The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-06-27
LolOly Quonset, Home From Wars,
 May Take Old Red Barn Place
BY NEA SERVICE


 Chicago, June 2T-The old red barn and the little white chicken house that have dotted American ferns in the past may become a1l- other postwar casualty.
 And the lowly Quonset hut has hastened their doom.
 War experience in handling alI-purpose steel buildings, plus experience gained by agriculture colleges and experimental farms sponsored by members of the American Iron and Steel Insti- ute, are expected to result in ex- tensive use of pre-fabricated build- ings.
 American farmers are getting ready for the biggest and most significant building program in their history. They have SIS bil- lion in savings and an annual in- come of $17 billion to spend. With lumber scarce, they may well turn to steel for materials.
 Such buildings have certain def mite advantages.
 They are more easy to construct than conventional wooden farm buildings. During the war, a two page set of instructions enabled an untrained GI to build a Quonset hut.)
 They are fireproof.
 By unbolting sections, they can be quickly altered to fit varying re- quirementS, or moved about the farm.
 ALL PURPOSE
 They are easier to inSulate.
 There seems little demand for huge hay barns of the past. It is more profitable to use baled hay which requirek sesS handling and | less storage space. Since the farm- erS' requirements change, t h c modern farmer needs a poultry house that can be converted to the use of hogs or sheep. His open air shed should be able to house grain or machinery, even cattle and sheep Acceptance of the new ideas probably will come first from the boys and girls who step from Four n clubs to farms of their own, and from agriculture school graduates who have to watch the experts try new ideas, fin& new answers that solve old problems.
 And the experts are trying any thing they think will help farming in general.
 An experimental steel pen barn has been built of interlockine panels. Wall .aections can be remov- ed to check Insulation for moisture Stalls can be rearranged for the better handling of livestock. A steel pig pen Is snaped like 8 submarine tllrret with a hinged top that lifts like the hood of an automobile to provide additional sunlight and ven- tilation, or closed tight in colder weather to provide extra interior heat.
 Tests hsVe shown that insulated hog housed average from 9 to 2e degrees warmer inside in cold weather.
 sGOTH1G" HEN HOUSE
 Tool dS1eds, dairy barns, hen houses, &ll are being built of steel. A Gothic" hen house patterned after wartime Quonsets, with ar air space between it's inner and outer walls has louvers in the gap between the walls which allow for the passage of cool air in sum- ner but can be closed to provide dead air insulation in winter.
 Along with studies of design and material for farm buildings, the researchers are trying to find the answer to some other very irn- portant farm questions.
 Can improved housing prevent half the pigs born from dying be- fore they reach the market stage? Can barn changes add one, two, or even three years to the produc- tive life of a milk COW?
 Should barns be one story or two tor more efficient working of a farm? Should everything about the farm be kept in one building, or in