Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-05-20
Agricultural.
Thirteenth Agricultural Meeting,


DR.. Warren's engagements not GLOWING him
to lecture, as proposed, on Tuesday evening,
April 18th, the subject of Farm Buildings was
announced for consideration. The remarks of
the speakers, nevertheless, related chiefly to the
making ofmanures.
Mr.. Starkweather spoke of the great impor-
lance to farmers of making and carefully preser-
wing manures. A barn cellar was a very excel
lent arrangement for this purpose; but on flat
lands it was often very inconvenient to have a
good cellar, without mourning considerable ex-
pense in raising the barn, &c. His buildings
stood on fiat ground, and he had adopted the fol-
lowing plan, which he found very excellent for
collecting, making and preserving manure: On
the side of his barn on which his cattle stood, he
had a trench dug, some 6 or 7 feet deep and 10
feet wide, paved at the bottom to make it tight,
and stoned up, and covered with a slanting roof
from the side of the barn. Behind his COWS he
had doors, through which he could conveniently
throw the manure; and the floor of his stable was
so constructed as to incline a little towards the
same, so that the urine and liquid manure would
run directly into the trench. Into this he threw
all the refuse vegetable matter about his farm
buildings, and conducted the suds and slops from
the house likewise, He had found this a most
economical and efficient method of producing
a large quantity of most excellent manure. He
strongly recommended the plan to all farmers
who could not conveniently construct cellars I'M
der their barns. If this trench was dug a few
feet under the sill Of the barn, it was still bet
ter.
Mr.. Parker said that he had a paper mill on
his farm, and used a great deal of ley in cleans
ing his rags, and he also used large quantities of
peat for fuel, in which there was, Of necessity,
considerable waste. He had therefore construct
ed a reservoir into which he threw all his peat
dust and ashes, and the ley after being used in
the factory; and in this way he could make ten
loads week of the very best kind of manure
This he mixed with his green manure, by pla-
cling first a layer of one and then of the other;
and he had never found anything superior to this
for corn or grassland,
Mr.. Brooks remarked that his experience in
the use of barn cellars would %propably differ
from most farmers. He was satisfied that the
ammonia which arose from the manure when
turned over-as it should be repeatedly, during
the year-was very injurious to his hay. To be
sure, his cellar and barn were very tight-per-
haps Quite too tight. He thought very favorably
of Mr.. Starkweather's plan; but he intended to
try another: it was to cover his entire barn-yard
with a cheap roof, leaving it open at the Sides
In this way he should be able not only to pre-
serve his manure, but to furnish a shelter for his
cattle, which they often needed in summer as
we'll as in winter. His experience had convinced
him that Is loads of manure that was made and
kept under cover, were equal to Is loads made
in the ordinary method, exposed to rains and
sunshines, frosts and SHOWS. He further sugges-
ted the %propriety of having a number of sliding
windows on the side of the barn where the hay
was kept, to be used in ventilating the now
He had large y~entilator in the roofof his barn,
with blinds, which would keep out the rain
and snow, but let out the gases and vapor gencr-
ated in the barn.
Mr.. Gray had never found any inconvenience
from barn cellars. A barn should be thoroughly
ventilated, and the stable floors should be sprink-
led with plaster of Paris after the manure was
removed; this would fix the ammonia and pre-
vent the unpleasant smell so common in barns.
Mr.. Leonard preferred the old fashion of put
ting on barn boards that were not Matched
He thought it best to single the sides where the
hay was, but to leave the cracks open where the
cattle stood. SO he was understood, though
perhaps he meant the very reverse of this.
Mr.. French liked barn cellars, and was in fa-
vor of having them extend under the entire barn.
Water should be provided for cattle where they
could be comfortable while drinking. A COW
requires from 60 to 80 pounds of water daily;
but every farmer who drove his COWS to a cold
and bleak place for water, had remarked that
the animals often took but a sip of water. He
suggested the expediency of having a stall for
each cow, as we had for horses, with a good space
behind.
Mr.. Calhoun would almost as soon think of
giving up his farm as his barn cellar. His was
open towards the south, and was used for his
mich cows during the winter; and he found