CHAPTER XXII 

 THE FARM HOME 



WHAT A DESIRABLE HOME SHOULD BE 



Pleasant Surroundings. — Almost every one admires order, 

 neatness and beauty in preference to their opposites — dis- 

 order, untidiness, and barrenness or lack of beauty. A farm 

 seems more valuable, if the yards surrounding the house 

 and bam are clean, neat and orderly. If one sees a smooth, 

 well kept lawn, with a few appropriate shade trees and 

 flowers, one feels sure that here is prosperity, or here, at 

 least, is a restful home. 



In cities and villages considerable attention is paid to 

 beautifying the lawns, and a very Httle eifort adds an ele- 

 gance and charm to an otherwise plain home. 



Facilities. — The farm folk may not have much time to 

 think how they would enjoy these things or to establish 

 and keep such conditions, but there are many things that 

 can be had with but little effort and expense, and many 

 which the boys and girls can do. In the country, where 

 there is plenty of room for a lawn, for flowers, ornamental 

 shrubs and trees, and where good soil, fertiHzer, team and 

 machinery for keeping up a lawn are available, it is to be 

 regretted that these possibilities are so httle reahzed. 



Neatness. — The first step for the boys and girls, who 

 are anxious to aid in beautifying their homes, is to keep 

 things as neat as possible. Every boy of school age can 

 move a pile of ashes, if the ashes during the winter have 

 been piled too near the house. Raking the chip yard is 

 not too difficult for the average boy. Often broken dishes, 

 tin cans, old shoes, etc., have been cast into a pile some- 

 where. These should be removed and buried. Frequently 

 the banking about the house is left until late into the sum- 

 mer, or only partly removed on account of frost when the 

 work was begun. Persuasion from boys or girls might bring 

 the team to the house at the close of a day's work, to re- 

 move the banking or the remaining portion of it. 



