Fig. 18. Showing present arrangement of cow stable. There are stanchions and mangers for 28 cows, and 2200 sq. ft. of floor space in which the cows can run loose. The gates are swung into the present position when box stalls are needed.

The floor, back of the manger, is of clay, except at the door, where a small portion is covered with cement. The cows run loose except at feeding and milking time, when they are placed in rigid stanchions. It must be distinctly understood that rigid stanchions are strongly condemned as a cow tie, where cows are to remain in them all night, but as they are here used merely to hold the cow during milking, they are both economical and convenient.

Fig. 19. Showing cross section of 60-foot round barn.
Fig. 20. Cleaning out cow stable with three-horse manure spreader.
Fig. 21. Cows in stanchion at milking time.

Running cows loose in this manner is an excellent method, where bedding is abundant and sufficient space is available, as the cows are more comfortable, and all fertility is saved. There is no waste from leaching, as when the manure lies exposed to the weather. This method saves the labor of cleaning the stable, as the manure is loaded into the spreader and hauled directly upon the land whenever convenient, and the land is in the best condition to receive it.[C]

Three gates are hung on posts at the outside wall, and when box stalls are needed, these are swung around to the manger, as shown in Fig. 18. The south door in the cow stable can be closed by slatted gates, thus affording an abundance of fresh air and sunshine on nice days, without letting the cows out of the barn.

[C] For a more detailed discussion of the advantages of keeping cows in this manner, see Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station Circular No. 93.

System of Ventilation

Fig. 21. Continued.

The system of ventilation is the "King." To economize space and lumber, the hay chute is used for a ventilator. This chute, which extends to the cupola, is 21⁄4 × 31⁄2 feet, having a cross section area of 8 sq. ft., which, with a good draft, is sufficient for 40 cows. In order that this combination of ventilator and hay chute prove practical, doors thru which the hay could be thrust were placed at intervals in the side of the chute. These doors are hinged at the top, opening in, and close immediately after the hay drops, thus maintaining a closed ventilator chute. The air is drawn in at the bottom, the amount being regulated by means of a sliding door in the side. As this chute is 50 feet high, it creates a strong suction.

The Milk Room

To economize space, the milk room, 12 × 16 feet, is located under the north driveway. The brick walls under the drive form the sides of this room, and the floor of the drive, which is made of 2 × 6s grooved on both edges, forms the roof. The grooves in the flooring were filled with white lead, and a wooden strip, fitted to fill the grooves of both planks, was driven in, forming a water-tight floor. This floor was covered with hot tar and sand 1⁄2 inch thick. The milk room is plastered on the inside, the plaster being applied directly to the brick walls, excepting in the case of the ceiling, which is lathed. The floor and cooling tank are of cement. The passage from the barn to the milk room is thru a small hallway, which is open to the outside, thus preventing the stable air getting into the milk room.

Fig. 22. Feed alley, showing combined hay chute and ventilator. A door on the side which is hinged at the bottom, 3 feet from the floor, is let in toward the silo, sliding the hay onto the floor. In hot weather this opening takes the heat out of the barn; During the winter this door is kept closed and the ventilation is regulated by raising the slide, as shown in the cut.

Barn Satisfactory

This round dairy barn above described has been in use for over two years at the University of Illinois, and has given entire satisfaction.

Fig. 23. Northeast view, showing dairy under driveway. The barn is on the same scale as the drawing on page 28.
Fig. 24. Interior of dairy; Cooling tank on left.

Re-arrangement of Barn to Accommodate 40 Cows

If it is desired to keep cows in stalls in a round barn of this size, the circular manger can be enlarged to 38 feet in diameter, which gives room for forty cows, as shown in Fig. 25, and the silo, to hold sufficient silage to feed the year round, enlarged to 18 feet in diameter. The present mow room is sufficient to store enough hay and bedding for this number of cows.

The barn on the Twenty-acre Demonstration Dairy Farm was built this large, as it was thought it might be desired at some future time to increase the size of the farm and herd, and the barn could easily be changed to accommodate a larger herd by simply enlarging the silo, without rebuilding the barn.

Fig. 25. Showing how this 60-foot barn may be arranged to accommodate 40 cows in stalls. To supply this sized herd and the necessary young stock with silage for eight months would require a 370-ton silo, or one 18 feet in diameter and 56 feet deep; With a seven-foot feed alley and a 21⁄2-foot manger, the circle at the stanchions would be 38 feet in diameter, or 1191⁄3 feet in circumference; Allowing 41⁄4 feet for two passage ways, the stalls would be 2 feet 10-1/2 inches wide at the stanchion, and 3 feet 6 inches at the drop.

Itemized Cost of this Round Barn

Excavating, foundation, and first story brick wall$904.00
Lumber:
 149pieces,1  ×4 ×16   Y. P. 
 31„1  ×4 × 14  Cypress 
 16„1  ×4 ×12   „ 
 165„1  ×6 ×16   Y. P. 
 17„1  ×6 ×14   „ 
 226„2  ×4 ×12   „ 
 20„2  ×4 ×16   „ 
 6„2  ×4 ×14   „ 
 15„4  ×4 ×14   „ 
 120„2  ×12 × 16  „ 
 23„2  ×12 × 14  „ 
 100„2  ×6 × 20  „ 
 144„2  ×6 ×16   „ 
 67„2  ×6 ×18   „ 
 4„2  ×6 ×26   „ 
 60„2  ×6 ×12   „ 
 30„2  ×6 ×22   „ 
 4„2  ×6 ×24   „ 
 6„2  ×8 ×10   „ 
 9„2  ×8 ×16   „ 
 4„2  ×10 ×14   „ 
 11„2  ×10 ×12   „ 
 1„2  ×10 ×22   „ 
 1„1  ×10 ×12   „ 
 1„1  ×10 ×14   Cypress 
 2„1  ×12 ×14   „ 
 22„11⁄8 ×8 ×10   Cyp. S2S 
 2„1  ×11⁄8 ×12×14 „ 
 2„1  ×11⁄8 ×12×16 „ 
 6000feet of 8-inch ship lap
 3150feet of 10-inch ship lap
 71M 5⁄2 red cedar shingles
 165Lineal feet of 2-inch Cr. molding
 240Lineal feet of Cr. molding
 270feet of 4-inch Y. P. S1S
 4000feet of 6-inch rough pine
 62feet of 3⁄8-inch Y. P. Ceiling
 850feet of 6-inch No. 1 flooring
 230feet of 6-inch fence flooring
 56lineal feet of 1⁄2 × 3-inch battening
 32lineal feet of lattice
 444lineal feet of 4-inch cypress
 310-foot cedar posts
 
Total cost of lumber$1,313.63
 
Mill work:
Window sash and doors$270.00
Window and door frames71.00
Sawing lumber for silo, roof, bridge and stanchions29.78
Cost of hardware96.57
 
Carpenter work:
 Head carpenter518 hrs.@ 40c=$207.20 
 Carpenters1057 hrs.@ 35c=369.95 
 Common labor429 hrs.@ 20c=85.80 
 
Total cost for carpenter work662.95
 
Tiling around barn and silo, sewer from dairy room, retaining wall, cement floor in alley, dairy, doorway of barn, and steps and tanks128.54
Plastering dairy room and inside of silo104.60
Painting89.54
Total cost of barn$3670.61
Fig. 26. Barn No. 2. 80 feet in diameter; Engine room in foreground.

The cost of this barn, if built on the ordinary dairy farm, could be materially reduced without shortening the life of the barn. Owing to the conditions under which this barn was built, it was necessary to pay for hauling all material to the farm, two and one-half miles from town. All of the labor had to be hired, and as it was necessary for the men to board themselves the wages paid were proportionately higher. The farmer usually does the excavating and hauls the brick, sand, and lumber with his own teams, tends the mason, and does quite an amount of the rough work with his own help, besides boarding the men, all of which would greatly reduce the cost. The construction could also be cheapened by using drop siding to cover the outside, instead of shingles, which in this case were used over ship lap on the side walls to improve the appearance. This barn could be still further cheapened by putting hoops, five feet apart, around the studs, and covering with common 1 × 12 boards, put on vertically, as is done in some cases. A saving could also be made on the mill work and large doors by having the carpenters make these plainer and leave the windows out of them.

Anyone wishing to build a round barn can get local bids on the lumber bill, and determine approximately the cost in his locality. This will vary with both the location and the year.

OTHER ROUND DAIRY BARNS

Barn No. 2

Built 1897.

Diameter, 80 feet.

Capacity, 75 cows in 2 rows, tails together, 51 head in outer circle, 24 head in inner circle.

Fig. 27. Interior of Barn No. 2, showing two rows of stanchions and drive behind cows which is used in cleaning barn; Silo on right.

Cost, $1800.

Studs, 2 × 6s, placed 21⁄2 feet on center.

Supports, two 2 × 6s in each stanchion.

Joists, main span 3 × 12s, 20 feet long, placed 14 inches on center. Short spans over feed alleys, 2 × 10s.

Plate, 1 × 10-inch boards sprung around near top of studs.

Roof supports, 6 × 6s placed 12 feet apart. Purline plate rests on these posts and consists of 1 × 8s sprung to the circle.

Siding, 8-inch, put on horizontally, first story ceiled inside.

To clean out, a wagon is driven around between the two rows of cows.

The chief objection to this barn is insufficient light in the cow stable.

This barn and No. 3 are approximately the same in construction, and are more substantially built than barns No. 4 and 5.

Fig. 28. Arrangement of cow stable in Barn No. 2; Two rows of cows tailed together. The barn is cleaned by driving around behind the cows.

Fig. 29. Barn No. 3. 80 feet in diameter.

Barn No. 4

Built in 1900.

Diameter, 90 feet.

Capacity, 105 cows, two rows heading together.

Cost, $3000.

Foundation, width at base and top, 18 inches; depth in ground, 20 inches, (not sufficient).

Sills, 2 × 8s, sawed in short lengths, and placed flatwise.

Studding, 20-foot 2 × 8s, placed 3 feet on center and toenailed to sill.

Supports, first story 4 × 4s placed between stanchions in each row, making two rows of supports between the outside wall and the silo; 4 × 4s cut to a circle placed on top of these supports. The outside span, over cows, is 13 feet 6 inches; middle span, over feed alley, 6 feet 8 inches, and inside span, over cows, 13 feet.

Joists, 2 × 8s placed 3 feet apart at studs on outside wall. There are as many joists in center of barn as at the outside.

Supports, second-story, consist of one row of posts running around at a point immediately under the break in the roof. These are 16 feet apart and are made of three 2 × 8s kept 2 inches apart by horizontal braces which run from studding near the eave thru these posts to studding in silo. See Fig. 31.

Plate, rafter is set on top of each stud, and no plate is used.

Rafters, 2 × 6s resting on studs at outside and on circular plate at break in roof.

Fig. 30. Barn No. 4. 90 feet in diameter; One of the few dairy barns with sufficient light; Same scale as drawing on page 37.

Fig. 31. Silo in center of Barn No. 4; Upper portion in hay loft. Lower portion in cow stable.

Siding, 8-inch drop siding, put on horizontally, nailed with 10d nails. Ends holding well.

Windows, 12 light, 10 × 12 glass; one window every six feet. This gives an abundance of light in the center of the barn.

Doors, built on circle; (not satisfactory).

Silo, round; diameter, 24 feet over all; height, 53 feet, exclusive of 12-foot space for water tank on top; capacity, 500 tons. Studs of silo, 2 × 4s placed 12 inches on center. Ceiled inside of studs with two thicknesses of half-inch lumber with paper between.

Fig. 32. Interior of Barn No. 4, showing stalls and feed alley.

Remarks: Considering its size, the construction of this barn is apparently too light to be substantial, as the joists and studs are too small and too far apart, yet it has stood for nine years with no more evidence of wear than is common with any barn.

Were the owner to build again he would place the studs only 21⁄2 feet apart and use 2 × 12 joists, 21⁄2 feet apart at the outside wall. He would also use cement plaster on inside of silo.

The owner says it would have cost him as much to have built a rectangular barn without the 500-ton silo, and containing 1300 sq. ft. less floor space. In other words, he gained a 500-ton silo and 1300 sq. ft. of floor space, besides an immense amount of mow room, by building a circular barn.

Fig. 33. Arrangement of cow stable in Barn No. 4, 90 feet in diameter; Two rows of cows headed together.

Barn No. 5

Built in 1906.

Diameter, 100 feet.

Capacity, 115 cows.

Cost, $3400.

Studding, 16-foot 2 × 6s, placed 3 feet on centers.

Supports, 3 rows 4 × 4s.

Joists, 2 × 10s, placed 3 feet on centers. Hemlock and yellow pine.

Floor, laid in eight directions.

Rafters, 2 × 6s spiked to studs. A band of two 1 × 6s is placed around the studs just below the rafters, and helps support the rafters.

Supports for roof. There are three purline plates. Two of these are supported by posts, the other by braces running out from the silo. The roof is straight from eaves to peak. The bracing is similar to that of barn No. 4.

Silo, 18 feet in diameter, 56 feet deep, 2 feet in ground. Capacity, 350 tons.

Fig. 34. Barn 92 feet in diameter; Two rows of cows headed together; Silo in center.

Fig. 35. View of 70-foot self-supporting roof on barn shown in fig. 36; Note hoops on studs in right foreground.
Fig. 36. Barn 70 feet in diameter; Frame hooped for perpendicular siding; Lower section sided.

The Small Dairyman's Barn

Fig. 37. Barn 40 feet in diameter.
Fig. 38. Barn 48 feet in diameter, 16-foot posts; Note method of taking hay into small round barn.

The round barns previously described do not meet the needs of the man with only a few cows. He usually wants a general-purpose barn. The circular form can be made satisfactory for this purpose if proper attention is given to the plan. It is necessary that the cow stable be distinctly separated from all other stock by a tight wall. Round barns with this arrangement are giving satisfaction in Illinois at the present time.

Fig. 39. Showing construction of barn in fig. 40. Hoops in place ready for perpendicular siding; Roof sheathed for shingles.
Fig. 40. Barn 102 feet in diameter and 85 feet high.

DISADVANTAGES OF THE POLYGONAL BARN.

A polygonal barn has the disadvantages of both the rectangular and the round barn, and is less stable than either. It must necessarily have a heavy frame, which is expensive, and as the siding cannot run around the corners, it is very difficult to tie the different sides together sufficiently to prevent the barn being racked by the wind.

Barn No. 6

Fig. 41. Barn No. 6; 85 feet in diameter; Same scale as drawing on opposite page.

16-sided.

Built, 1888.

Diameter, 85 feet.

Height, 26-foot posts on 9-foot wall.

Capacity, 88 cows; 350 tons of hay.

Foundation and first story, cement wall 9 feet above cement floor.

Supports, 4 × 8s, placed just back of stanchions, 3 feet on center.

Studs, 2 × 10s, 26 feet long, placed 21⁄2 feet on center.

Fig. 42. Arrangement of cow stable in Barn No. 6.

Joists 3 × 12s, 20 feet long, 14 inches on center for main span.

Rafters, self-supporting. Sheathed with 1 × 6s with no space between. This roof has a purline plate thrown in the gambrel. The plate is supported only by the braces which tie the joints.

The barn has been racked three times by the wind, replumbed and heavy iron rods put in to brace it, yet it is out of plumb at the present time.

CONCLUSIONS

In summing up the data given in this bulletin, it is obvious that the advantages of the round barn are convenience, strength, and cheapness.

The round barn is the more convenient, because of the unobstructed mow, which reduces the labor required in mowing hay, and because of the greater ease and fewer steps with which the feed can be gotten to the cows, owing to the central location of the supply.

The circular construction is the strongest because advantage is taken of the lineal strength of the lumber. All exposed surfaces are circular, and withstand greater wind pressure, as the wind can get no direct hold, as on the sides or gable ends of a rectangular barn.

In round numbers, rectangular barns require, according to their construction, from 34 to 58 percent more in cost of material than round barns with the same floor area and built of the same grade of material.

TRANSCRIBER NOTES:

Punctuation has been normalized without note.

Scale references in photos have not been retained.

Footnotes have been moved to the end of each section.

Hyphenation of words has been changed to be more consistent throughout the text.

Some page numbers are missing due to movement of tables from their original location.

Page 6: "betwen" changed to "between" (midway between the silo and the outside wall).