VOL. LIX.
INDIANAPOLIS, AUGUST 6, 1904.
NO 32.
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BARN CONVENIENCES.
li Payi to Attend to Uttle Things,
lst Premium.—There are many conveniences ordinarily lacking about the farmer's barn that would take but little timo
and money to place, or replace, and that
would not only save money to the farmer
but also worry and vexation. I will
name a few, as I have observed, in my experience from the log barn to the modern
basement barn, the great convenience of a
well equipped farm.
I do not care how modest or how majestic it is, a barn should be planned according to tlie size of the farm, and the
purpose that the form is to be used for.
If it is to be used as a grain farm, and
the grain sold direct from the farm, you
need more bins and granaries, and less
stable room; but if you fed your grain,
hay, fodder, etc., you need not only your
cribs and bins, but more stable room and
more mow room, and a different arrangement in their location in the bar*. If
you sell grain and hay direct without feeding, your cribs, bins and mows should be
located and arranged so as to load the
wagon with the least labor possible. But
if you feed your farm products, your bins,
cribs tand mows should be arranged so
as to be the most convenient to the feeding of your livo stock. Again, if you
are runnig a dairy farm, modify your
barn to suit the conveniences of the dairy.
And so in building a barn the purpose for
which it is to be used should be considered.
For convenience, and Saving space, and
for comfort in either winter or summer, I
would build the bank or basement barn.
Then you can have a well in the basement, or, if you have a spring on -higher
ground you can pipe water into it. Did
you ever estimate the time lost in taking
even your work team two hundred yarda
to water three times a day? I did, and
it caused me to put down a well in n__
barn yard in' a very short time. Good
walks and drives are great conveniences
about the barn.
Boiling or sliding doors are much more
convenient than the swinging door, are
less liable to get out of fix and less in
the way when open. All large door?,
whre yon yourself have got to enter occasionally, should have small doors, either
in the large door or by the side of it. Ascent to the mows or bins above should
be by stairways, instead of ladders, and
should extend to the hay carrier in the
comb, so that you can readily adjust the
carrier without loss of time to yourself
and hands. A few box stalls are very
convenient for mares before foaling, ani
afterwards, also for cows at calving tinv.
A few boxes and barrels, stowed in some
nook or corner, are handy for extra feed,
such as linseed meal. A barrel of sait
should be handy to the stable, and, wherever it is possible, have a small box in
each .tall for salt, that they may take
it at will. They never get too much th-.t
way, but they do if you put it in the Ited
trough and feed on it. Salt is a great
aid to digestion, in proper quantities, but
is a poison when the animal is compelled
to take over doses. Yonr bins and cribs
should each have tt hood on the inside • f
tho door or hole where you take opt the
feed, and you will need no shutter. It
should extend from the wall, about three
feet above the door, down within si _
inches of the lower part of the opening,
and as you take out feed it will fill up
and be ready for the next feed.    Chicken
roosts in a barn are not convenient. Keep
them out.
If you have not got a separate house
or shed 'for your farm machinery, arrange one in some part of the barn where
there will be no danger of stock getting
to them, and do not pile them up until they
are sprung or warped out of shape. All
shafts and tongues are better hung up
by the end; they will never warp. Hang
up your forks, rakes, shovels and ax
when not in use, and you will have
straight handles when you want to use
them next spring or harvest. This ap-
p'ies to all tools with wooden luandles.
You should have some miscellaneous tools,
and a place to keep them. If you have
not a special building to keep them iu,
arrange some place in the barn for a wo_k
bench with vice.       You should have saw.
Keep your eyes open and you can find
many little things that will add convenience to your barn. Arrange feed racks
and troughs so that the trough will catch
ail loose blades and they will not be
tramped umler foot. The feed bin should
be closely connected with the feed-way.
I had one barn 80 feet long with a hay
bin through the center. On one side
was a sheep house, full length, with rack
and trough, also full length. We filled
the rack direct from the mow. It save.!
the labor of throwing the hay down in
center of barn and carrying to the rac_.
The other side consisted of eight box
stalls, and tlie mangers were filled direct
from the mow. I. N. C.
Marion Co.
Premiums  of $1,  75  cents,    50    cents
Second crop Alfalfa being cut July 14, '04.    First crop  was cut four weeks before, on Alfalfa White Face Farm. Lebanon, Ind.    Photo by Frazer & Reynolds.
hatchet, planes, square, _ and brace and
bits, from a niail bit to an inch bit, in the
carpenter line. Keep a stock of bolts
and nails on hand. You can use the
wrenches and cold chisels belonging ro
your binder and other farm implements.
You want a steel punch, rivet hammer and
some hoop iron, and with a little skill and
ingenuity you can save many a trip to
the shop. I had almost forgot the paint
bucket, with its brush. It should always be at hand. You wili find all these
things of great convenience labou^t the
barn.
AVhen you find something lying about
the barn loose and that has no particula_
place, fix up a shelf in some corner, or
drive a nail, and put it there, and insist
that it be kept there when not in use.
When a nail draws out, or a screw go+s
loose, give the screw a turn with the screw
driver and the nail a tap with the hummer. There should not be a foot under
the roof of your barn that it not utilized.
Make a double slide to tlie windows in the
stable and put in one sash filled with wire
the other with glass or boards; I prefer
boards, so that I can shut out the light, or
a dark ourttin over the glass that can fc_
slid to one side, for darkness is the best
protection from flies.
Of course you have some place to ha._;
your harness. Do not crowd thm on a
twenty penny nail, with collar and bridle
on top of them, all cramped up. Fix
a pole, so you oan hang them at full
length. Keep your stable clean enough
so that you can go in after your horse
with your Sunday shoes on, and keep thj>
webs brushed down from overhead, so that
Ihey will not catch on your Sunday hat.
are given for the first, second and third
best articles for the Experience Department each week. Manuscript should be
sent direct to the Indiana Farmer Company and should reach us one week before date of publication.
No. 440, Aug. 13.—What farm crop is
surest to produce a  profit, and  why?
No. 441, Aug. 20.—How do you produce
"marbled" pork? How do you cure the
joints and  sides?
No. 442, Aug. 27.—Give experience in
removing stumps. What is the best
way?
No. 443, Sept. 3.—Discuss the value of
bees, aside from honey making. How
keep your bees over winter.
No. 444, Sept. 10—Tell how the Stato
fair benefits the farmer.
Col.  J.   F.   Berry,     Union    .Stock
Yards, Chicago.
(2)    Evils    of    Promiscuous    Breeding,
Prof. J.  II.  Skinner,  Purdue University.
1:30 p. m.
Llogs;
(1) Breeding and Management, Prof.
Skinner.
(2) Feeding and Marketing, H. B.
Flesher, West Lebanon.
(3) Informal discussion and other allied
topics.
7:30 p. m.
Opportunities for trained Young Men and
Women in Agriculture:
(1) Need of Special Training for Agricultural Pursuits, Alexander Johi:-
son, Fort Wayne.
(2) What the Agricultural Colleges aro
doing to Supply this Need, Prof.
II. E. Van Norman, Purdue University.
(S.Opportiinitics in Agriculture for
Those who are Thoroughly Trained, Mrs. Virginia C. Meredith,
Cambridge  City.
0:30 a. m., Aug. 13th.
Beef  Cattle:
(1) Home-grown or Western Calves for
Feeding, Frank Cotton, Manilla;
D.  C.  Buell,  Rushville.
(2) Baby Beef, Prof. R. S. Shaw, Ag
ricultural College, Mich.
(3) The Jlost Profitable Farmer's Coir
for Beof Production, Mrs. Meredith.
1:30 p. m.
Beef Production:
(l)Silage in Beef Making, T. S. Nugen
Ijewisville.
(2) Forage for Beef Cattle, W. B. Anderson,  Velpen.
(3) Cattle Feeding, Prof. Shaw.
If time will permit, the following additional topics will receive consideration:
"Feeding Cattle for Export Trade;'*
"Feeding Cattle with and without Hogs
following;" "Cettle as a Means of Utilizing Roughage and Conserving Soil Fertility;'"  "The Paved  Feed  Lot."
The Buildings Were Not Rodded.
Editors Indiana Fanner:
The    residence on the    David    Gibs. _
farm,  sight miles west, of Bouilin, was
burned by lightning last week.      No rods.
B.  W. Parks.
District Stockman's Institute.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
Lafayette, Ind., July 30, 1004.
Dear Sir:—Will you kindly publish, for
lhe benefit of your readers who may be
interested, the outline program given below, and announce that special rates over
the several railway lines which center at
Rushville will be requested for the occasion.
Wo desire to make this meeting one of
great benefit to the stockmen of your section, and I will appreciate your kindly
co-operation to that end. Very truly
yours, W. C. Latta,
Supt. Farmers' Insts.
District   Stockman's   Institute,   Rushville,
Ind., Aug. 12-13, 1904.
Outline Program, 9:30 a.  m., Aug. 12th.
Horses:
(1)    Demands  of  the    Horse    Market,
Editors Indiana Farmer:
The bnrn belonging to Miller Bymaster,
three miles northwest from Roachdale,
was struck by lightning on the 2Sth ult..
ard burned to tlie ground with its contents excepting tlie family carriage and
buggy which were pulled out when the
baru was flailing in. This is the second
barn that has been struck by lightning
and burned in the same place. Neither
of the barns that were burned had rods.
Mi-. Bymaster and neighbors believe that
rods would have saved the barns. Prof.
L. It. Smith is in the neighborhood now
erecting rods on houses and barns, and
we all thiuk if we farmors would take
tho advise of the Indiana Farmer and
wire our buildings we would not have
any more barns biurned b.v lightning. The
Christian church in Roachdale was also
struck and badly damaged by lightning.
No lods. G. II. Wilson.
—Thanks for this testimony. We have
not a particle of interest in the rod business, but we do want tlie truth about
the value of rodding; and we are getting
il.
Two men nre attempting tu cross Australia on bicycles.