Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-12-05
FARM AND GARDEN.
HonaoE eaEELEY,s BARn.


II we were asked to name in what point
our Southern farming Is most deficient, we
should say in barns. It would be easy to
write an extended essay on this injurious
defect, but sound practice and philosophy
are often best taught by example. Mr..
Greeley says: any barn is fair success.
placed it on the shelf of my hill, nearest
to the upper (eastJ side OF my place, be-
cause barnyard is a mandatory of fer
tilisers from materials of lesser weight and
it isessier to draw these down bill than up.
| built its walls wholly Of stone, gathered
or blasted from the adjacent slope, to the
extent OF four or five thousand tons, and
laid In box with thin mortar of little lime
and much sand, filling all the interstices,
and binding the whole liz solid mass, till
my walls are rezrly one solid rock, while the
roof is Of. Vermont slate. drive into
three stories -a basement for man ures
q stable for animals, and story
above this for hay, while the grain is pitched
into the loft above, from whose floor the
roof rises steep TO the height Of 10 or Is
feet. There should have been more wind
ows for light and air; but my barn is conve-
nent, impervious TO froSt, and / am conf
dent that cattle are wintered at fourth
less cost then when they shiver in board
shanties, with cracks between the boards
that will admit your hands. No part of
our rural economy is more wasteful than
The habitual exposure ofour animals to pei
ting, chilling storms, and to intense cold.
Building with concrete is still q novelty,
and was far more so ten years ago, when l
built my barn. could now build better
and cheaper, but am glad that need not.
/ calculate that this barn viii be abidingly
useful long after / shall be forgotten, and
that had / chosen to have my name lettered
on Its front, it would have remained there
to honor me as builder long after it had
ceased to have any other Specification"
While not doubling that the concrete
walls Of Mr.. Greeley's three story barn will
be durable and proof AGAINST the dampuess
and hard freezing Of his northern climate,
we speak from considerable experience
when we give the preference to hydraulic
lime and sand to common lime and sand
for cementing fragments Of rock in making
solid wall.
Tennessee abounds In excellent cement,
as well as in good limestone. As easements
for barns, stables, dwelling houses and
spring houses, cement walls and floors are
very valuable. We have used three parts
Of coarse, sharp, washed sand to one of by
drauHc lime. A cellar wall laid in such &C.
ment mortar, the walls wen piastered In
side, and the ground well covered with this
cement, will keep the cellar dry, though in
clined to be wet and unhealthy.
Skill and economy in constructing farm
buildings are matters not sufficiently
studied. Thousands of families live on in
definitely in dilapidated and comfortless
houses, with barns and stables little worse,
because they dread the expense of building
something better. The waste of food in
feeding corn, oats and fodder to
keep stock warm In cold weather,
will about pay for making warm stables
netO every year. No matter how
cold the weather is, you must heat the blood
of horses, cattle, hogs and sheep up to 98
deg, or they will certainly die. The more
heat they radiste into space, and throw off
in breathing, the more corn and roughness
they mpss eat and burn to keep them warm.
Hence, to exclude uncomfortable cold from
domesticated animals, and persons, is to
save valuable provisions; promote health,
longevity, and happiness. Science In war
leads to the practice Of destruction; science
inpeace leads to the practice Of con .trr,ction.
Let US rebuild aud repair on our old planta-
tiops, ifthey need it Make cultivated COM
mon sense,no' pide nor vanity, the architect
we employ 10 plan our Improvements. There
SHOULD be at least 100 GOD barns and farm
houses built in Tennessee where there Is
one now, take the SAFE together.