The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-05-02
A DRY BARN-YARD.

One of the Most Common Wastes of the
Farm, and How 1t May Be Prevented.
A barn-yard is generally mass OF
filth; sickening of smell, disgusting to
sight, and source of uncleanlness
everywhere, even to house floors and
carpets; and portion of it gets into
the milk, which has a "cowy" odor
mistakenly supposed to be natural to it
Still, barn-yard need not be filthy. II
should be on elevated ground, a com
mon tile drain laid through the center
of il eighteen inc les below the surface
will keep it dry, and a dry yard is al
ways clean and free from mud. This
drain should discharge into Il manure
pit where the drainage can be absorbed.
There should be no wash from barn.
yard, running off in stream and vast
ing its strength upon mere thread of
ground which is too rich to be of use
and usually becomes a rank, pestiferous
bed of weeds; neither should the lou d
waste of the yard be lost. 1t should all
be taken up by absorbents, if no more
than earth, which can be removed and
spread over the fields as other manure
is. If this is done there will be no dan
ger OF the pollution Of wells or csterns
by percolation from the soil
The water from the roofs should be
all gathered by leaders into a cistern or
two of them; one hundred square feet
of roof will collect twenty-four hundred
gallons of water in the year; this is am
pie for one head of stock, giving about
seven gallons daily. This roof space is
estimated on the level, equal TO the area
of the building Thus tarn fifty by
forty will supply twenty head of stock
with water If this water is kept from
the yards the litter will never be more
than moist enough to decay in a reason
able time from the usual rainfall or the
melting of SHOWS. Wherever persons
pass to and from the buildings raised
walks should be made, and to preserve
good order about the house and dairy,
plank walks or walks of gravel, or
paved with stone, raised above the gen
eral level, should be provided. These
will always be dry. To say that this is
too costly is a great mistake; it is too
costly to be without them, for muddy
paths are not only unclean but serious
w injurious to health, and cause excess
sive labor indoors to keep things clean
there.
The gathering of absorbents, either
from the farm itself or from some con-
tiguous source, should be made a reg
ular part OF the harvest work. just as
the farmer gathers the crops so he
should supply the barns and yards with
liter. Ii there is not sufficient straw,
let a supply be purchased from neigh
bors who are not wide awake enough 10
cherish it. 1t is the cheapest way to
get manure, and will cost less than to
buy artifc al fertilizers. If straw,
leaves, swamp muck or other such
matters can not be procured, hard
wood sawdust, tannery refuse and other
wastes of var Gus kinds WI make good
substitutes, and if no hing else can be
got common earth will serve to take up
the liquid waste of the stock, which is
the most valuable. Now when a farm
and barn-yard are so managed, its rar-
ity attracs attention and the passer-by
thinks to hmself al know Just what
kind of man that 81 Every product
which is sent o It from such a farm car.
ries its own certificate with it-M Y,
Tribune.