462 AGRICULTURE 



3. The Farm Home 



Successful farming must make the home the center of 

 all interest and effort. The final purpose of increasing the 

 fertility of the soil, raising good crops, and producing fine 

 herds and flocks is to make a better home thereby. Little 

 is gained by making more money, buying more land and 

 raising more stock if the home is not made to share in the 

 prosperity. 



The farmhouse. The farmhouse should be comfort- 

 able and attractive. There is little excuse in this day for 

 building houses that are ugly and repellent ; for even mod- 

 erate priced buildings can be planned to look well and at 

 the same time be convenient and homelike. The home, 

 whether large or small, should be one in which every mem- 

 ber takes pride, where happiness and contentment may 

 reign, and where the spirit of home may be fully realized. 



Plan and equipment. The farmhouse should be 

 planned for convenience. For there is much hard work to 

 be done by the housewife, and every care should be taken 

 to save her time and strength. A well organized kitchen, 

 with running water, a good sink with drainage, a kitchen 

 cabinet, plenty of table space, cupboards, oil or gas heat- 

 er for summer use, and a steam pressure or fireless cook- 

 er, is one of the first requirements in planning a house. 



Practical conveniences. The farm home should have 

 a well lighted basement with cement floor, a fully equipped 

 laundry with water-pipes and stationary tubs connected 

 with a drain, to save the lifting and carrying of water. 

 Suitable vegetable bins should be provided and so arranged 

 that they may be cooled from the outside. A bathroom is a 

 practical necessity on the farm as well as city home and can 

 be supplied with water from an elevated windmill or cistern 

 tank. A toilet and lavatory should also be a part of this 

 equipment. The telephone now belongs to the farm as 



