42 CHOOSING A POULTRY FARM 



the farm, and developing the farm already owned, becomes a 

 vital question, and should receive close and careful consideration. 



The Farm as a Home. When considering the location with 

 reference to the home life and associations of the community, the 

 following factors should be considered: First, social life of the 

 community; second, the educational facilities; and, third, the 

 moral and religious life of the community. All of the above 

 factors have a direct bearing upon the mode of living and upon 

 family associations. 



The Community Socially. Life in rural communities in years 

 past has been more or less of an isolated existence, but with the 

 development of better means of communication and transporta- 

 tion the possibility for social development and personal inter- 

 course among farmers has developed rapidly, and the farmer 

 and his family have ceased to become a unit for social and educa- 

 tional development which formerly was the case. This possibility 

 of a greater social development has emphasized the importance, 

 when choosing a farm, for the poult ryman to investigate carefully 

 the social possibilities of the community and for him to be sure, 

 at least, that they will be on an equality with the conditions to 

 which he has been accustomed, and of a standard which he would 

 like to maintain. 



Personality of Prospective Neighbors. In the country, 

 neighborly interest and intercourse are much more developed 

 than in the urban communities, and hence it behooves the pur- 

 chaser, when deciding upon the community in which to locate, 

 to study the habits and customs of his prospective neighbors, 

 to investigate their mode and standard of living, and to see 

 whether they will be the means of maintaining his own standards 

 of living, rather than lowering them. Pleasant, kindly neighbors 

 add much to the pleasure of living in the country, which at the 

 best is quiet and somewhat isolated. A study of land tenure is 

 also desirable, for the presence of farmers operating their own 

 farms in a community usually means much more progressive agri- 

 culture than where tenants naturally predominate. "Neighbors 

 signify much more in country life than in city life." 



Social Organizations. The development of social organiza- 

 tions of different natures has been very rapid in agricultural 

 communities during the past few years, and the poultryman, in 

 choosing his location, can measure to a considerable extent the 

 personality and intellectual development of the community by 



