Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-01-30
Warm Stables.

There are great many cattle and horses
standing .hs winter in very cold barns.
Now a farmer who will let his animals
suffer from cold when he could easily and
with very trifling expense keep them
comfortably warm, not only ought to suf-
fer himself, but most surely will suffer, if
not from cold, from loss of the growth
aud product of his animals. The food it.
self, which is an already obtained product
of the farm, is lost in large part if given
to animals that are much of the time
curled up or shivering with cold.
Now there is no necessity to let cattle
suffer in large. cold barn. If the out
side boarding is old and loose. and it
seems like too great an undertaking to
put the whole building in first class order
by new covering, great deal can be done
for the comfort of the animals by putting
up tight board partitions between the
stables and the barn. 1t will do no special
harm to have the hay mows and tool rooms
cold if the rooms where the animals
are kept are made sufficiently warm.
walls with matched boards from floor to
scaffold, mailing the boards upon
three-inch studding or joists, set up on end
vi DldtGh DbiiLbultIlN, ttNtltibS tS but
outsides boards are nailed on. The air
space between the outside and inside board
ing will do a great deal towards keeping
the air inside the stable of an even tenn
peraiure. The partitions against the hay
mows need to be OF single boarding only,
but if there are large. cold. empty carriage
or tool rooms, that are very cold in ex
treme weather. double boarded partitions
here too will not be Objectionable. Half
inch. or quite thin boards, if matched and
laid tight, will answer the purpose just as
we'll as thicker if they are nailed closely.
Have double doors if you really want your
stable warm and your cattle comfortable.
With stables arranged in this way we
have been able to keep large stock of
cattle comfortably warm in the very cold
est weather, and it has at the same time
been comfortable for those who have had
the care Of the stock. But as the hay
mows get low. towards spring. there is
more open space in barn to be warmed
bv the heat of the animals, and sometimes
the stock suffers more from cold in
March than in the sharpest weather Of mid
winter Now we do not fear 10 have it
within our power to shut cattle close
enough in the very coolest weather so that
they will be able to keep thoroughly
warm. There is more danger OF loss from
cold than from loss from bad air in a clean
stable in cold weather. The tigbtest walls
we will be likely to build il above ground,
will let all the fresh air through that will
be required to keep animals healthy in the
coldest weather. To make stable still
warmer, board down in part from the
scaffold to the floor with single boarding.
| ioiDied but not matched. A little draught
| at the noses is a good deal more endurable
| than from behind. Let the lower part OF
| the boarding be nailed to cleats like doors,
and hinged so they can be opened for
feeding and for freer circulation of air
when more air is required These doors
may be left open a little way at any time
| to give ventilation. more or less, accord
| ing as the other walls of the stable are
loose OF. tight. A man can keep single
horse or COW iu stable finished in this
way, ina barn where one would be in
danger of freezing the extremities if ex-
posed to the open space of the whole barn
| with lis free connection with the outside
temperature. OF course the stalls for one
or few animals, must be partitioned of
smaller than for large stock. There
are good many poor 1rishmen who ac.
tually winter their single COW in hove
with more comfort to their animals, ant