People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 August 1893 — AGRICULTURAL HINTS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

AGRICULTURAL HINTS.

CONVENIENT BARN. Excellently Adapted for the Keeping of Sheep end Dairy Cows. In the accompanying illustrations are given the elevation and the interior arrangement of a farm barn that probably gives the most room for the money of any that could be devised. Its square construction and flat roofs permit all the hay and fodder to be placed above the first floor, thus leaving this entire floor free for the quartering of stock, while the cellar below can be utilized for the storing of roots, which should form no inconsiderable part of the feed consumed by the stock, and for the storage of the manare, the root cellar being, of course,

separated from the manure pit by a tight wall. A perspective view of the barn is shown in Fig. 1. Such a barn is excellently adapted for the keeping of sheep, three sides of it being devoted to the pens for these, while the feeding of all the sheep can be done from the main floor; or, it can be very well made to serve the purpose of a dairy barn, with a silo in one corner, extending from a cemented floor in the cellar to the hay and fodder floor. When arranged for sheep, the pen can be advantageously arranged, as shown in Fig. 2, each pen having communication with the neighboring pen, and also with the feeding floor. An inside feeding rack may be used, into which hay and other fodder can be pitched directly from the feeding floor, and this, in some respects, is the best plan to pursue, for it permits a tight

board fence between the feeding floor and the pens, to a height of three feet or so, thus keeping the lambs from coming through from the pens to the feeding floor and soiling the floor and hay. But if the flocks are fed directly from this floor, let a perpendicular opening be provided for each sheep to feed through, rather than the long horizontal opening provided by the removal of one board from the partition, which is so commonly seen, but which necessitates the wearing off of all the wool above the sheeps’ necks, to the loss of the wool and to the sheeps’ manifest disfigurement. These upright openings can be made by removing at least two boards from the partition, and using slats, or rounds just far enough apart to admit a sheep's head and neck with the greatest comfort. If the barn is to be used for dairy purposes, an interior arrangement, such as is seen in Fig. 8, will be found convenient. In either case hay and fodder is placed in the second story by driving the hay carts into the central feeding floor and raising their contents through a central “well,” or large opening in the center of the second story floor by means of a hay fork, this well being properly protected by a tight wall around it four feet or more in height. To make it impossible for children to fall through such an opening, even though protected by a high wall, the opening may be covered, when not in use, by a hinged grating.—D. Worcester, in Agriculturist.

LIVE STOCK NOTES. W hen a sheep dies it leaves enough to pay its debts. See that the horse collars are kept soft and free from dirt or sore shoulders will be sure to result. Keep lambs growing well during the first year by giving them the choicest pasture with some grain. Give the work horses plenty of grain food with enough protein or muscle forming food to keep them in condition. Give calves milk which has been brought to blood heat. Cold milk, sour milk and too large quantities of it at a time are some of the fruitful causes of scours. If possible give the bull the range of a good sized pasture. If this is impractical, at least build a large paddock for him to exercise in and supply him with succulent food.—Orange Judd Farmer. Success in the Dairy. Many native cows are really excellent dairy cows. If they were bred to a good bull, who has come from a family known to be great milkers, their calves would be valuable and well worth raising for the dairy. This is the whole secret of success in the dairy. Breed to animals whose records are known and do not take service from any scrub animal. The progeny of a scrub cow may be improved each generation and a good herd of dairy cattle formed if care be given to the record of the male, but a scrub bull can never do any good, either in making a .ierd or improving one. Bear this fact continually in mind, a scrub bull is fit only for the butcher.— N. E. Homestead. U»e of the Harrow. When wheat is to follow corn, potatoes or beans the breaking plow may often be dispensed with provided the soil is in good condition. A disk harrow will cut from four to six inches deep and make a fine, loose soil, which may be easily compacted by the roller. This will reduce the cost of preparation very materially an! sometimes save many valuable days.

FIe. 1-PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF BARN.

FIG. 2.—FLOORPLAN FIG. 3.— FLOORPLAN FOR SHEEP BARN. FOR DAIRY BARN.