Rural Architecture

L >> Lewis Falley Allen >> Rural Architecture

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"Hutches are made singly, or in stacks, to suit the apartment, which
should be capable of thorough ventilation. The best size is about
three feet long, two feet deep, and fourteen inches high, with a
small apartment partitioned off from one end, nearly a foot wide,
as a breeding place for the doe. A wire door forms the front, and an
opening is left behind for cleaning; the floor should have a descent
to the back of the hutch of two inches. All edges should be tinned,
to save them from being gnawed.

"Having now given the leading characteristics and qualities which
constitute a good 'fancy lop-eared rabbit,' and its general
management, allow me to remark on the striking difference observable
between Americans and the people of many other countries, as to a
fondness for animals, or what are termed 'fancy pets,' of and for
which we, as a people, know and care very little. Indeed, we
scarcely admit more than a selfish fellowship with the dog, and but
too seldom does our attachment even for this faithful companion,
place him beyond the reach of the _omnipotent dollar_.

"The operatives, mechanics, and laborers, in other countries, seem
to have a perfect passion for such pursuits, and take the greatest
interest and pride in breeding and perfecting the lesser animals,
though often obliged to toil for the very food they feed to them.
Here, too, home influences are perceived to be good, and are
encouraged by the employer, as supplying the place of other and much
more questionable pursuits and tastes."

We here present the elevation, and floor plan of Mr. Rodman's rabbitry,
together with the front and rear views of the hutches within them:

[Illustration: ELEVATION. MAIN FLOOR PLAN.]

No. 1 is the gable end elevation of the building, with a door and
window.

No. 2 is the main-floor plan, or living room for the rabbits.

EXPLANATION.

A, the doe's hutches, with nest boxes attached. B, hutches three feet
long, with movable partitions for the young rabbits; the two lower
hutches are used for the stock bucks. C, a tier of grain boxes on the
floor for feeding the rabbits--the covers sloping out toward the room.
D, small trapdoor, leading into the manure cellar beneath. E, large
trapdoor leading into root cellar. F, troughs for leading off urine from
rear of hutches into the manure cellar at K, K. G, wooden trunk leading
from chamber above No. 3, through this into manure cellar. H, trap
opening into manure cellar. I, stairs leading into loft No. 3, with
hinged trapdoor overhead; when open, it will turn up against the wall,
and leave a passage to clear out the hutches.

NOTE.--The grain boxes are one foot high in front, and fifteen inches at
the back, with sloping bottoms, and sloping covers. The floors of the
hutches have a slope of two inches back. The hutches are furnished, at
the back of the floor, with pieces of zinc, to keep them free from the
drippings from above. The hutches are 16 inches high, 3 feet long, and 2
feet deep.

The foregoing plans and explanations might perhaps be sufficient for the
guidance of such as wish to construct a rabbitry for their own use; but
as a complete arrangement of all the rooms which may be conveniently
appropriated to this object, to make it a complete thing, may be
acceptable to the reader, we conclude, even at the risk of prolixity,
to insert the upper loft, and cellar apartments, with which we have been
furnished; hoping that our youthful friends will set themselves about
the construction of a branch of rural employment so home-attaching in
its associations.

[Illustration: LOFT OR GARRET.]

No. 3 is the loft or chamber story, next above the main floor.

EXPLANATION.

A, place for storing hay. B, stairs leading from below. C, room for
young rabbits. D, trapdoor into trunk leading to manure cellar.
E, partition four feet high. This allows of ventilation between the two
windows, in summer, which would be cut off, were the partition carried
all the way up.

[Illustration: CELLAR.]

No. 4 is the cellar under the rabbitry.

EXPLANATION.

A, manure cellar. B, root cellar. C, stairs leading to first, or main
floor. D, stairs leading outside. E, window--lighting both rooms of
cellar.

No. 5 is a front section of rabbit hutches, eight in number, two in a
line, four tiers high, one above another, with wire-screened doors,
hinges, and buttons for fastening. A, the grain trough, is at the
bottom.

No. 6 is the floor section of the hutches, falling, as before mentioned,
two inches from front to rear.

[Illustration: FRONT OF HUTCH. REAR OF HUTCH.]

A, is the door to lift up, for cleaning out the floors. B, is the zinc
plate, to carry off the urine and _running_ wash of the floors. C, is
the trough for carrying off this offal into the manure cellars, through
the trunk, as seen in No. 2.

No. 7 is a rear section of hutches, same as in No. 5, with the waste
trough at the bottom leading into the trench before described, with the
cross section, No. 8, before described in No. 6.

A, a grated door at the back of the hutch, for ventilation in summer,
and covered with a thin board in winter. B, a flap-door, four inches
wide, which is raised for cleaning out the floor; under this door is a
space of one inch, for passing out the urine of the rabbits. C, are
buttons for fastening the doors. D, the backs of the bedrooms, without
any passage out on back side.

This matter of the rabbitry, and its various explanations, may be
considered by the plain, matter-of-fact man, as below the dignity of
people pursuing the _useful_ and _money-making_ business of life. Very
possible. But many boys--for whose benefit they are chiefly
introduced--and _men_, even, may do worse than to spend their time in
such apparent trifles. It is better than going to a horse-race. It is
better even than going to a trotting match, where _fast men_, as well as
_fast_ horses congregate. It is better, too, than a thousand other
places where boys _want_ to go, when they have nothing to interest them
at home.

One half of the farmer's boys, who, discontented at home, leave it for
something more congenial to their feelings and tastes, do so simply
because of the excessive dullness, and want of interest in objects to
attract them there, and keep them contented. Boys, in America at least,
are apt to be _smart_. So their parents think, at all events; and too
smart they prove, to stay at home, and follow the beaten track of their
fathers, as their continual migration from the paternal roof too plainly
testifies. This, in many cases, is the fault of the parents themselves,
because they neglect those little objects of interest to which the minds
and tastes of their sons are inclined, and for want of which they
_imagine_ more attractive objects abroad, although in the search they
often fail in finding them. We are a progressive people. Our children
are not always content to be what their fathers are; and parents must
yield a little to "the spirit of the age" in which they live. And boys
_pay_ too, as they go along, if properly treated. They should be made
companions, not servants. Many a joyous, hearty spirit, who, when
properly encouraged, comes out a whole man at one-and-twenty, if kept in
curb, and harnessed down by a hard parent, leaves the homestead, with a
curse and a kick, determined, whether in weal or in woe, never to
return. Under a different course of treatment, he would have fixed his
home either at his birthplace, or in its immediate vicinity, and in a
life of frugality, usefulness, and comparative ease, blessed his
parents, his neighborhood, and possibly the world, with a useful
example--all, perhaps, grown out of his youthful indulgence in the
possession of a rabbit-warren, or some like trifling matter.

This may appear to be small morals, as well as small business. We admit
it. But those who have been well, and indulgently, as well as
methodically trained, may look back and see the influence which all such
little things had upon their early thoughts and inclinations; and thus
realize the importance of providing for the amusements and pleasures of
children in their early years. The dovecote, the rabbitry, the
poultry-yard, the sheep-fold, the calf-pen, the piggery, the young colt
of a favorite mare, the yoke of yearling steers, or a fruit tree which
they have planted, and nursed, and called it, or the fruit it bears,
_their own_,--anything, in fact, which they can call _theirs_--are so
many objects to bind boys to their homes, and hallow it with a thousand
nameless blessings and associations, known only to those who have been
its recipients. Heaven's blessings be on the family homestead!

"Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home!"

sung the imaginary maid of Milan, the beautiful creation of John Howard
Payne, when returning from the glare and pomp of the world, to her
native cottage in the mountains of Switzerland. And, although all out of
date, and conventionally vulgar this sentiment may be _now_ considered,
such is, or should be the subdued, unsophisticated feeling of all
natives of the farm house, and the country cottage. We may leave the
quiet roof of our childhood; we may mix in the bustling contentions of
the open world; we may gain its treasures; we may enjoy its greatness,
its honors, and its applause; but there are times when they will all
fade into nothing, in comparison with the peace, and quietude, and
tranquil happiness of a few acres of land, a comfortable roof, and
contentment therewith!

DAIRY BUILDINGS.

Wherever the dairy is made an important branch of farm production,
buildings for its distinct accommodation are indispensable. The dairy is
as much a _manufactory_ as a cotton mill, and requires as much
conveniences in its own peculiar line. We therefore set apart a
building, on purpose for its objects; and either for cheese, or butter,
separate conveniences are alike required. We commence with the

[Illustration: CHEESE DAIRY HOUSE.]

CHEESE DAIRY HOUSE.

This building is one and a half stories high, with a broad, spreading
roof of 45deg pitch; the ground plan is 10 feet between joists, and the
posts 16 feet high. An ice-house, made on the plan already described, is
at one end, and a wood-shed at the opposite end, of the same size. This
building is supposed to be erected near the milking sheds of the farm,
and in contiguity to the feeding troughs of the cows, or the piggery,
and adapted to the convenience of feeding the whey to whichever of these
animals the dairyman may select, as both, or either are required to
consume it; and to which it may be conveyed in spouts from the
dairy-room.

INTERIOR ARRANGEMENT.

The front door is protected by a light porch, (_a_,) entering by a door,
(_b_,) the main dairy room. The cheese presses, (_c_, _c_,) occupy the
left end of the room, between which a passage leads through a door,
(_l_,) into the wood-shed, (_h_,) open on all sides, with its roof
resting on four posts set in the ground. The large cheese-table, (_d_,)
stands on the opposite end, and is 3 feet wide. In the center of the
room is a chimney, (_e_,) with a whey and water boiler, and vats on each
side. A flight of stairs, (_f_,) leading into the storage room above,
is in the rear. A door, (_b_,) on the extreme right, leads into the
ice-house, (_g_.) There are four windows to the room--two on each side,
front and rear. In the loft are placed the shelves for storing the
cheese, as soon as sufficiently prepared on the temporary table below.
This loft is thoroughly ventilated by windows, and the heat of the sun
upon it ripens the cheese rapidly for market. A trapdoor, through the
floors, over which is hung a tackle, admits the cheese from below, or
passes it down, when prepared for market.

The cheese house should, if possible, be placed on a sloping bank, when
it is designed to feed the whey to pigs; and even when it is fed to
cows, it is more convenient to pass it to them on a lower level, than to
carry it out in buckets. It may, however, if on level ground, be
discharged into vats, in a cellar below, and pumped out as wanted.
A cellar is convenient--indeed, almost indispensable--under the cheese
dairy; and water should be so near as to be easily pumped, or drawn,
into the vats and kettles used in running up the curd, or for washing
the utensils used in the work. When the milk is kept over night, for the
next morning's curd, temporary tables may be placed near the ice-room,
to hold the pans or tubs in which it may be set, and the ice used to
temper the milk to the proper degree for raising the cream. If the dairy
be of such extent as to require larger accommodation than the plan here
suggested, a room or two may be partitioned off from the main milk and
pressing-room, for washing the vessels and other articles employed, and
for setting the milk. Every facility should be made for neatness in all
the operations connected with the work.

Different accommodations are required, for making the different kinds of
cheese which our varied markets demand, and in the fitting up of the
dairy-house, no _positive_ plan of arrangement can be laid down, suited
alike to all the work which may be demanded. The dairyman, therefore,
will best arrange all these for the particular convenience which he
requires. The main plan, and style of building however, we think will be
generally approved, as being in an agreeable architectural style, and of
convenient construction and shape for the objects intended.

THE BUTTER DAIRY.

This, if pursued on the same farm with the cheese dairy, and at
different seasons of the year, may be carried on in the lower parts of
the same building. But as it is usually a distinct branch of business,
when prosecuted as the chief object on a farm, it should have
accommodations of its own kind, which should be fitted up specially for
that purpose.

We cannot, perhaps, suggest a better model of a building for the butter
dairy, than the one just submitted for the cheese-house, only that there
is no necessity for the upper story; and the posts of the main building
should not stand more than nine feet above the sills. A good, walled
cellar, well lighted, as a room for setting the milk, is indispensable,
with a broad, open flight of steps, from the main floor above, into it.
Here, too, should stand the stone slabs, where the butter is worked, and
the churns, to be driven by hand, or water, or animal power, as the two
latter may be provided, and introduced into the building by belt, shaft,
or crank. If running water can be brought on to the milk-shelves, from
a higher level, which, for this purpose, should have curbs two or three
inches high on their sides, it can flow in a constant gentle current
over them, among the pans, from a receiving vat, in which ice is
deposited, to keep the milk at the proper temperature--about 55deg
Fahrenheit--for raising the cream; and if the quantity of milk be large,
the shelves can be so arranged, by placing each tier of shelf lower than
the last, like steps, that the water may pass among them all before it
escapes from the room. Such a mode of applying water and ice, renders
the entire process of cream-rising almost certain in all weathers, and
is highly approved wherever it has been practiced. The low temperature
of the room, by the aid of water and ice, is also beneficial to the
butter packed in kegs, keeping it cool and sweet--as much like a
spring-house as possible, in its operation.

The washing and drying of pans, buckets, churns, and the heating of
water, should all be done in the room above, where the necessary kettles
are set, and kept from contact with the cool atmosphere of the lower
room. The latter apartment should have a well-laid stone or brick floor,
filled and covered with a strong cement of water lime, and sloping
gradually to the outer side, where all the water may pass off by a
drain, and everything kept sweet and clean. The buttermilk may, as in
the case of the whey, in the cheese dairy, be passed off in spouts to
the pigsty, which should not be far distant.

As all this process of arrangement, however, must conform somewhat to
the shape of the ground, the locality, and the facilities at hand where
it may be constructed; it is hardly possible to give any one system of
detail which is applicable to an uniform mode of structure; and much
will be left to the demands and the skill of the dairyman himself, in
the plan he may finally adopt.

THE WATER RAM.

As water, and that of a good quality, and in abundant quantity, is
indispensable to the various demands of the farm, it is worth some pains
to provide it in the most economical manner, and at the most convenient
points for use. In level grounds, wells are generally dug, and the water
drawn up by buckets or pumps. In a hilly country, springs, and streams
from higher grounds, may be brought in by the aid of pipes, the water
flowing naturally, under its own head, wherever it may be wanted, away
from its natural stream.

[Illustration: WATER RAM.]

But, of all contrivances to elevate water from a _lower_ fountain, or
current, to a _higher_ level, by its _own action_, the Water Ram is the
most complete in its operation, and perfect in its construction, of
anything within our knowledge. And as it may not be generally known to
our readers, at our request, Messrs. A. B. ALLEN & CO., of New York--who
keep them of all sizes for sale, at their agricultural warehouse, No's.
189 and 191, Water-street--have kindly furnished us with the following
description of the machine, given by W. & B. Douglass, of Middletown,
Connecticut, manufacturers of the article:

"H, spring or brook. C, drive, or supply-pipe, from brook to ram.
G, discharge pipe, conveying water to house or other point required
for use. B, D, A, E, I, the Ram. J, the plank or other foundation to
which the machine is secured for use.

"The various uses of the ram are at once obvious, viz., for the
purposes of irrigating lands, and supplying dwellings, barnyards,
gardens, factories, villages, engines, railroad stations, &c., with
running water.

"The simplicity of the operation of this machine, together with its
effectiveness, and very apparent durability, renders it decidedly
the most important and valuable apparatus yet developed in
hydraulics, for forcing a portion of a running stream of water to
any elevation, proportionate to the fall obtained. It is perfectly
applicable where no more than eighteen inches fall can be had; yet,
the greater the fall applied, the more powerful the operation of the
machine, and the higher the water may be conveyed. The relative
proportions between the water raised, and wasted, is dependent
entirely upon the relative height of the spring or source of supply
above the ram, and the elevation to which it is required to be
raised. The quantity raised varying in proportion to the height to
which it is conveyed, with a given fall; also, the distance which
the water has to be conveyed, and consequent length of pipe, has
some bearing on the quantity of water raised and discharged by the
ram; as, the longer the pipe through which the water has to be
forced by the machine, the greater the friction to be overcome, and
the more the power consumed in the operation; yet, it is common to
apply the ram for conveying the water distances of one and two
hundred rods, and up elevations of one and two hundred feet. Ten
feet fall from the spring, or brook, to the ram, is abundantly
sufficient for forcing up the water to any elevation under say one
hundred and fifty feet in height, above the level of the point where
the ram is located; and the same ten feet fall will raise the water
to a much higher point than above last named, although in a
_diminished_ quantity, in proportion as the height is increased.
When a sufficient quantity of water is raised with a given fall,
it is not advisable to increase said fall, as in so doing the force
with which the ram works is increased, and the amount of labor which
it has to perform greatly augmented, the wear and tear of the
machine proportionably increased, and the durability of the same
lessened; so that economy, in the expense of keeping the ram in
repair, would dictate that no greater fall should be applied, for
propelling the ram, than is sufficient to raise a requisite supply
of water to the place of use. To enable any person to make the
calculation, as to what fall would be sufficient to apply to the
ram, to raise a sufficient supply of water to his premises, we would
say, that in conveying it any ordinary distance, of say fifty or
sixty rods, it may be safely calculated that about one-seventh part
of the water can be raised and discharged at an elevation above the
ram five times as high as the fall which is applied to the ram, or
one-fourteenth part can be raised and discharged, say ten times as
high as the fall applied; and so in that proportion, as the fall or
rise is varied. Thus, if the ram be placed under a head or fall of
five feet, of every seven gallons drawn from the spring, one may be
raised twenty-five feet, or half a gallon fifty feet. Or with ten
feet fall applied to the machine, of every fourteen gallons drawn
from the spring, one gallon may be raised to the height of one
hundred feet above the machine; and so in like proportion, as the
fall or rise is increased or diminished.

"It is presumed that the above illustrations of what the machine
will do under certain heads and rise, will be sufficient for all
practical purposes, to enable purchasers of the article to
determine, with a sufficient degree of nicety, as to the head or
fall to apply to the ram for a given rise and distance, which they
may wish to overcome in raising water from springs or brooks to
their premises, or other places where water is required. Yet, we
have the pleasure of copying the following article, which we find in
the 'American Agriculturist,' a very valuable journal published by
C. M. Saxton, 152 Fulton-street, New York, which may serve to
corroborate our statements as to what our ram will accomplish under
given circumstances:

"'The following is a correct statement of a water ram I have had in
successful operation for the last six months:

"'1. The fall from the surface of the water in the spring is four
feet. 2. The quantity of water delivered per ten minutes, at my
house, is three and a quarter gallons, and that discharged at the
ram twenty-five gallons. Thus, nearly one-seventh part of the water
is saved. 3. The perpendicular height of the place of delivery above
the ram is nineteen feet--say fifteen feet above the surface of the
spring. 4. The length of the pipe leading from the ram to the house
is one hundred and ninety feet. 5. The pipe leading from the ram to
the house has three right angles, rounded by curves. 6. The ram is
of Douglass' make, of a small size. 7. The length of the drive or
supply-pipe is sixty feet. Its inner diameter one inch. 8. The depth
of water in the spring, over the drive pipe, is six inches. 9. The
inner diameter of the pipe, conducting the water from the ram to the
house, is three-eighths of an inch.

"'I consider it very essential that the drive or supply-pipe should
be laid as straight as possible, as in the motion of the water in
this pipe consists the power of the ram.

V. H. HALLOCK.

North-East Center, N.Y., April 2d, 1849.'"

We have seen several of these rams at work; and in any place where the
required amount of fall can be had, with sufficient water to supply the
demand, we are entirely satisfied that no plan so cheap and efficient
can be adopted, by which to throw it to a higher level, and at a
distance from the point of its flow. We heartily commend it to all who
need a thing of the kind, and have at hand the facilities in the way of
a stream for its use.

It is hardly worth while to add, that by the aid of the ram, water can
be thrown into every room in the dwelling house, as well as into the
various buildings, and yards, and fields of the farm, wherever it may be
required.

RAT-PROOF GRANARY.

This plan, and description, we take from an agricultural periodical
published in New York--"The Plow." We can recommend no plan of a better
kind for the objects required. It is an old-fashioned structure, which
many of our readers will recognize--only, that it is improved in some of
its details.

[Illustration: GRANARY]

The illustration above needs but little description. The posts should be
stone, if procurable, one foot square, and four feet long, set one-third
in the ground, and capped with smooth flat stones, four to six inches
thick, and two feet, at least, across. If wooden posts are used, make
them sixteen inches square, and set them in a hole previously filled,
six inches deep, with charcoal, or rubble stone and lime grouting, and
fill around the posts with the same. Four inches from the top, nail on a
flange of tin or sheet iron, six inches wide, the projecting edge of
which may be serrated, as a further preventive against the depredating
rascals creeping around. The steps are hinged to the door-sill, and
should have a cord and weight attached to the door, so that whenever it
is shut, the steps should be up also; this would prevent the possibility
of carelessness in leaving them down for the rats to walk up. The sides
should be made of slats, with large cracks between, and the floor under
the corn-crib, with numerous open joints; no matter if shattered corn
falls through, let the pigs and chickens have it; the circulation of the
air through the pile of corn, will more than pay for all you will lose
through the floor. If you intend to have sweet grain, be sure to have a
ventilator in the roof, and you may see by the vane on the top of it,
how the wind will always blow favorably for you.

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