COMPANY. 
Rochester, N. Y. 
Army Auction Bargains 
Tents • $1.90 up 
Shoes - 1.25 “ 
AR31Y SADDLES 3.00 “ 
“ Bridles - 1.00 “ 
“ Leggins,pr. 15 “ 
Old Pistols ... $ .50 up 
Officers' Swords, new 1.75 44 
Cavalry Sabres “ 1.50 “ 
Unifoums • “ 1.25 u 
7 Shot Carbine “ 3.50 
1 007 MILITARY CATALOGUE, 260 large pages, con¬ 
taining thousands of beautiful illustrations—with 1908 
supplement, wholesale and retail prices. Mailed for 15 
cents (atamps). 15 ACRES GOVT. AUCTION GOODS. 
FRANCIS BANNERMAN, 501 Broadway, Tew York 
—99 %o % Pure- 
American Ingot Iron Roofing 
Guaranteed For 30 Years 
Without Painting 
The Only Guaranteed Metal Roofing ever put on the 
market. Samples free. Write for a free book showing 
remarkable tests. A way out of your roof troubles. 
THE AMERICAN IRON ROOFING CO., Deo*. 0, ELYRIA, 0H',d 
KELLY 
DUPLEX 
GRINDING MILLS 
Superior to any other make. Do more 
and better work, require less power 
and produce a better grade of 
feed. Write for Cat alb g and / 
Special Price. 
THE 
KELLY 
Is tho only mill 
i ■ d e with ■ 
double «et of grind* 
ors. Easiest running, 
strongest and most 
'Hmf durable. ESPECIALLY 
ADAPTED FOR GASO¬ 
LINE ENGINES. Oslzos, 
fully guaranteed. 
DUPLEX MILL * MFG. CO. 
Box 32, Sprlngflold, Ohio 
VICTOR TRIPLE GEARED MILL 
Grind your grain aud get all the food value. Grind it yourself during odd 
hoursand save money. A Victor Mill will soon pay for itself. 
MOST PERFECT MILL BUILT 
Triple geared, strong, easy running, suitable for all farm requirements. Grind 
ear corn anil all small grain. Variety of styles for Kngine or Horse. We build 
also the best Safety Steel Saw Machine made. Get our catalogue and insist upon 
your dealer furnishing you-a Victor. Write us for any information desired. 
VICTOR FRED MILL COMPANY, BOX 32, 8PRINGF1KI.D, OHIO 
F. M. Y. 
