FARMAN 



SO86 



FARM COLONY 



found varying in extent from a 

 small arable holding little larger 

 than a cottage allotment, with 

 perhaps a barn to house the corn, 

 to an estate of several thousands of 

 acres of rich pasture and arable 

 land, with a mansion, and houses 

 for bailiffs, skilled workers, and 

 farm labourers. In further con- 

 trast to the latter there are exten- 

 sive areas of boggy land fit only 

 for grazing cattle and sheep in 

 summer ; there is also mountainous 

 land, restricted entirely to the 

 breeding and feeding of sheep. 

 Types of Farms 



The wide variation in the soil and 

 climatic conditions in Great- Brit- 

 ain and Ireland has a distinct 

 influence upon the systems of farm- 

 ing adopted, and the farms are 

 distributable into several widely 

 different classes. Pastoral farms, 

 such as those which exist through- 

 out the west of England and in 

 many parts of Ireland, are almost 

 wholly utilised for the breeding of 

 horses, cattle, and sheep. A 

 pastoral farm may, of course, only 

 comprise a sheep farm or " sheep 

 walk" in the wild mountainous 

 parts of Cumberland, or Scotland, 

 or a cattle-rearing farm in rich 

 pastoral counties like Devonshire. 

 Or it may comprise a valley farm, 

 where both dairy cattle and sheep 

 of the heavier Down breeds flourish 

 on the rich alluvial soils. 



Distinct from these is the dairy 

 farm for the production of milk 

 and the manufacture of cheese 

 and butter, where the by-products, 

 including separated milk, butter- 

 milk, and whey are utilised in calf- 

 rearing and pig-feeding. In close 

 proximity to cities, large provincial 

 towns, or industrial centres, typical 

 mixed farms are encountered where 

 almost every form of husbandry is 

 practised, from horse-breeding and 

 corn -growing to catch-cropping and 

 the breeding and feeding of poultry 

 and rabbits ; special attention is 

 also given to the cultivation of 

 market garden crops. 



In many of the southern counties 

 of England, e.g. Hampshire, two 

 classes of farms, known as upland 

 and woodland farms, are met with. 

 The former comprise large areas of 

 arable land^ overlying the chalk in 

 many cases, and these farms are 

 almost entirely restricted to the 

 breeding and fattening of the heavy 

 breeds of sheep, such as the Hamp- 

 shire Downs, Oxford Downs, and 

 Suff oiks, and crosses of these breeds. 

 The system of rotation cropping 

 on these shallow upland farms is 

 intricate, and requires consider- 

 able local knowledge. 



Woodland farms usually com- 

 prise one-third of their area as 

 arable land, and as a rule the soil 



consists of a heavy retentive clay 

 loam overlying clay, difficult and 

 expensive to cultivate, and strictly 

 limited as regards the variety of 

 crops which can be grown. There are 

 few farms in England where large 

 areas of corn are grown without the 

 assistance of sheep as a means of 

 manuring and consolidating light 

 and shallow soils, although here 

 and there grain is grown by the use 

 of chemical manures, while the 

 ploughing in of green crops com- 

 prises the only means of returning 

 organic matter to the soil. 



Although there is a tendency to 

 divide large into smaller farms, 

 many do not readily admit of this, 

 more especially where the propor- 

 tion of light to heavy soil is well 

 balanced. Where there is an ex- 

 cessive quantity of heavy soil the 

 farmer stands to lose consider- 

 ably, because both men and 

 horses are often idle during the 

 winter months. A typical mixed 

 farm of not more than 400 acres 

 would appear to be as much as 

 one man can manage if he is to 

 give the amount of personal atten- 

 tion to it necessary for the success- 

 ful conduct of his business, especi- 

 ally in view of the amount of detail 

 in modern intensive farming. 



In order successfully to control 

 large areas either privately or on 

 cooperative lines, good organization 

 is essential, including the employ- 

 ment of skilled and experienced 

 farm managers or bailiffs. The 

 small mixed farm or holding is one 

 of from 30 to 50 acres, on which the 

 farmer, his wife and family may 

 maintain themselves in reasonable 

 comfort, simply through dint of 

 hard work, economy, and thrift. 

 In counties like Kent many families 

 make quite comfortable livings by 

 specialising in fruit-growing. 

 Modern Farm Buildings 



The planning and erection of 

 modern farm buildings requires as 

 much expert advice as the erection 

 of dwelling-houses or factories. The 

 aspect most favoured is S. or S.E. ; 

 to facilitate drainage the buildings 

 should be erected on rising ground. 



The production of milk under 

 hygienic conditions calls for special 

 attention in the erection of modern 

 cowsheds, which are now usually 

 equipped on American principles. 

 Low mangers, tubular iron stan- 

 chions, stall division, and neck 

 yokes have done much to ensure 

 cleanlmess, particularly in prevent- 

 ing the udders and hind-quarters of 

 the cows from becoming soiled 

 with manure. Ventilation, light, 

 and drainage were far from satis- 

 factory in the older types of cow 

 houses, but these defects have been 

 largely remedied of recent years. 

 Surface drainage, the abolition of 



the old insanitary subsoil and 

 indoor trap systems, the conserva- 

 tion of the liquid manure in suitable 

 tanks apart from the buildings, and 

 the removal of the solid excrements 

 to some distance from the byres, 

 all tend to more healthy, sanitary, 

 and better economic conditions. 



Although previous to the Great 

 War something like 10 per acre 

 was required to stock and equip a 

 farm and leave something in hand 

 for working expenses and current 

 expenditure until stock and crops 

 ^aatured, under post-war condi- 

 tions it requires at least an 80 p.c. 

 increase on this estimate if the 

 farm is to be reasonably well 

 stocked and equipped. Farms are 

 usually let on a lease for a term of 

 years or on a yearly tenancy, but 

 there can be no doubt that much 

 of the land in the British Isles will 

 be much more intensively farmed 

 under some satisfactory system to 

 ensure proper security of tenure. 

 See A Pilgrimage of British Farm- 

 ing, A. D. Hall, 1913. 



Farman. Name of aeroplanes 

 built by the brothers Henry and 

 Maurice Farman. The son of an 

 English journalist, Henry (b. 1875) 

 was born hi France and began 

 his career as a bicycle racer, then 

 manufactured bicycles and motor- 

 cars. He took up aeronautics in 

 1907, and developed and perfected 

 an aeroplane known by his name, 

 making his first trials at Issy-les- 

 Moulineaux,Nov., 1907-Jan., 1908. 

 He was the first aviator to fly from 

 town to town (Chalons-Reims, 

 1908), and to fly 100 miles (Reims, 

 1909). He established in 1908 a 

 school of aviation and works at 

 Buc, near Versailles. 



Maurice Farman established 

 aviation works a little later, and 

 in 1912 the two combined their 

 resources, erecting a factory at 

 Billancourt. They supplied aero- 

 planes to the French army and 

 other countries, including Britain. 

 Various types of their machines 

 did good work in the Great War. 

 See Aeronautics ; Aeroplane. 



Farm Colony. Name given to 

 a settlement of persons on the land 

 for the purpose of cultivating it. 

 The experiment has been tried in 

 England, America, and elsewhere 

 with varying degrees of success. 

 General Booth established one in 

 Essex to solve the unemployment 

 problem. The first farm colony 

 for ex-soldiers was established in 

 1916 at Holderness, in E. York- 

 shire. It was intended to provide 

 about sixty holdings, averaging 

 thirty-five acres each. The Small 

 Holdings (Colonies) Act, 1916, 

 arranged for the settlement of dis- 

 charged service men at Holbeach, 

 Patrington, and elsewhere. 



