The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-05-20

from walk Cor halD along the side of |
the barn, with walks between them for |
feeding. There would be two sets of |
cattle in each. They would stand fac
ing the walks and from each other.
The manure from both sets would go |
down through the same scuttle. But / |
hardly think you will build square, so
what more l may say will be in refer
ence TO the long kind. Mr.. A. II. Dor
man says-and he is considered good
authority in this vicinity-that forty
six feet is as wide as barn should be
without double purlins. If you wanted
carriage-room in the northeast corner
of your barn, you could, by putting in
truss lengthwise, take out the first
post from the end and next the floor
and use the two bents, which would
give room nearly thirty feet square.
Regarding the accommodation of horses,
cattle, sheep, etc.. it can be all arranged
in the finish. AS you called for some
thing about everything, from basement
floor to ridge, will give my idea on a
few points. The basement posts on the
side l would have two inches larger than
the stills, one way, to make shoulder for
the cross-sills to rest on the center stills
lengthwise, whole (made so by splices),
put on top the cross-sills with one
inch gain in each, the size of the stick,
which will lock them together two
inches The gains should be dovetailed
at the ends to hold the spread. This
gives whole stills both ways. Have the
bents not more than fourteen feet be-
tween joints, the girths not more than
two aud one-half feet between, on the
stable side. All the sleepers should
run lengthwise. Three by ten inch
sawed sleepers are very good for the
third or main floor, and one-inch boards,
planed on one side, laid double, DeU
nailed, make a good threshing floor;
sawed rafters, three by five inches,
pieced at the purlins; the pitch of the
roof half way between the old-fash-
toned two-thirds and square. like
this better than square pitch, as it sets
the Jet out from the wall more, and l
think it looks better. The width and
thickness of the jet should be in ac-
cordance with the size and height of the
building. The one on my cow-barn is
eight inches thick beside the shingle,
and two feet projection. If you use
sawed shingles you will need at least
one cupola for ventilation. There are
divers opinions in regard to the finish
of stable. 1 do not say mine is best,
but like it much, and will tell you how
it is arranged. / tie with stanchions.
The manger is three feet wide, with a
partition fer each COW; the raised part
where the cows stand is plank floor,
lined with inch boards. But were | to
build another, would reverse the order
and put the boards on top, and, when
they become worn and uneven, take
them up and put down new. This
floor is four feet and eight inches, one
half the length of the stable, and it
tapers from that at the centre to four
feet at the end next the door, This is
to accommodate smaller cattle. When
one ties with chains, / think this floor
should be from two to four inches
shorter for the same cattle. For the
larger cows the stanchions are three
feet and two inches apart; for the
smaller ones, about two feet and eight
inches. The drop behind the cows is
seven inches deep by twenty-one in
width, and the walk behind the cows is
only two inches higher than the drop,
which like better than to have it built
up as high as where the COWS stand, as
when made in that way they are in
clined to jump across the drop when
coming in and going out, and are liable
to injure themselves thereby. A win
dow in every bent, made to slide side
,UiSe (mine do noD; the door is on the
sue, lHICG IGtl lIOlu luc COTucT, OPEN
ing into the yard, and one on the end
the same distance from the same corner,
opening toward the house, which is
very convenient for summer use and for
ventilation. You did not say what you
intended to board the walls with. On
my largest barn | used three-fourths.
inch rough lumber, double, and on the
horse-barn one and one-fourth inch
planed and matched. think if was
to build again l would double-board
with inch, all planed on one side, and
put the rough sides together, wei
nailed with twenties II is very nice
lumber that a barn can be single
boarded with and not see light places
or even holes, through.
L. V. BROWN, Lamoille County.