PART II. 



FARMS AND FARM BUILDINGS. 



CHOICE OF FARMS. 



THERE is something in the ownership of land that gives independence to a man s 

 character. It is in itself an honor, and has connected with it a kind of reflex influ 

 ence that does not seem to be associated with other possessions. The retention of the 

 old family homestead and farm by a long line of ancestry for successive generations, is one 

 of the interesting features of the older-settled portions of the country, and is in many 

 respects a desideratum, whether we regard it in the practical light of an investment, or of a 

 pardonable pride, as the basis of a sentiment of family honor and respectability that is to be 

 associated with the name and inheritance. Among the many changes of ownership of lands, 

 it is pleasant to see, as we do occasionally, although too rarely, an instance of this kind. 

 While the few among the multitude of farmers have this privilege of retaining the old home, 

 the majority, in establishing themselves in business, either from necessity or choice, locate 

 elsewhere. 



In selecting a farm, there are many things of importance to be taken into consideration. 

 The advantages and disadvantages are to be carefully weighed, and the sum of each taken 

 into the account. The location, quality of soil, size, the purposes to which it is to be appro 

 priated, etc., all are to be judiciously considered, and that decision given which seems to favor 

 the highest possibilities of success. But it must be remembered that absolute perfection, either 

 with regard to mankind or locality, will never be found on the face of the whole earth. We 

 must therefore not expect it, and take things as we find them, making a choice of such as 

 seem to us, by the use of our best judgment, to contain the most good and the fewest evils. 

 No location can be found but what will have its disadvantages as well as its peculiar advan 

 tages, and, according to the great natural law of compensation, the sum of the one will in a 

 measure offset that of the other. 



Whether mixed agriculture or special be the object, the facilities for transportation and 

 nearness to market must necessarily be considered in selecting a farm, as well as the adaptabil 

 ity of the soil and climate to the crops to be produced. If tropical products, for example, are 

 to be raised, the farmer must make choice of lands where the soil and climate are best 

 adapted to such crop. If grain is to be the specialty, some of the Western States will afford 

 the best facilities. If the object be sheep husbandry on a large scale, a ranch in the great 

 West is most assuredly the place to be chosen. If it be the care of large herds of cattle, it 

 should be a ranch in some of the far Western States or Texas. But if the farmer wishes for 

 himself and family the peculiar advantages to be derived from a home in the older-settled 

 portions of the country, some State in the Eastern section should doubtless be his choice. 



If he desires a locality remote from other inhabitants, he must forego the educational, 

 social, and other privileges that a nearness to a city or largely-populated section will furnish; 

 while, if the choice be in a densely-populated region, he must of necessity give up the peculiar 

 advantages of retirement, and accept the objectionable features that such a place may pos 

 sess. In making a selection of locality, the fanner should never overlook the health, com- 



(582) 



