New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. — 297 
‘feet. This representation is too small to show very much of the 
details, hence the following description and dimensions will serve © 
_ to help the general idea to be obtained from it. The platform is 
100 feet long by thirty-six feet wide. The edge is supported by a 
stone wall two and one-half feet deep by one and one-half feet 
wide, laid in cement mortar. The bottom of the wall is graded 
toward the northeast corner, and a two-inch tile was laid at its 
outer edge to catch soil water and carry it away, and thus help 
protect the platform from frost. The platform is level except at 
the sides and ends. The edges are six inches higher than the 
main floor, and are sloped down in four feet to the level surface. 
The earth was leveled and about six inches of stone laid on 
and rammed solid, then filled with cement wash and covered with 
two inches of cement. 
Under the platform are three cisterns to hold urine hon the 
stables, and overflow from the platform in rainy weather. These 
cisterns are at the ends and middle as shown. They are built of 
brick laid in cement mortar, and are plastered inside and out with 
cement. The end cisterns are of equal size. The dimensions 
are: End cisterns eight by eight feet, by seven and one-half and 
seven and one-sixth feet, respectively, below sides of platform ; 
middle cistern five by twenty feet, by seven feet deep. The two 
sewers from the stables enter the cisterns at three and two-thirds 
and-three and one-half feet below the surface, respectively, which 
gives the capacity of 1,760, 1,600 and 2,500 gallons, respectively, 
up to the lowest sewer, with a possibility of 1,500 to 2,000 gallons 
more in case of an emergency, as a heavy rain when the cisterns 
are nearly full, before the water would reach back to the gutter 
behind the stock in the basement of the new barn. The platform 
when empty holds four inches of water before any runs over into 
the cisterns, as provided for near the manhole in each, and from 
the west side to the end of the middle one. The three cisterns 
are connected by tile with cemented joints, as shown in section at 
the level of the sewer. 
A windmill has been provided, which pumps to a tank from 
_ which the liquid is run over to a wagon for distribution, wherever 
it may be wanted. 
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