8 Farmers' Bulletin 1087. 



DESIRABILITY OF MAKING PLANS FOR IMPROVEMENTS 



IN ADVANCE. 



A farmstead consists of the farm buildings and the land imme- 

 diately surrounding them that is necessary to their proper use and 

 to the making of the home. Under this definition, not only are the 

 buildings and the approaches from the highway a part of the farm- 

 stead, but also the cattle, hog, and chicken yards and the vegetable, 

 fruit, and flower gardens. (Fig. 6.) Because of the intimate rela- 

 tionship between the farm home and the farm business all these 

 things must be taken into account when planning to improve the 



-^Jfr'N, 



FIG. G. A plan for a farmstead where the buildings are back from a nortli-and- 



south road. 



home surroundings. Not only the house lot but the whole farmstead 

 must be considered. 



Before any improvement can be made some idea must be formed 

 as to what should be done. Are any changes in existing buildings, 

 roads, or other permanent features desirable, and, if so, how can they 

 be made, and, after all, will the change really be an improvement? 

 (Figs. 7 and 8.) Such a consideration of the conditions is planning, 

 whether the results are held in the mind of the one doing it or are 

 put upon paper either in the form of written memoranda of the 

 changes to be made or as a drawing showing what is to be done. 



In order that the whole family may be interested and thoroughly 

 understand what is being considered and have an opportunity intel- 



