Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-12-01

The distance of a sanitary COW
stable from the dwelling house is a
matter of choice, as it will not be OBJ
| jectionable to the family from any
odors coming from it. The unsanitary
COW stable should be located at a dis
lance from the dwelling house to COM
| pare with it's condition.
1 am not a believer in the under
ground nor even in a partial under
ground COW stable. If the situation is
such that a natural approach to the
second story can be secured and is de-
sired, utilize it by all means; it is not
necessary to put the building against
the ground, Cut it can be moved or
| located few feet away and the space
bridged, which Will give us one more
side to receive light from and it will
add very little to the expense of build
| ing.
In constructing the COW stable hav-
! ing first decided whether it is to be
one or more stories high, the first to
be built is the foundation, which may
be of stone or concrete depending
| largely upon the comparative cost of
the two, though the opinion is grow
ing with me that good job of con-
crete is more durable than stone, and
in many locations it costs less by quite
a percentage. Outside this foundation
wall, and a little below it, should be
put a row of tile to take all the sur
face water that would penetrate under
the foundation, and also receive the
water from the down spOuts of the
building and conduct it to proper dis
lance from the building. A persons
choice and local conditions must de-
eide what material shall be used in
the construction of the building, and
the man that is to pay the bills is
the one to know about these points
and decide. Before the foundation is
built, it of course has been decided
whether the building is to be one or
more stories high, and the foundation
planned for the load that is to be car
ried Make the foundation ample, as
it does not cost much more; piers can
be built very cheaply In 1876
built a barn 50x60 feet and put under
it, beside the outside wall, over 40
stone piers, those under the posts be-
ing thirty inches square. This barn
was built with basement story for
stock, and twenty feet above for hay
and grain, and it has stood up to it's
load so we'll that | put cement floor
on the second story after the barn was
twenty-five years old, and it is carrying
the load all right. This was done to
utilize room for COWS that was made
for hay, and was not needed for hay
after the silo had taken the place Of
the haymow.
There is barn in my neighborhood
that is about the age of the one that |
have described that is nearly ruined
from not having had a good foundation
under it, Nothing will stand without
a good foundation, it does not matter
whether it is a barn or mans char
acter.
| cell the outer walls inside the
stable with matched lumber so as to
give a dead air space as protection
against cold, and to give surface to
whitewash, which is the best way l
know of to keep the stable sweet and
light The COW stable should have suf-
ficient windows to make it as light as
a dwelling house; there is just as
much need of light in one as the other.
l use cement floors in all stables
where We milk, and should make moth
ing else if [ were to build more
stables. | use the individual stalls in
all my milking stables. These stalls
are so built that the COW has all the
freedom possible, with cleanliness, as
she is not tied by the neck, but is held
in the stall by rope or chain across
the rear, and an adjustable front by
which means she can be held lined OH
the gutter, as it is necessary for her to
be if she is to be kept clean without
an attendant. I use a continuous
cement manager which is very readily
cleaned [ do not like an individual
manager for the reason that it is very
hard to keep clean. But continuous
cement manger, with sewer connec-
tons, is very easily kept clean, and
this is a necessity if high grade work
is to be done. A dirty manger is not a
sanitary manger.
My COWS go outside for their water
most of the time, though I can water
in the cement managers when it is de-
sirable. | once came near putting in
the individual water trough, and have
been pleased that I did not do it, for
several reasons; the main one of which
is that they are not kept in
sanitary condition. Standing
water in the stable is an
excellent purifier of the atmos-
phere, but is not fit for a COW to drink
after it has purified the stable. The
COWS will drink while eating and drop
food into the water buckets where 1t
will soon ferment. A professor OF dairy
husbandry who had visited many
modern COW stables looking for Ideas
IN in q nAW harm to be