, 1840-08-29

Der known.
To substantiate the last position, | boldly
put the question, is humanity to the domes-
tic animals, which Providence in his wisdom
and goodness designed for the use Of a a
~uirtue? Will any one but a barbarian say
nay? Then let none evade and outrage this
christian duty by permitting their f1ocks to
be exposed to the terrible storms of winter,
for it isa violation of humanity in the worst
form.
Having preached the important matter. OF
protection, l deem it essential, as coming
within the scope of my subject, to mention
the kind Of shelter Of which l make use.
| They are barns, and varying in size: sever.
al of which are 80 feet by 90, with Ia feet
posts; and others SO by 90, with IA feet posts;
and others Sc by 20, with Is feet posts; six
feet of the lower part Of the last mentioned
is taken off for granaries. 1t should be sta
ted that the first size named, are not long
enough to contain a sufficiency of hay for
100 sheep, which is the largest number ] per-
NIT to herd in the winter; a remedy will be
found, however, by adding two feet to the
width and two feet to the posts. The lar
gest size afford room enough for the necessa-
ry quantity ofhay for the above number Of
sheep, provided il is not of a coarse quality,
and the winter an ordinary one. They all
front the south, on which side are boards
made to shove like bars; a space, however,
of some six or eight feet is always open to
admit Of the sheep going in OF out at plea
sure. 1t ought to have been stated before
this, that the protecting apartment is formed
by a vacancy of four and half feet from the
lground, and Of course, that above i: the hay
is stored. On a distant farm have several
barns constructed after the "Massachustts
mode" standing on side hills. the %inclina.
tions of which are such, that it was only
necessary to e1cavate the ground in rear, in
order to form shutters. The size of these is
SO by As feet, and by means of division
wall afford ample accommodation for 100
sheep each. On three sides of each apart
ment are fixed box racks, which are used
only when the weather is severely cold or
stormy; at such lines the advantages Of
feeding under cover cannot be too highly
appreciated.
The average cost Of the barns, first des-
cribed, was about SIS each; they were built
by the job, and when lumber was bearing a
price below its present value; and the entire
expense Of all my sheep buildings approx.
mates $1,000. But in No. Four Of this seri.
es | entered into the most minute calculation
derived from my books and invoices, where
in it is shown that my gains already, in con-
sequence Of protection, arising from saving
of life, increase of wool, &c. &c, have re-
imbursed this expense, with an overplus Of.
S1427. | refer for particulars Of this esti-
mate TO No. ii Of the Weekly Genesee Far
mer, or May No. Of the Monthly, 1885,.
But notwithstanding this powerful pecunia-
ry argument in favor of protection, there
will be found thousands ofyour readers too
sceptical to be willing to incur the same ex-
pense that | have undergone, and therefore
the following mode Of building cheap shelters
is respectfully recommended.
When securing hay, if stacked, build two
Pens for the reception Of the bottoms of the
stacks four and a half feet high, and place
them about IS feet apart, in or nearly an
east and west line: then take two poles Of
sufficient length to reach from pen TO pen,
resting the ends on the tops Of each pen; the
the centre Of the poles to be supported by
crotches, and well secured in the ground.-l
A sufficient number Of rails or poles will
then be required to support the straw which
will be necessary for a covering. will also
suggest that the straw ought to be secured
by placing a few rails on the the top of, it
otherwise violent winds will displace it
The rear of the hovel, which Of course should
be the north side, can be made of boards,
and must be tight; if it is not, snow when
drifting will be CERTAIN to find its way in, and
often occasion the necessity of its removal.
If boards cannot be readily obtained for the
backs, made out Of rails or poles, and stuffed
with straw will answer quite as well. ] wish to
be understood that all this is not To be done
at the time of building the stack, by no means;
all that is required at that time, is to place
the long poles IN the tops of the pens; the
residue can be constructed when con-
venience permits. | also recommend the
of several racks to be filled with
straw, called "wind breakers" | will not
mention where they ought to stand, as practi-
cal farmers know pretty well the point a
Northwestern is apt to bite hardest. The
necessity ofattention to this is obvious, topro-
of the sheep when feeding, and waste
OF hay by being blown away by high winds.
What straw is required for the above pur-