The Red Cloud chief., 1889-11-22
AGRICULTURAL HINTS.
COW STABLES.
How to Build Them-Arransemen:s for
Feeding. Ventilation, Etc.

How TO Build Them-Arr7nSemencS Tor
Feeding. Ventilation, Etc.
The best adaptation Of the stable for
the feeding OF cattle is 81 important
matter as regards economy of food and
labor and the best quality of the milk.
A tight. warm stable saves food. which
Is largely expended in maintaining the
vital heat OF TIE animals, for their con.
Portable condition prevents the excess
Sive radiation OF heat from their bodies,
which either calls for more food to make
up the loss or reduces the product Of
butter. as the fat is the element mostly
affected by the cold.
The arrangements for feeding should
be made with a view 20 convenience and
q OF labor. 4 sufficiently broad pas
sage through the middle Of the building
will be found most desirable for largo
dai-ieS. For smaller ones the feed pas
sage should be on the north side, By
which the south side will De let. for the
cattle. afording space for . row Of win
dows which Will let in the sunshine.
The width depends upon the manner of
the feeding. Where il is desirabIe 20
Use . wagon for bringing II the feed for
q large herd, the passageway should be
Of sufficient width. ten feet or 50. but
this NAV be reduced TO six or seven
feet IL a light haudcar IS used. and this
viii be found in most cases better than
q wagon. With q central feeding pas
sage a feed room should be made a. one
End in a SOFT OF annex. over which the
feed may be kept in suitable bins pro-
vided for the purpose. and having spoUts
o. shoots through which the neal may
be bcough. down as it is needed.
The standing ioo- for the cows should
be seven feet wide. Two feet Of this is
taken up with the hangers and FIVE feet
for the COWS to stand upon. This partof
the toOr should have q slope Of TWO
inches in the five feet. Any more than
this. which is required for g~oOjdrainage,
would De injurious 20 the cows. as tend
Ing 20 strain the abdominal muscles and
leading 70 those Troublesome diseases
waich occur so frequently in ill-arranged
iairies. The standing floor should De of
soft wood, with the plsnks arranged
:-css-wise 10 prevent slipping. Behind
the standing floor comes the
gutter. which should be az least sixteen
inches wide and eight inches deep.
This is Indispensable to ave labor il
keeping the floor and the cows clean.
and it should be always kept half filed
with some suitable absorbent 20 retain
the liquid in such a way that the cows
tails al not drasgle in it. There are
several apparently small matters in a
stable which are important for saving
labor. and this is one Of the most neces-
sary. The gutter should have al IL
%,lination to carry the liquid TO the drain,
which is IN indispensable part OF the
arrangement needed for the saving OF
manure.
The passages for the COWS come next.
to the cutters. These should be three
feet wide 10 afford room 10. only for the
,ows 20 reach their stalls. but fox the
mixers: and this passage should be kept
.lean and we'll Uttered with some dry
absorbent. Hard wood sawdUst is excel
lent fo- this purpose.
The whole soor sho-ld rest on strong
beams, we'll supported by piers o.
posts. The flooring should be double.
and to preserve the timber a coating of
hot tae or pitch is desirable to Lag be-
tween the planks. This is laid on the
first planking so literally as 70 afford q
sufficient surplus TO I'LL the joints be-
tween the second planking, which is
pushed up after being laid down so az to
Ill the Join: with the tar and make .
watertisht fOor. This is conducive 70
healthfulness, Cor a foor soaked and sat-
1-ated between the joints with decom-
posing manure or urine is not only IN
nealthful. but the odor is absorbed BY
the milk and is retained in the butter.
The whole floor will thus appear as in
the diagram below: