Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1876-05-18
agritultnral department.
STABLES.

STABLES.
If there is anything that is an eye.sore to
humanity on Southern farm, it is the aver
age Southern pen, den, hole, or box, called
stable. An open log house, most frequently
built in low portion Of the yard to catch the
drainage, and with the entrance so low as to
iniure the horses withers by bruising as he is
forced in or out, is in thousands Of cases a
sample specimen of plantation stable; and,
frequently, we have been surprised to find
such buildings without even door. couple
of rails, perhaps, serving the purpose of keep
ing the animal in. We could never drive a
fat horse or mule unless we had lock on the
stable door, for though we usually feed the
stock ourself, we seldom stand hard by until
they eat up the bait; and if we fed at dusk
and turned our backs, we are suspicious enough
to believe that there would be some two-leg-
ged animals feeding out of that trough unless
there was lock on the door.
But in our April number, we promised to
say something occasionally about farm build
ings. To those who are able to build orna-
mental affairs, we say employ an architect.
We write for those who have to do the work
themselves, or superintend its being done.
And we will only speak of a log stable, pre-.
suming that where framing timber and plank
can be had, they will probably be preferred
and can be used.
We believe it is good economy, and the
part of wisdom nowadays, to keep no more
than three mules or plough animals, with their
long forage, in any single building. Loss
from fire, lightning, theft, or other cause, sug-
gests this idea. This building we would erect
as follows: log house, eight feet high to the
plate, eleven feet vide, and thirteen feet in
the clear, and divided by log or plank par
tition in the centre, so as to make the stalls
eleven by six and half feet in the clear.
Parallel to this house, and twelve feet from it,
build second log house exactly like the first.
Cover the two houses under the same roof,
the ridge pole running across the two houses
and passage, so as to give loft thirteen feet
wide at the foot of the rafters and thirty-four
feet long. This loft properly packed will
hold all the provender, oats, fodder, or hay,
that three animals will eat in year.
Close up the twelve feet passage by two lat,
ticed gates, one bolted inside, and the other
locked outside. To give more loft room, this
passage might be made fifteen feet wide, and
the gates simply large enough to admit wag.
on, or any vehicle, for sheltering purposes.
Cut door, three feet wide and six feet high,
in the corner of each stall, opening into the
passage, and let the door, when hung, open
toward the gate that is locked on the outside.
These should be Slated doors, and fastened
with latches fifteen inches long, one inch thick,
and two inches wide, secured loosely to door
slat by bolt pin or screw through one end,
so that when the latch is lifted and the door
opened, the latch will fall to perpendicular
position, on or against the slat to which it is
bolted, and thus prevent the possibility of
swagging, as the mule is slapped with the
bride, as he almost Invariably is, and made to
Jump hurriedly into the stall.
We prefer trough and rack to manger.
These should be just high enough to enable
the animal to eat with his neck in horizon
tai position while eating from the trough, and
the rack about foot above. They should be
each three and half feet long, and placed
Immediately to the right or left of the door as
you enter the stall, 80 that when the animal
enters the stall he will have to turn round to
get his food. Thus all the feeding is done
from the passage into both trough and rack,
and child may feed vicious animal with
out danger of being injured.
But there are four rooms Three Of them we
would convert into stalls, and the other near
est the locked gate, should be Aoored, and con-
tain stairway or ladder to the loft. By
throwing all the fodder, oats, or hay, down in.
to this room, nothing is lost. The loose bum
dies, or shattered grain, can be easily gather:
ed up and put in the racks, or swept up and
fed to the calves or pigs In this room, too,
can be keptthe plow gears, plough irons, and
plantation TOOLS
The gable ends of the loft should be &C.
curely weather-boarded, except a door in each
gable, to fasten by hook on the inside
If the logs of these houses be hewed, or
made to fit as near air.tight as possible, so
that neither light nor air can enter but from
the passage, these stalls will be comfortable
at all seasons of the year. A single key locks
up the three mules, their provender, the tools,
the implements, and the wagon, which, when
not in use, stands in the passage out of wind
and weather. There is not three mule farm
in the South in which this stable cannot be
built without an apprsciable cost, save the
labor. And two of these can be built with
less cost, less labor, and serve better pur.
pose than one building large enough for six
mules.-Raral Carolinian.