The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-04-09
FARM TOPICS.
Arranging u Barn-Yard So as tn Secure
the Protection and Comfort of
Animals.
The Importance of Care In Saving SEED
Corn and Testing Its vitality.
A coon RARN-YARn

The Importance oil Care In SavinH seed
Corn and Testing Its vitality.
GO0D BARN-YARD.
Few farmers place q sufficiently high
estimate on the value of II good barn
yard. and accordingly they give little
attention to its location, the manner of
inclosing it and rendering it comforta-
bic for the animals that spend much of
their time in it, In many cases they are
ut little pains tu SO arrange II that il
serves the purpose of making and pre-
serving manure, In arranging II barn
yard tho first consideration should be
insuring the comfort of the animals that
are kept in it. and it should he remeni,
bered that most animals kept Oh farms
pass more than half their lives in the
barn-yard, II is not practical to make
a pleasure ground of tho barn-yard; but
it is practical to make it a comfortable
place i'm which animals will enjoy stay
ing, and from which they will not strive
to make their escape, To render it COM
Portable portion Of its SURFACE should
be high and dry, SO that animals can
stand or lie on it without becoming wet
and dirty, The plan of having one side
of the barn-yard elevated Il foot or more
above the remaining portion Is q good
one, and one that is easily carried out.
If there is no natural decline, stones or
timbers can be placed across a portion
of the yard and the space back of it can
be filled to the required height with sand
or clay,
Protection from wind and snow should
be the next consideration, and this is a
very important one in the northwest.
The barn and other farm buildings
should have the entire or chief protcc-
ton on the west side, as the worst winds
generally come from that direction. Pro-
lection On the other sides should be Sc
cured by means of sheds and tight
fences. The best fence for farm-yard
is one made of strong posts and boards.
A wire fence is very Objectionable, as il
| affords no protection against the wind,
allows the snow to blow through it,
while the barbs on the wire are very
likely to injure animals that are pushed
against it, as they are likely to be in
the contests that are going on when
many animals are confined in somewhat
limited quarters. A good fence. some
what costly to build, but economical in
the end, can be constructed of strong
posts, in which scantlings are inserted
near the top and bottom, to which
boards seven or eight feet long are III.
tached in an upright position. Such q
fence keeps out the drifting snow and
breaks the force of the wind Cattle
that stand or lie near it will be com.
Portable, providing rain is not falling.
Their fodder will not be blown about il
il is placed next to such fence.
A fence of this kind can be utilized tC
form one side of long shed. Ii sap
lings can be obtained they can he placed
in line in the ground twelve or more
feet from the fence and support fol
poles nailed to them Mt the proper
height On this poles can be nm tn tho
top of the fence and on them roof OF
straw can be made. A shed of this kind
will cost but very little, while it will dc
much toward affording comfort to the
animals confined in the farm-yard. A
better shed can be made by using cedar
posts and scantling for supports and by
making the roof of boards and battens
With little doubt the cheapest and best
roof could be made of roug h boards and
building paper covered with coal tar
rosin, and gravel. The roofs of many
buildings in large towns are now made
of these materials, and they give excel.
lent satisfaction; but the art of making
them has not extended into the country
Although Il well-cOnstructcd barn OF
stable is necessary for the protection OF
work horses and dairy cows during the
winter, a good shed will afford all the
protection needed for ordinary store
cattle, and in the majority of cases they
prefer it to the barn, us it allows them
more liberty.
Of course the barn-yard should be
well supplied with water. 1t is not
necessary, however, that the well that
supplies the water or the pump that
raises it be located in the yard. There
are many good reasons for having the
well outside of the yard. Its water
would be less likely TO be contaminated
and it is more pleasant to draw water
from Il well that is not in n barn-yard
1t is very easy to convey water from q
that is within it. 1t is much better to
have tho watering trough under an
open shed than in an exposed place
near the center of the yard. If it is
under a shed snow will not accumulate
about it and make it difficult for ami
mails to get drink. If there are more
animals of different kinds to be sup,
piled with water it is much better to
have more than one drinking-place. by
having several troughs the danger OF
crowding and hooking is obviated. IL
is a good plan to have all the troughs
filled with water before cattle and horses
are let out of the barn and stable in the
morning, as they generally seek to OBJ
tain a drink as soon us they are re-
leased.
A portion of the barn-yard should be
devoted to the making and storing OF
manure. During the summer the drop
pings of the cattle should be thrown on
this place every morning. BY adopting
this plan the larger portion of the yard
can be kept clean for cows to lie in.
Clean milk can not be secured without
great trouble ii COWS can not lie down
without coming in contact with their
droppings. BY insuring the rotting OF
the coarse fodder that is thrown out to
stock. but which is not eaten, n portion
of the yard should be comparatively
low, so that it will catch and hold the
liquid manure and the wash of the dung.
The hay, straw, and corn-stalks that
are rejected by cattle will absorb these
liquids and be converted into excellent
fertilizers. The manurc-hcap in the
barn-yard can receive additions from
the dwellings and the poultry-houses.
Ashes and soap-suds should be thrown
upon it instead of being deposited in
the street or near the house. If the
manure-heap becomes offensive during
the summer land plaster or ground gyp-
sum should be scattered over it every
few days. This will take up the cscap-
ing ammonia and retain it till the ma
nurc is taken to the fields, when it will
become food for plants.
SEED CORN.
1t Is about the time of year to talk
about seed corn. 1t would seem that
the matter of care i'm the selection, cur
ing, and sowing of seed corn had been
discussed so often that every man, farm
or or otherwise, would understand that
perfect plants could only be gotten from
perfectly ripencd seed. Yet it would
seem from the numbcrless accounts OF