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principal yards. Over these, and forming a continuation of the upper floor of the barn, are the granary, 20 feet by 11 feet, and the corn-loft for horses. The latter may be fitted with hopper and shute into the corn-bin below. Access to this floor is obtained at one end by a staircase in the barn, at the other by steps and landing outside the hay-house, where a crane may be fixed. We think this arrangement will be found to be convenient and economical of labour.

Feeding-Houses and Yards. The number of cattle fattened on a farm of 300 acres will depend on the mode of cultivation pursued and the quality of roots grown. In the plans submitted, there is accommodation for 46 bullocks. The stalls are eight feet wide; in each of which two bullocks may be tied. This plan has been found to answer well, and takes up less space than a six-feet stall appropriated to each. The divisions between the stalls extend only three feet from the crib; this is sufficient to keep the heads of the animals apart, and perhaps allows them more room to lie. A passage three feet wide in front of the cribs, the same at the foot of the stalls, and a crib three feet wide, will allow seven feet for the length of the stalls. If desired, by sinking the bottom of the stalls a few inches below the surface, most of the advantages of the box system may be obtained without the expense necessary to carry it out to its full extent,

Besides the accommodation for the fatting beasts, there is shed and yard room for from thirty to forty young cattle. There is also housing for four cows, with a calf-pen. Probably this is more than would be required on an arable farm, but the buildings could readily be converted to other purposes.

We have provided pig-styes, of course; and also a smaller yard, with a shed divided off into eight-feet spaces for pigs. This will not be found too much room in most cases; but, if few only of these animals are kept, the yard will be valuable for yearling cattle, or perhaps more so for sheep. The practice of wintering these latter under cover, appears to be yearly increasing, and probably at no distant date a sheep-yard will be considered an essential part of a first-class homestead.

These sheds, however, should, if possible, be placed to face the south.

Stabling for ten farm-horses, two loose boxes, and a two-stalled nag-stable with a gig-house are provided. The stables are all lighted and ventilated by windows in front, and should have airbricks built in at the head of each stall. Thus, the roof space not being filled up with a loft or tallet, the ventilation would be very good. The kind of fittings proposed will be seen from the detailed drawings and specification. It will be sufficient to say, that, while strong and neat, all unnecessary expense in mere ornament has been carefully avoided.

* This plan has been adopted by Mr. Joseph Gould, and several other farmers in this neighbourhood, for many years.-ED.

It has not been considered necessary to provide a harness-room; as the space at the back of the stable is unbroken by windows, there will be ample room for the purpose there.

The arrangement adopted will not allow of the implementshed being within the yard, without a considerable and unnecessary extension of it. It is therefore placed near the farm entrance of the yard. It would be merely an open shed to lean against one of the feeding-houses, and resting on pillars in front. The closing in of such a shed with doors, &c., as it is merely a shelter for the rougher implements, would be an unnecessary expense.

A steaming-house and smith's-shop, with carpenter's-shop, and a house for artificial manures are provided, as each seems requisite to carry out a good system of farming on the scale proposed, and, in cases where one or other of them is not required, there are many other purposes for which the room would be desirable.

A manure-pit near one of the entrances to the yard, and a covered tank adjoining, with which the various yards are connected by trapped drains, a fowl-house, privy, and offices, are matters of minor importance, but each tending to the perfection of the whole.

The temperature of the fattening-houses is regulated, and ventilation secured, by sliding shutters in front and an arrangement of the crease, which is simple, inexpensive, and has been found to be effectual.

It is of importance that all the buildings should be spouted, to carry off the water that would otherwise fall into, and wash away, the best constituents of the manure, as well as to keep the foundations of the building dry. A well-placed gutter will

answer.

A cider-house, with apple-loft and cellar, placed adjoining the barn, that the power may be available for the mill, is added as generally necessary for farms in the West of England.

The arrangement of the homesteads as we have proposed, readily allows of expansion or contraction, according to the size and circumstances of any particular farm.

Thus one or more additional yards, with fattening houses and sheds for young cattle, may be added on adjoining to the yard No. 1, and the additional length thus gained would give room for a proportionate lengthening of the stables and other buildings in that row, for a harness-room, which might then be requisite, and one or more additional pig or sheep yards. The implement shed might also be included within the yard-walls.

If a homestead for a smaller farm were required, the centre

yard, No. 2, might be omitted, and the stabling, &c., reduced in proportion.

The expense of erecting a homestead, in accordance with the foregoing plan and the specification which follows, would be about 18001.

This estimate does not include the cost of the pipes and taps for the water supply, of the stackyard fence, of staddles, of power of any description, or of any preparations for fixing the same, or of a chimney-shaft for a steam engine.

All fittings, such as cider-mill and press, weighbridge, &c., are also omitted.

The total amount exceeds the limit imposed in the conditions ; but, according to the prices ruling in the district for which the estimate is made out, the work could not fairly be done for less.

The cost might be reduced by omitting certain portions of the design. In each particular case the farmer would be able to judge how much, or what part, he could leave out with the least inconvenience.

For instance, the cider-house might be dispensed with on many farms, which would take 130l. from the cost. The nagstable and gig-house might not be deemed essential by every farmer; or, if fewer young cattle were kept, the range of buildings, including the cow and calves'-house, might be omitted, and one or more of the shelter-sheds converted to the same purpose; or these latter, and also the yard and shedding intended for pigs, might be dispensed with altogether. Again, if the chaff-room were not required, a reduction in a somewhat expensive range of buildings would be effected.

The cost of the different buildings, at per foot run and at per 1000* cubic feet of contents, would be as under :

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Annexed are the prices on which the estimate is based, and which are paid in a district of West Gloucestershire, about 12 miles north of Bristol (all delivered) :

* The authors' estimate, given per 100 feet, has been multiplied by 10, to bring it to a cube of 10 feet each way. It is presumed that the authors reckon the total cost, and merely omit the cubical contents of the roof from the number of cubic feet by which that cost is to be divided.-ED.

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Labour: Masons, carpenters, and most tradesmen, 4s. per day

Labourers

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2s. 6d. ditto.

The expense of the pipes and taps necessary for a watersupply, as shown in the drawings, will be about 251.

SPECIFICATION of the sundry Works required in the Erection of a set of Farm-Buildings in accordance with the design of Mr. J. Y. STURGE, of Thornbury, near Bristol, and Mr. T. W. P. ISAAC, 13, Northgate-street, Bath.

Excavator. Dig all trenches of the required dimensions, tanks and other earthwork necessary, ram to the walls as the work proceeds, level the surface of yards and unpaved floors, and remove to a convenient distance all superfluous earth or rubbish.

Mason. The walls to be carried up with native stone, in the positions and of the various thicknesses and heights shown on drawings, in random courses, with mortar composed of fresh-burnt stone-lime and ashes. Through-stones in every 2 feet 8 inches superficial, the whole well bonded together, and the courses flushed up with grout. The footings of the one-story walls to be 22 inches thick, two-story 26 inches, laid upon large flat stones (those to engine-flue, and piers, to be solidly built and grouted 6 inches larger each way, and the brickwork commenced on flat stones).* All wood story-posts, or supports to roof-timbers, as also the iron standards to the stable partitions, to rest upon a stone slab not less than 6 inches thick, fixed firm and level upon the footings, roughly axed and levelled, and sunk to receive the footpost. Two and a half-inch coping to the walls of the yards, projecting 2 inches. A liquid manure-tank to be formed, in the position shown on plan, with brick, the top to be arched 4 inches, in cement, and the inner half brick of sides also in cement, with an 18-inch manhole with cover and ring. Fix 6-inch air-brick 3 inches above the floor in each stall. Pave the office, steaming-house, gig-house, stables, carpenter's and smith's shops, with hard common bricks flat in mortar. Lay 3-inch drain-pipe from the yards to the tank. Provide and fix blocks of stone 9 inches square by 6 inches deep, properly morticed, to receive posts of stable-stalls. Provide and fix stone blocks 12 inches square by 4 inches deep, properly cut out to receive grates and stench-traps. Provide and set in mortar flags to form turnip-cribs in beast-houses and beast-sheds where directed; also for floors of cider-house and cellar, chaff-room, hay and straw barn. All external walls to be neatly pointed with dark mortar; pitch the sheds with hard stone well grouted, laying pipes with trap to manure tank, as required. Form steps in Pennant or other hard stone to corn-loft and apple-loft, with 1 foot heads and 6-inch risers; slate troughs holding 100 gallons each, in the positions marked in plan.

* This only to be inserted, if steam-power is employed.

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