X'ARM-nOUSES AND OFFICES

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kept in smaller numbers, their houses are placed near thekitchen, for the convenience of receiving the offals. Thestyes for the swine have usually a warm exposure, and aredivided into different apartments, of about six feet by eight,for keeping the several sorts apart, for swine thrive best whenthere are not many together, and when those of the samesize are kept by themselves. The styes open into an inclosedyard, anil their floors being elevateil above it nine inches, andmade to slope outwards, they are thus kept clean and dry.In the yards are placed troughs for their food, each dividedinto as many places as there are swine, by boards reachingabout half the depth of the troughs, which are so placed as tobe easily filled without going into the yards. Water is intro-duced into these yards; and the bottoms of them are pavedwith ruble stones, having a declivity to a drain or outlet, thatthey may be washed and cleaned out occasionally.

11. Boiling or Steaming houses.

These are by no means generally introduced, but the greatadvantages arising from feeding horses, poultry, pigs, &c.with boiled or steamed potatoes, as well as other boiled food,as cut straw or chaff, render a place for that purpose neces-sary in all farm-offices. A proper boiler, fitted with a caskfor containing the food and receiving the steam, may eitherbe put up at one end of the tool-house, or in a house express-ly appropriated to that purpose. This boiler may be abouttwo feet diameter, and twenty inches deep. It must have acover with a circular opening of about eighteen inches diame-ter in the centre. On this a cask is placed, perforated withholes to admit the steam to the potatoes, &c. having a safetyvalve at the top to prevent accidents. The complete steamingapparatus, constructed by Mr Baird of Shotts’ Iron-works,and now getting into general use, consists of a steam-boiler,with a screwed cover, and as many cast-iron pitchers as maybe deemed requisite, into each of which the steam is con-ducted by a pipe. By this means a variety of vegeta-