282 THE BOOK OF THE LANDED ESTATE. 



14. The Cost of the Farm-Steading. Under any circumstances it is an 

 expensive affair to erect either a whole or a part of a farm-steading. 

 Where old buildings exist, these are, for the sake of economy, made to 

 stand as part of the new steading, and additions are made to them. Old 

 buildings are often so inferior, and so very much out of place in the 

 position they may occupy, and also not up to the requirements of 

 the age in many respects, that it is judicious to carefully consider 

 whether they should not be removed altogether, and to have an entire 

 new steading made complete. Generally speaking, it will be found 

 the best plan to have an entirely new set of offices, but of course 

 this must be decided upou according to the nature of the existing 

 buildings. 



In the erection of new farm-buildings, it should be studied to have 

 them all strong and substantial, and ample accommodation given to 

 each building, according to its requirements ; but no extravagant orna- 

 mentation should be gone into, as this is merely a waste of money ; and 

 when a tenant-farmer has to pay interest upon it, it certainly is not fair 

 and just to require him to do so. It is always wise to keep cheapness 

 in mind in the erection of this class of buildings, as well as in any other 

 transaction ; but at the same time it is false economy to allow utility 

 and substantiality to give place to cheapness. 



No rule can be set down as to what the cost of any size of steading 

 will be, even if the plan and specification are given, unless the site and 

 locality of the proposed buildings are shown. There are many items 

 which affect the cost of buildings considerably, and amongst these may 

 be stated the nature of the foundations and site ; the nature and quality 

 of the stone ; whether they are to be built of stone or brick ; the dis- 

 tance the stone, brick, lime, sand, timber, slates, and all other materials 

 have to be carted. It is with this as with dwelling-houses and cottages, 

 each estate has its advantages and disadvantages in the procuring of 

 materials for building, and consequently the cost of either must be more 

 or less according to circumstances. 



It is, however, the case with farm-buildings as with the enclosure of 

 a field or plantation the larger the field or plantation embraced within 

 the fence, the less will be the cost per acre ; and so it is with farm- 

 buildings the larger the farm, the less will be the cost per acre of the 

 expense of erecting a steading upon it. 



It may, however, be stated, as being very near the truth, that to erect 

 suitable buildings for the extent of each farm, and that for farms of 

 mixed husbandry, the following are about the rates per acre under 

 ordinary circumstances : 



Mixed-husbandry farms of from eight hundred to one thousand acres 



