/nf,. XXXV. No. 17. > 
VJAOJBE ISO. 1422. f 
NEW YORK CITY, APlilL 28, 1877, 
Pit ICE SIX CENTS 
*2.50 PER YEAR. 
[Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1877, by the Rural Publishing Company, in the oflice of the Librarian of Conirress at Washington.] 
'ihi'ol la'dntfdiirf, 
R ’IHRAL HOMES. 
To a farmer abob * lto build a house - tho firflt 
consideration is with . W< rd to its size and style 
in relation to the am wwt of moa »? he foo]8 
able or disposed to ape. ^ ,on erection. If 
just starting in the bush '•o'*’ At is seldom that 
his means will allow him to bv#est much of his 
capital in constructing a hOb ^ *ud 
family. In this easo he is guriei ^'ivVisposed to 
rest content with a very modest si >i ' !0 twe at the 
outset, in the pleasant hope that e> * Hll o- 
ccss iu his undertiikiiig will enable him IMitty'lace 
or supplement it with a liner and more <MUWW> 
dious building. But, however humble ^ ‘Aw 
homestead, it is a matter of importance ti 'wt thc 
most eligible site should be selected for it. 
is essential, both for immediate health, cotnl V-t, 
and convenience, and also because man's natiu ' w 
affection for the spot whore ho dwells, as well as ’ 
the position of tho necessary outbuildings and 
other improvements, will, most likely, render the 
site of the first erection that likewise of any 
more costly successor. 
The conditions of its situation may be conve¬ 
niently divided into two classes: the permanent 
and tho improvable. Under the first are ar¬ 
ranged the lay of the ground, tho climate, and 
tho aspect; and under tho second, the nature of 
tho soil, the drainage, and the supply of water. 
It may be held as a rule of very general applica¬ 
tion that the homestead should he placed on a 
to be met with than on higher* ground. The 
amount of moisture iu the air is the chief factor 
in determining tho local climate, and this often 
varies considerably within tho limits even of a 
moderate-sized farm. A humid climate is al¬ 
ways unhealthy, and nothing short of absolute 
necessity should over lead to tho erection of a 
dwelling-house in such a location. 
Iu every district there is a certain point from 
which, owing often to local peculiarities, storms 
are more frequent than from auy other. This 
once ascertained, the aspect, chosen for the 
house should be that best adapted to afford shel¬ 
ter under the circumstances. In southern lati¬ 
tudes, a northern exposure may be agreeable, on 
account of Its coolness ; but in the Northern and 
Middle States the best aspect, undoubtedly, is 
where the principal front of the building faces 
the southeast, as, in that position, the sun will 
shine on all its sides successively, in the course of 
the day, insuring freedom from dampness and a 
.peyteot circulation of air throughout every room. 
The position of tho homestead is often deter¬ 
mined by existing roads and divisions of tho 
farm, irrCspo- Ilvo of tho eligibility of tho situa¬ 
tion , lmt this is a practice which should meet 
w Mh bat little favor from a sensible man, as tho 
. u j ventages derived from this source are few and 
on ]y occasional, while those from a good site arc 
numeiYsm and constant. While a cheerful and 
picture M ue prospect is always desirable, if this 
can be ol >teiu*d ouly by exposure, or by sacrific¬ 
ing geniah’V of aspect, it is much better that it 
should bo foregone. Tho best soil on which to 
erect a dwell)txg is that which is in itself the 
driest, and the worst that which in most retentive 1 
gards the latter, the subsoil is sometimosof more 
importance than the soil, us tho latter can bo 
improved by drainage and manuring ; while the 
former, if bad, is an effectual harrier to the 
thriving of timber trees, which, for the sake of 
sheltor and ornament, should find a place near 
ovory homestead. These, however, should he 
neither so close nor dense as to produce damp¬ 
ness, or prevent a freo circulation of air. 
Even the worst soils can he improved by a 
careful system of drainage; and however much 
this may bo neglected on the farm, the immedi¬ 
ate neighborhood of the dwelling-house should 
always ho thoroughly drained, not only to get 
rid of the refuse water from tho buildings, hut 
also to lesson tho humidity of the soil. Inatten¬ 
tion to this on the farm affects mainly the. pocket 
of its owner; but neglect of it about his home 
endangers his own health and that of his family. 
When a stream of good quality is not available, 
the certainty of the existence of an abundant 
supply of water, in the immediate neighborhood 
of the house, should always bo established by 
digging, driving or boring, as a preliminary 
measure, and tho well should be completed be¬ 
fore the building is begun. If this precaution is 
adopted, a well can be sunk in tho site of the 
prospective kitchen, in most parts of tho country, 
by the process of driving, and the females of the 
household will thereby be saved much needless 
drudgery and exposure in all kinds of weather. 
The foregoing remarks are applicable to all 
rural homesteads, but as it is our wish and hope 
that every farmer shall, ere the close of his life, 
be able to enjoy the blessings of an elegant and 
commodions home, we give in this issue an illua- 
The site of our building has been choson ao- 
oordiug to the principles above stated, the natu¬ 
ral growth of vegetation and irregularity of 
ground surface being made available for pictur¬ 
esque effect. The immediate vieiuity of tho 
house is given up to the small treos aud shrub¬ 
bery, while large trees are a little remote. The 
cheerfulness of the scene is greatly enhanced by 
the presence of streams. As to the internal 
division and arrangement of the house wo will 
ouly give a few general hints. Tho kitchen 
should bo a commodious and especially conveni¬ 
ent apartment. It ought indeed to be the pivotal 
foature of every house, and its location with ref¬ 
erence to the other apartmonta should have this 
iu viow. We do not mention tho dining-room, 
cellar, laundry, pantry, fuel-room, etc., eto., as 
those are so intimately connected with tho kitch¬ 
en as virtually to bo a part of it. Tho bed-room 
stands next in importance to tho kitchen. This 
close juxtaposition of bed-room and kitchen 
may excite the smiles of our fomalo readers. 
But do they not iu reality constitute the house 'if 
All else in comparison is of minor consequence. 
To tho bed-rooms, we insist, should be allotted 
the very best portions of tho house, la a house 
on tho scale of that we illustrate, a bed-room 
may ha , ; ts appropriate adjuncts of bath-room 
closets, Uvea a work and sitting room 
might he ono of these. Iu the proper disposition 
and management of these two essential parts of 
a house, the kitchen and bed-room, lie health, 
comfort, and pretty much all that makes a home 
desirable. 
Such a house as we have under consideration, 
of course implies the setting apart of rooms for 
A YIODEL RURAL HOMESTEAD, 
gently sloping surface, n<n .uiuoh higher, how- I of moisture. Gravel and clay are the extremes, tration of such a building. Iu the struggles of t general social purposes, and we do not underrate 
ever, than the general elevation of the farm, and a soil is well adapted for building on, espe- early life it is well that each man should have a their importance. We will not, however, speak 
The labor of bringing home-the, crops is thus cially in reference to health, just in proportion definite object in view on whose attainment all m detail of these; but we cannot refrain from 
rendered lighter, and moreover, in such a situa- as it recedes from the latter. Regard should also his energies should be concentrated, and the adding in conclusion that tho parlor, as popu- 
tion, water, shelter, aud other requisites for be had to the suitableness of the soil for garden nobleBt aim is the establishment of an attractive larly conceived and carried out. is a traditional 
oomfort and convenience are much more likely purposes and for the growth of trees. As re- and comfortable home for himself and family. vanity, meaningless and abominable. 
