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should be used for covering the brick flues for a short distance, and then No. 18 or 20 will suffice.

Recently the flues have been greatly simplified and are now made of iron pipe from 10 to 15 inches in diameter. The flues run continuously from b to c and from c to d, coming out on the side of the barn where the furnaces are fed and some three feet higher than the furnaces. Sometimes there is only one pipe for conveying the smoke outside the barn. In this case, the gap between c and c is filled with a flue pipe, into which a single pipe for the escape of the smoke is inserted. Or

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FIG. 50. VERTICAL LENGTHWISE SECTION OF FIG. 49.

the two pipes, c d and c d, may be united near the exit into one discharge pipe.

Cheaper flues are made by digging ditches in the floor of the barn, from 15 to 18 inches wide and about an equal depth, and covering them with sheet iron. A pipe for conveying the smoke outside must be inserted.

Mud walls are sometimes built by packing moist clay between two boards and beating it down. These mud walls are from 12 to 18 inches apart, and some 10 to 12 inches high. When covered with sheet iron, and

the boards burned away, the hardened clay walls will stand a long time, if the clay is suitable for making brick.

The inquiry is often made why the barns for curing yellow tobacco are made so small. The reason is that unless the barn is filled with tobacco within the period of twelve hours and the firing begun, it is impossible to cure it of uniform color. For a portion of the tobacco in the barn to remain for twenty-four hours longer than the rest will so impair its quality as to seriously diminish its value. Another reason why small, inexpensive

FIG. 51.

SECTIONAL PLAN OF HOUSE IN FIG. 49. Showing inspection walk, ventilating funnels, and distributers of the fresh air directly upon the leaf.

barns for curing are preferred is the danger from fire. The loss by fire of a barn which contains the growth of one acre, is not so disastrous as the loss of one containing a large portion, or, possibly, all the crop. The tobacco in a small barn cures more rapidly, more uniformly and more perfectly, and may be removed to the packing room within a week, and the barn refilled.

The Snow Barn.-Capt. W. H. Snow, of North Carolina, has recently patented a barn with flues, or stoves, for curing yellow tobacco. Like many other attempts to patent methods of hanging or curing tobacco, the patentee's claims are ignored or disputed by

many, though Mr. Snow stoutly maintains their validity. Figs. 44 and 45 will give a good idea of the structure. In the Snow barn the leaves only are cured after having been stripped green from the growing stalk. The leaves are brought to the barn in baskets, and strung on the points, Fig. 48, about the width of a finger apart. As the sticks are filled, they are put on a movable rack, shown in Fig. 45, which, by a simple device, is lifted to its proper place in the building.

Captain Snow claims for his process of housing tobacco the following advantages: 1. The planter can begin to house his crop from two to four weeks earlier, as the bottom leaves, which ripen first, can be taken off and cured as soon as they are ripe. 2. As the lower leaves are pulled off, those left on the stalk ripen more rapidly, which enables the planter to get in his crop earlier in the season. 3. The tobacco can be stored in a much smaller space, and with no risk of losing color or molding when bulked down. 4. a more uniform color. 5. and the risk of setting fire to the barn will be greatly lessened.

FIG. 52. END VIEW OF
FRAME OF FIG. 49.

Tobacco can be cured with
Less fuel will be required,

A hillside, with a slope of two and one-half inches to the foot, should be selected for the site of the barn. The most convenient size for the barn is 16x20 feet, and an excavation should be in the hillside of these dimensions. The upper side of the excavation will be some four feet above the surface. A trench is then dug around the four sides of the excavation on the inside, one foot wide and deep. The trench should be filled with coarse gravel, which acts as a drain, and also as the

foundation for the barn. An eight-inch wall of stone or brick is built with strong cement upon the gravel foundation. This wall is built about five and one-half feet high, which makes a basement. A door should be left on the lower side of the wall and in the center of it. On each side of the space left for the door, two other openings should be left, three inches from the ground and 22 inches from the side wall, through which

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The sill is on stone posts 18 inches above ground, with an 18-inch door lengthwise, as shown in Fig. 40. The sill, c, is 6x6 inches, the plate 2x6, d, the studding 18 feet high of 2x4 set four feet apart, and flush with sill and plate on inside, firmly nailed at bottom and spiked through plate at top. Then nail on sides two strips of 2x6 flat, a a, which will come flush with outside of sill and plate; upon these four surfaces nail the weather boarding, or covering. Brace across each side and end, by nailing on 2x6 flat inside, as shown in the cut. A barn 34 feet wide allows a 10-foot driveway and bays on each side 12 feet deep. The poles, o, for holding the lath on which plants are hung are also 2x4 stuff, every four feet, beginning even with the plate; the next three tiers below are each four feet apart; this brings the bottom permanent tier 7% feet from the ground, or high enough not to interfere with driving in a loaded team. Another tier four feet below this will allow 3% feet for hanging plants. A tier may be put in the roof also, nailed to rafters. Rafters, p, are 24 feet long. the ends of the stoves should come to within the distance of four inches of the outside face of the wall. The doors of the stoves open outwards. The stoves (Fig. 43) are elevated three inches above the ground floor of the basement, and are covered with brick arches, with an air space of six inches between the arches and the stoves, forming jackets, but the rear ends of the jackets are left

open. The arches, however, are extended two feet beyond the ends of the stoves. Openings are left above the crown of the arches and immediately above the stove doors, to admit fresh air between the arches and the stoves. These openings are closed with coverings when not needed. Conduits are provided, also, for admitting cool air to the basement.

For the superstructure, sills are set in the walls four by six inches, the four-inch sides resting on the walls.

FIG. 54. SIDE VIEW OF GERMAN FRAME.

Joists are put in, on which a slatted floor is laid, with spaces one and one-fourth inches wide between three and one-half inch slats. This slatted floor extends only to within two feet of the walls on two sides and one end. The remainder is closely laid, except on the end containing the door, which is laid in strips. The studding is placed 18 inches apart. The roof is one-third pitch. The sheeting is composed of square-edge boards, or planks, one inch in thickness. Shingles are used for roofing. A ventilator 15 feet long and eight inches wide, is placed on the crest of the roof.

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