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of construction and in the distances traveled in going to and from the fields. It in, 
therefore, one of the things to which attention should be directed in our institutions 
of learning. 
Closely related to the arrangement of fields is the construction and grouping of 
farm houses and farm buildings, not only to secure efficiency and economy, but to 
contribute to the healthfulness and attractiveness of farm lite. There is no doubt 
that present conditions in these particulars in the United States arc inferior to those 
in most European countries, and it is equally certain that improving the conditions 
of farm life will have much to do with determining whether the exodus of people 
from the country to the cities will be checked or become greater in the future than 
in the past. 
In the construction of farm buildings, both barns and houses, the farmer is almost 
entirely dependent on his own knowledge and ingenuity in preparing plans and often 
in their execution. The designing of city buildings is largely in the hands of archi- 
tects and engineers, and they are constructed by expert mechanics. They have, 
therefore, a finish and convenience which add largely to the attractiveness of city 
life. In the country, however, exactly the reverse is true. The great majority of 
farm buildings are unsatisfactory, whether considered from the standpoint of appear- 
ance, durability, adaptability to the work to be done, healthfulness, or pleasantness for 
the occupants. Some problems in connection with farm buildings need careful study. 
Among these is ventilation. The fact is we do not know either the effect of poor 
ventilation or the most efficient means of securing good ventilation. But the majority 
of the improvements to be wrought do not require research so much as the applica- 
tion of skill and ingenuity in design. One illustration of this is the fact that nothing 
is of more service in a home than a convenient water system. Much of the dislike 
which many women have to farm life comes, consciously or unconsciously, from the 
heavy work of handling water in cooking and washing, all of which could be easily 
saved by the adoption of readily available means. There is no reason why a farm 
house should not be as attractive as a city house, and there is no reason why the 
grounds surrounding farm houses should not be made as attractive as city parks. It 
is largely because farm life and the farm home are not attractive that many of the 
enterprising, aggressive youth of the country flock to the cities. 
Heretofore nearly all farm buildings have been built of wood. A change in this 
direction is inevitable in the near future. Timber is becoming scarce and costly and 
must be supplemented by brick, stone, or concrete. We ought to begin in the near 
future to determine the relative value and cost of these different materials, and this 
is particularly a work for the colleges and stations. The character of farm buildings 
has also changed greatly in the past quarter of a century. Formerly they were sim- 
ply storage places for grain or shelters for live stock. With the introduction of feed 
cutters, silos, power churns, centrifugal cream separators, and scores of other 
machines formerly unknown, these buildings are becoming as complex in their 
designs and uses as factories, and there is need of scientific study to determine the 
most economical designs to fulfill these different requirements. 
Another reason for strengthening these courses of study is the fact that all of the 
public lands susceptible of cultivation in their natural condition have been taken up, 
so that this outlet for our growing population is closed. We have, however, large 
areas of land which, when drained or irrigated, can be settled upon and cultivated. 
The importance of irrigation is manifest from the statement that in two-fifths of the 
United States it is an absolute necessity to the existence of civilized life, and there 
is every reason to believe that it is destined to be an important means of increasing 
production throughout the w r hole country. But in order that fields may be irrigated 
they must be smoothed so that water will flow over them ; and in order that the best 
results may be obtained, the methods of applying water to crops to secure the great- 
est economy in use and the largest yields must be studied, and the mutual relation 
of peoples who depend on the same water supply must be ascertained in order that 
we may have institutions which will secure harmony and justice. 
An excellent beginning in the study of these questions has been made in a few 
institutions and by the Office of Experiment Stations, but there is a great field for 
the extension of both instruction and research and for a broader cooperation between 
the Department and the State institutions in both the cultural and engineering sides 
of this branch of agriculture. 
Of wider application and scarcely less importance is the subject of drainage. The 
marsh and overflowed lands along our seacoast and the bottom lands bordering 
many of our rivers are at present unsightly, unproductive, and in some instances a 
menace to the health of surrounding districts. They need only to be diked and 
drained to be the most valuable lands in the country. The carrying out of these 
improvements will add immensely to the agricultural values of the country, and the 
work is certain to be undertaken in the near future. It involves, however, a larger 
