Huntsville gazette., 1886-09-25
THE FARM BARN.

why 1t Should be Near Perfect and
Comfortable as Possible.
When there is nothing III the way Of
having a first class barn the farmer
should build one. Some times money
is lacking. and in such case we must
put up with what we can get. Its only
in exceptional cases that mortgage
should be placed on farm for the pur-
pose of making improvements. A
mortgage is an uncomfortable thing al
best. 1t is always at work, as the poet
expresses it. But the necessity and
profitableness of good barn ought to
be recognized by all. There is not only
a great deal of comfort to be derived
from caring for stock in a cOmmodiOus
building, but it costs less to keep stock
through the winter in a well built and
well operated barn than it does in one
that is a mere apology for barn. 1t
is sometimes said that a farmer, if he
can not have both a good house and
good barn, ought to consider it duty
to secure the barn and let the house
take care of itself. We confess that
there is very strong argument to sus
tain the proposition, though we should
hardly care to adopt it. One thing is
certain; if he has good barn he will
sooner make the money to provide
good house. But the health of the
family is the most precious possession
of the farm, and it should not be en-
dangered from any cause, which it is if
the house is seriously defective. Penn
sylvania is noted for its elegant barns
and very ordinary houses. But house
that does not look very well may yet be
very comfortable.
THERE'S one thing, however, that we
may all do. If our barn is not just
what we wish it was, we may stop up
the cracks, and with trifiing expendi-
ture of time and money make very
imperfect building comparatively COM
Portable. Have the cracks battened so
that the wind can not enter. Do not
try to batten the cracks with feed, and
the wind and cold must be kept out, or
the cracks must be battened with feed;
that is to say, the exposed animals
must have more feed to keep up the
necessary heat. There is one way of
making cheap barn or stable warmer
which costs but little. 1t is to line it
with building paper. Still another way
is to board up ON the inside and fill
with chaff. Both these plans will in
sure a good deal of warmth and save
feed.
1t is, of course. understood that in
nothing that we have said do we mean
that stock shall be pampered. 1t is
possible to keep stock too warm.
More properly speaking it is possible
to keep them in barns and stalls that
are SO badly ventilated that the tenn
perature is not only too warm, but the
air is wretohedly bad. Better have nc
shelter at all than foster such an evil.
We mean precisely what we say, better
have no shelter at all. There is not
particle of doubt that it is altogether
preferable to permit animals to run out
all winter than thus to poison them
They may pretty nearly freeze to death,
but that will be pleasant compared to
all the suffering gs that come from stead.
ily breathing vitiated air The milcb
COW needs more protection from the
cold than fat steer does, for she must
be kept from being chilled, or the flow
Of milk must decrease. Just how
much warmth should be assured will
therefore somewhat depend upon the
kind Of stock Western Rural.