132 Farm-Buildings and Cottages. 



of rent. Indeed, if the houses and offices are placed at the 

 corner of a large farm, a part of the land will probably be 

 neglected; less manure will be sent to it ; the expense 

 of cultivation will be materially increased ; the strength of 

 the horses will uselessly be wasted in going backwards and 

 forwards ; and the remote parts of the farm, will be left in 

 a state of miserable pasturage; or, when occasionally brok- 

 en up, the crops will necessarily be inferior to what they 

 would have been, under a different system ( za7 ). 



It is sometimes assigned as a reason, for not having the 

 farm-houses and offices in a central situation, that at ano- 

 ther part of the farm, a better command of water can be pro- 

 cured, for family use, and for the farm stock, or for driving 

 a thrashing-mill, by which a great saving in the labour of 

 horses is secured. That, however, is only an exception to 

 the general rule, for it may be laid down as an axiom, 

 " That the farm-house and offices ought to be placed, as 

 nearly as possible, in the centre of a farm." Even if water 

 be deficient, it may usually be obtained, by various contri- 

 vances to be afterwards explained, (see Sect. IX.) ; and in ge- 

 neral, any difficulty of this kind, may be overcome, upon a 

 large estate, by a new arrangement of the farm. 



Where the circumstances of the case admit of it, the farm- 

 house should front the south ; for by this means it is less 

 exposed to the cold northerly winds. The farm-stead should 

 be placed on a well-aired and dry spot of ground, and, if it 

 can be had, an elevated situation is always preferable. This 

 is not only the most conducive to health, but affords an 

 advantage of considerable importance, for it puts it in the 

 power of the farmer, to see what is going forward in every 

 direction ( 228 ). Where the house, on the other hand, is 

 built in a low and humid spot, the crops of the occupier, 

 however dry and well-conditioned when brought from the 

 field, will soon acquire a softness, and perhaps mustiness, 

 very injurious to their value ( 2Z9 ). In erecting farm-houses 

 in bleak climates, shelter at the same time, is not to be 

 overlooked, for young stock thrive better in warm yards, than 

 in exposed places ; and in climates like ours, it is prudent, 

 to guard as much as possible against tempests ( a3 ). The 

 subject, of the advantage of having a command of water, shall 

 be discussed in the following section. 



3. Construction of the farm-house. The propriety of ha- 

 ving suitable accommodations for the farmer, his family, and 

 his servants, in proportion to the rent he pays, need not be 

 insisted upon. In the construction of the dwelling-house, uti- 



