294 CONFERENCE ON NATURAL BEAUTY 



and to work toward the formulation of workable landscape policies. 

 What I am suggesting, in short, is that we think about the develop- 

 ment of a universitywide system of extension education, focused on 

 problems of landscape quality and design. 



Mr. MONK. The restoration, the enhancement, and the mainte- 

 nance of natural beauty as an integral element or characteristic of the 

 rural landscape are desirable goals, capable of accomplishment. In 

 this presentation, the farmstead will be regarded as part of the land- 

 scape. 



There are a number of prevailing reasons why significantly large 

 tracts of the rural landscape are either deteriorating in appearance 

 or are failing to make a reasonable contribution to a countryside 

 that ought to be notable for its natural beauty. It is useful to iden- 

 tify some of the chief causes of ugliness, monotony, and drabness as 

 a prerequisite to recommending solutions. 



Beauty rarely exists in the midst of poverty. For the millions of 

 rural people trying to get along with marginal income or less, mat- 

 ters of beauty do not get a high priority. First claims on the funds 

 and attention of low-income families are the size of the next crop, 

 payment of taxes, payment on the interest and principal of loans, 

 clothing and education for the children, bread to eat, and a roof 

 overhead. Low farm income is probably the number one enemy of 

 natural beauty in rural America. 



Investments in beauty are investments in the future. There is 

 little incentive for farm families to invest in the appearance of farm- 

 steads or farms when foreclosures or sale are just around the corner. 

 Thousands of farm families are leaving the farm each year, and this 

 instability operates against attention to beauty in the countryside. 



Even where there is stability and a reasonable income, attention 

 to the appearance of the farmstead and the landscape has suffered 

 from apathy or misguided notions that investments in appearance 

 are either superficial, vain, or improvident. In too many commu- 

 nities, a pleasing environment has not been given the status of an 

 acceptable community or individual objective. In these circum- 

 stances, there is neither organization nor attitude to identify aspects 

 of beauty and foster them. 



There is an increasing area of abandoned and little-used land in 

 rural America, as agricultural production efficiency operates to con- 

 strict the acreage devoted to crops and livestock, and as small farms 

 are sold or retired from production. Increasing thousands of acres 



