Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-05-15
A Simple and Coed Crib.

MIR. FRANCIS COLLINS, Of Bucks Co.,
Pa, sends the american Agriculturist a
very accurate description of his corn-crib,
with his reasons for building it as he did,
If not taken as model, nevertheless, the
description may be very useful as a
guide to farmers in constructing similar
buildings of varying capacity. Mr.. c.
writes:
. have never known any corn-crib that
combined so many good points. 1t is of
good size and durability, very easily filled
and emptied, perfectly rat-proof and we
have never known it to fail to keep corn
perfectly. 1t has been built nearly twenty
five years, has had little or no repairs put
upon it, and looks like standing twenty
five years more without needing any. 1t
is 40 feet long, 8 feet wide at the stills, and
feet wide at the plates, with posts feet
10 inches, from top of sill TO top of plate.
The stills are of white oak, 6 by inches,
set upon IA posts, Z on a side. These
posts are of excellent red cedar and To-
Gust, about inches in diameter, set in the
ground 215 feet, and resting on flat stones.
They should reach at least 20 inches above
the ground, which is high enough to pre-
vent rats from jumping up and getting
into the crib The tops of the posts should
have old tin milk-pans inverted over them
(as shown in the engraving), for mice
climb vertical piece of tin. The stills
are fastened to the corner posts by thick
and long wooden pins, to prevent the crib
being blown over. The best position for
crib is north and south, so that the west
erly winds may have good chance at it,
and it must stand clear from all other build
ings. The cross-sills, or joists, are let into
the sills every feet, and are of oak, by
6 inches The end posts, middle posts, and
two other posts which are equidistant from
the end and middle posts, are by )
inches, and should be of durable and
hard wood mine are of heart-pine. The
other posts are of hemlock, 3 by 5 inches
and feet from centre to centre. The cor
ner and middle posts are braced. There
are five cross-ties 1.-TWO of these are at the
cnds), which are tenoned and Keyed to the
larger posts, just below the plates. The
plates are by inches, put on tlat-wise
for greater strength. The roof should be
of white-pine shingles, with three sliding
doors. When the crib is nearly filled, the
sliding doors are pushed up as far as need
ed for shovelling in the corn, and are held
in their places by the shingles, which over.
lap the edges of the door about 1 u inches
When they are pulled down, there is bat
ten on the inside of the door which Just
allows the bottom of it to come in line
with the caves.
The sides of the crib are covered with
oak lath, two inches wide, and with spaces
between sufficiently narrow to keep in the
thinnest ears, a board to face the sills, and
another narrow one to run four inches up
the side. The ends of the crib are covered
with boards, and have large door in EACH
After the laths are nailed on the sides,
small doors OF windows, about twenty
inches square, are sawed out of the laths,
and the sawed pieces are fastened with
wrought nails to cross-pieces; so that when
the door is put in, the tops of the cross
pieces go inside of the first slat above the
opening, then the door drops down an inch
or two, and the bottoms of the cross-pieces
go inside of the first slat below the open
ing Thus we have cheap, easily made
door, easily taken out, and, when in, hard
ly to be distinguished from the adjoining
parts. | have eight of these doors, four OF
them close under the caves, and four lit
tie lower, fer easy shoveling.
When filling, nail loosely pieces of board
inside of the door-posts at the end Of the
crib, so that the corn cannot press against
the door. When emptying the crib, use
the side-doors as soon as it is possible to
shovel the corn through them into wagon.
The crib will hold about 900 bushels OF
shelled corn when ii is well filled