Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1884-11-21
FARM AND PRESIDE.

CHEAP SHELTERS FOR SWINE.-an
excellent shelter may be made on a hill
side, sloping towards the south or east by
digging down the bank perpendicularly to
form wall four feet high, making the
floor level. Ten or twelve feet from this
wall set a row of fOfked posts, upon which
lay pole for the roof to rest upon. Upon
this pole smaller ones, or rails may be laid
and upon them straw roof is built, or a
board root may be laid from the wall 10
the pole. In this case it is best to have a
pole in the middle also. If there Is to te
straw roof, the pole in the forks and Il
tap of the wall must be on level, but for
board roof the pole must be six inches
lower than the top of the wall. Dig a
shallow ditch along the upper side. The
lower side is left open. The sides will be
partly open, and are closed by driving
down stakes and banking straw against
them, which is to be covered with earth.
Leave an opening along the top for venti-
lotion. This is as good a swine shelter as
can be made. and requires little labor and
material, as the walls are OF earth.
Another good shelter is made by setting
on three sides north, west, and south, Or
east) row of stout stakes four feet high,
the corner cnes being forked. Against
these, pile straight brush wi h the leaves
on if possible, and cover this with earth.
Place poles in the forks of the corner
stakes, and on these maxi roof of boards
or straw, as directed for the other shell
ters The bank of brush and earth should
not reach quite to the loof, but leave
openings for ventilation. If desired,
portion of the open side of these shelters
can be closed in the same way that the
other sides are closed.-Anaerican Aqra-
culturist.
BUILDING AN ICE-HoUsE.-We can
best answer numerous inquiries about
building an ice-house, by giving descrip-
tion of one we put up for our own use
few years ago. The locality selected was
one affording facilities for drainage, was
we'll shaded by trees, and conveniently
near the house. The surface being sandy,
and levelled, and four by six inch stills,
fourteen feet long, were laid Down and
halved together at the corners. The plates
of the same length. of two by four inch
stuff, were put together IN the same man
ner. Studs two by four, and thirteen feet
long, were mortised, into the stills and
spiked to the plates every eighteen inches.
The roof, "square-pitch,' is covered
with ten-inch boards, two inches apart,
and other boards of the same width nailed
on as hattens. Hemlcck boards, nailed
horizontally on both sides of the studs.
cover the sides and ends: the four-iEch
space between the outer and inner siding,
being filled with sawdust. There is door
at the ground level, and another just
above. both being practically double, by
means of horizontal boards placed on the
inside as the house is filled. The ,oaf
projects over the sides about y foot, aad
the spaces between that and the plates
are left open to afford ventilation. A
LAYER of sawdust, four inches or mere
thick. was laid upon the ground, and the
blocks of Ice stacked upon it as closely as
possibly. The top of the ice is covered
with a layer OF marsh hay, about two feet
thick. This house, if filled up to the roof,
would hold about sixty tons. When half
filed, there has been considerable guam
tity of ice left over each year, though it
has been used very freely. The cost of
the house is small. -EIchange.