42 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



A home which is the centre of the affections, to which we turn 

 with ever increasing- delight, and whose sweet remembrances 

 soothe weariness or sorrow, and inspire us in the battle of life ! 



Every man should do his best to own a home. The first nioney 

 he can spare ought to be invested in a dwelling where his family 

 can live permanently. Viewed as a matter of economy, this is 

 important, not only because he can ordinarily build cheaper than 

 he can rent, but because of the expense occasioned by a frequent 

 change of residence. 



Apart from this, there is something agreeable to our better 

 nature in having a home that we can call our own. It is a form 

 of property that is more than property. It speaks to the heart, 

 and ennobles the possessor. The associations that spring up 

 around it as the birth-place of children, — as the scene of life's 

 holiest emotions — as the sanctuary where the spirit cherishes its 

 purest thoughts, are of all value ; and wherever their influence is 

 exerted, the moral sensibilities are improved and exalted. 



The greatest part of our happiness of to-day is increased by the 

 place where we were happy on yesterday ; 



" Where all the joys of yesterday. 

 Were painted on to-morrow." 



And where, insensibly, scenes and circumstances gather up a 

 store of blessednes^for the weary hours of the future. 



In the country there are fewer amusements than in the city, 

 such as theatres, concerts, public exhibitions and literary and 

 scientific lectures. Families, therefore, have to provide their own 

 means of making home interesting. Instead of being dependent 

 upon others, they must rely on themselves. If they would enjoy 

 social pleasure, it must be of their own creation. They must be 

 society for each other, and their intellectual desires gratified by 

 books or their own united genius. This may not always be an 

 easy task ; but it is more within the reach of most families than is 

 generally imagined. On the female members most depends ; and 

 even more on daughters, than on mothers. It is in their power to 

 render any situation agreeable. Sadness and melancholy cannot 

 long dwell in rooms echoing with the accents of their glad voices, 

 whether in music or conversation. 



Let us see now what can be done by 



The Force of Combination. 

 Having spoken of the isolated condition of the farmer, where 



