Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1886-09-18
H FARM BARN.


why 1t should be as Near Perfect and rs
Comfortable as Possible.
When there is nothing in the way of
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 "a get. ltiSonly
in exceptional eases that a mortgage
should be placed on a farm for the pur-
pose of making improvements. A
mortgage is an uncomfortable thing at
best, 1t is always at work, as the poet
expresses it, But the necessity and
pr~oGtableneSs Of a 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 c%ommodious
building, but it costs less to keep stock
through the winter in a well built and
well operated barn than it does in II
that is a mere apology for a barn, 1t
j., sometimes said that a farmer, ii he
can not have both a good house and a
GOOD barn, ought to consider it a duty
to secure the barn and let the house
take care of itself, We confess that
there is a very strong argument to sus-
tain the proposition, though we should
hardly care to adopt it.. One thing is
certain; if he has a good barn he will
sooner make the money to provide II
good house. But the health of the
family is the most precious possession
of the farm. and it should not be en-
dangercd from any cause, which it is if
the house is seriously defective. Penn
sylyania is noted for its elegant barns
and very ordinary houses. But a house
that does not look very well may yet be
very comfortable.
Theressis one thing, however, that we
may all do. If our barn is not just
| what we wish it was, we lnay stop up
the cracks, and with a trilling cXpendi-
ture of time and money make a very
imperfect Building comparatively COM
Portable, Have the cracks battened so
that the wind can not enter. Do not
try to battcn the cracks with feed, and
the wind and cold must be kept out, or
the cracks must be battcncd 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 a 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 chaif. 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 meal
that stock shall be pampcred. 1t i,
possible to keep stock too warm
More properly speaking it is possibl,
to keep them in barns and stalls tina
are so badly ventilated that the tenn
perature is not only too warm, but tn,
air Is wretchedly bad. Better have n,
shelter at all than foster such an evil
We mean precisely what we say, bette
have no shelter at all. There is not
particle of doubt that it is altogethe
preferable to permit animals to run on
all winter than thus to poison them
They may pretty nearly freeze todeath
but that will be pleasant compared t.
all the sutlerings that come from stead
lily breathing vitiated air. The mile
COW needs more protection from tn
cold than a fat steer does, for she mus
be kept from being chilled, or the flo,
of milk must decrease. just no,
much warmth should be assured wi
therefore somewhat depend upon tn
kind of stock Western Rural.