The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-01-01
FARM BUILDINGS.

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the art.-C Chicago Times.
FARM BUILDINGS.
The inferior buildings of the farm may
be erected by any farmer or farm hand
who is handy with tools. Very few are
required for sheds, hay-barracks, and
other rough structures. Barns, especially
the more p~retentious and permanent
stables. require distinct planning in
order that economy of space may be at
tanned and convenience of arrangement
fully carried out. This belongs dis
tinctly to the architect and not to the
working carpenter and mason. As a
rule in the mOr complete class of strlct-
ures the commission of the architect will
be well earned. But to have every de-
tail carefully worked ont the farmer
should bear well i'm mind what he wants,
in order that the architect may be fully
informed how to manage the details.
AS an indication in this direction the
architect, OF the builder who unites arch
itecture with building. should know
whether the building is TO be a base
ment or a bank barn, and in the latter
case the rise and fall of the situation
from front to rear of the barn, and
whether stone or brick is to be used in
the basement. For the foundation, of
course, stone must be used, and it is bet
ter that the basement story itself should
be of stone. The architect should also
be informed how much stock is to be
kept, and the numbers of each class of
stock. Then, again. the amount of hay,
sheaf grain, straw, and other fodder to
be stored should be carefully estimated,
and also the capacity of feed bins for
the several classes of grain. bran. and
other prOvender. In relation to live
stock, in the case of cattle, it must be
stated whether they are to be kept in
regular stalls, as in the case of blOOded
stock, or merely on floors with cutters
for manure and other waste behind. In
this case the relative numbers of the
several ages of cattle should be stated.
since the size of the animal must deter
mine the length of the floor or standing
place. So it should be distinctly stated
whether the cattle are to he held in
stanchions OF by ties. For horses it
should be stated whether racks or nan
gers are to be put managers are alto
gether best-and also whether single or
double stalls are desired, and how many
of each; also how many loose boxes for
foaling mares or sick animals are de-
sired.
In respect to the storage capacity of
the barn in the way of fodder. it must
be known whether it is to be delivered
into the mows or bays by horsepower
tackle or by hand. and it would be well
to designate the kind of power to be
employed. If water is to be drawn by
steam, wind. or horsepower. or if feed
is to be ground and fodder chopped, this
must also be stated. If all this is care
fully stated the architects can attend
intelligently to all the details, including
ventilation, chutes for delivering hay,
straw, and grain, either ground or I'M
ground, into the feeding-rOOms or near
managers, etc. The barn will then be
perfect in all its details according to
contract, the working carpenter will be
able to do the labor Systematically, and
this alone will in the end save enough
to pay the fees of the architect. If a
house is to be built it becomes still more
necessary that all details shall be care
fully estimated and carried out.