I02 BELGIUM - MISCELLANEOUS 



to M. Tibbaut, LEVI. Maenhaut and Melotte, profited by the opportunity 

 given by the Exhibition to realise an idea of his : namely that of the con- 

 struction of a model village, with many farms of every size, and good roads 

 lined with trees, and all the necessary buildings for public and private life, 

 suitably arranged and furnished both externally and internally, affording 

 a typical example of the way in which modern villages should be laid out. 



The undertaking was not easy; indeed, in order to arrange the thousand 

 articles required b}'' the farmer in his work, and in his family and social life, 

 in a practical and interesting manner, a group of suitable buildings v/as 

 necessary, providing in themselves a precious lesson both in the best 

 arrangement of the village, and in rural esthetics and comfort. 



The organization of the village was, however, presided over by a special 

 committee of studies which carried cut the plan in its must minute de- 

 tails. The village was thus constructed on an area of 35,000 square metres 

 and included the following groups of buildings : 



I. The Model Farms. — These formed the principal and most charact- 

 eristic part of the village ; there were three of them that de serve mention : 

 first of all, the large Committee Farm, of great size, comfortable, well ventilated 

 and lighted, built according to the instructions of M. de Vu^'st, and meant to 

 give the public an idea of how to arrange the various farm buildings so as 

 to allow of the greatest economy in regard to labour and the greatest facility 

 in super\'ising the work. The buildings, united in one immense construction, 

 consisted of a great central corridor, with, on the right, the stable s, cowhouses, 

 pigstye and poultry yard, and, on the left, the dwelling house, storehouses, 

 hayloft and bams. In the dwelhng house there w^as an office, necessary for 

 the large correspondence and the bookkeeping, a dining room, bed rooms, 

 a large kitchen, a laundry, cellars, dairy etc. The pro\nncial committees of 

 the Farmwomen's Clubs of East Flanders, Hainaut and Xamur had provided 

 part of the furniture of the house, which was also well supplied with electric 

 machinery for the various kinds of farm work. 



For comparison with this large farm, there was another of medium size, 

 on the Flemish model, called the Ferme Moreels, covering about 15 ha. 

 and fitted up by the domestic economy school, in accordance with the rules 

 of their art. It was built in such a way as to aUow the farmer to sublet 

 part of the house in summer, in case his own family were not too large. It 

 had an entrance hall, a kitchen whence the mistress could supervise the hands 

 at work in the cow houses, the dairy, etc., an office, a dining room, bed 

 rooms etc. The dairy was supplied with all the necessary equipment for 

 treating the milk, on the most improved system. 



Opposite this edifice was a moveable structure intended for an itinerant 

 school of domestic economy. 



And of course there was also a model of a small farm, of simpler style 

 and fewer rooms, but all furnished with elegance and taste. 



A detailed examination of the buildings and their contents was a 

 source of agreeable surprises and provided valuable information and instruc- 

 tion. Thus, on the model farm there could not only be seen perfect buildings, 

 but also the farm family itself, in the bright and clean dwelling, where none 



