848 SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



vide for legumes, such as beans and peas, every third or fourth year, so as 

 to avoid the successive plantings of cabbage, cauliflower and other crops 

 that are likely to be affected with diseases as a result of continuous cropping. 



It is generally advisable to fence the garden against poultry. This is 

 better than to confine the poultry within a limited enclosure. After the 

 planting season is over and the garden crops are well established, there are 

 periods of time when poultry may be more beneficial in the garden than 

 harmful. Young chickens catch many insects and feed upon quantities 

 of weeds and weed seeds, and except for injury to the fruits or berries, may 

 do little harm in the garden. 



Grouping the Buildings. — The farm buildings should be grouped with 

 reference to economy in doing the chores and with the object of good appear- 

 ance. Both of these features call for careful consideration. From the 

 architectural standpoint, it may be wise to consult the landscape architect, 

 but from the standpoint of economy in work, no one is better able to calcu- 

 late the position of the several buildings and their distance from each other 

 in relation to economy in the work than is the farmer himself. The horse 

 barn, machine shed and shop should be located near each other and on the 

 main lane that leads to the largest number of fields. This arrangement 

 reduces to the minimum the time in caring for the horses and machinery 

 and connecting them up with the field work. The buildings in which ani- 

 mals are sheltered, and those used for storing feed are generally visited 

 several times daily throughout the year. A few yards added to the distance 

 between those visited in this way means many miles in the course of a year. 

 One needs only to make some calculations in order to ascertain how much 

 tune can be saved by a better arrangement and lessening the distance 

 between buildings. It is always wise, however, to have the barns 100 feet 

 or more distant from the house or any other buildings in which fire is main- 

 tained at any time during the year. This lessens the danger of loss by 

 fires and furthermore reduces the insurance rates on barns and outbuildings. 



All of the buildings should be in keeping with the farm. The size of 

 the farm and the value of the land will determine in a large measure the 

 size and quality of the buildings. It is seldom wise to build an expensive 

 house or barn on a small farm or on cheap land. This principle holds even 

 in city building where it is not considered good business to build an expen- 

 sive house on a cheap lot, or vice versa. 



In all parts of the country are found farms which are over-capitalized 

 with buildings, and it is not unusual to see a farm advertised for sale, the 

 buildings on which cost more than is asked for the farm. These are exam- 

 ples of farm buildings that were either illy adapted to the type of farming or 

 too expensive to enable the farm to maintain them. 



It is always wise to provide ample shelter and sufficient storage to meet 

 the needs of the type of farming. Storage capacity often enables the 

 farmer to hold his products for the best market prices. In starting the 

 new farm, however, it is better to defer building until one is sure of what he 



