VMVMNKEH.N.r. 
THIRD 
VOL. II. 
€u SmpncB tjiB inil ml tk Mini. 
ALBANY, JANUARY, 1854. 
SERIES. 
NO. I. 
Rural Conveniences and Animal Comforts. 
ERY few persons fully realize the beau ideal of 
comfort in the country, although it is by no 
means very difficult of attainment. Luxuries of 
the first class, may be supplied by the fruit and 
kitchen garden, the orchard, and through a well-kept 
stock of domestic animals. We do not allude to the 
common, slip-shod and imperfect way in which these 
sullies are obtained; that is, by means of late and 
stunted vegetables in a weedy and unmanured garden, 
or fruit of a doubtful character, on neglected, moss- 
grown, unpruned trees, and every thing else of a simi¬ 
lar style of production. These cannot be called luxu¬ 
ries, and even the inhabitant of dense cities, who sees 
only brick walls, and one small patch of clear sky just 
overhead, may get much better at. the nearest market, 
on the corner of the next street. What we allude to, 
are articles of much higher perfection—the best early 
vegetables from the' hot bed; the most delicious raised 
in the open garden; fruits of the most improved vari¬ 
eties, under the best cultivation, and comprising the 
whole yearly circle, from the. earliest strawberries and 
cherries, through the profusion of sorts that ripen in 
summer and autumn, to the finest long-keeping apples 
and pears. Every one, almost, has plenty of fruit 
during a certain brief period in autumn, and some 
have a partial or occasional supply through a large 
portion of the year; but very few are able to place a 
fine dish of the best upon their tables for every day of 
the year. The animals of the farm contribute their 
share ; “the flowing cup, fresh from the dairy virgin’s 
liberal hand,” as Armstrong expresses it; real genuine 
cream for the strawberries, and not the market mixture 
of chalk and milk; a fowl for the table, when needed, 
and plenty of fresh eggs from the poultry house at all 
times; these all contributo much to the comfort of 
country life. But those are not all; the neat residence, 
the well kept ornamental grounds, the well furnished 
rooms, the intellectual food of books and papers, all 
have a large share in making up the complete whole. 
But while the country resident is providing for his 
own convenience, he should not forget the comfort of 
his domestic animals. It is always gratifying to see 
the same complete system of convenience in a farmery, 
as in the most perfect and best kept family residence. 
Warm, well ventilated, well littered stables, thorough¬ 
ly cleaned at least twice, but better three times a day, 
are not so rare as ample provision for the smaller ani¬ 
mals. All animals are most liable to disease, and most 
subject to a loss of flesh, when suffering from any kind 
of discomfort, among the most prominent of which are 
badly cleaned floors and an impure atmosphere. Good 
milk is not to be expected, nor good butter to be made 
from cows suffering under these unfavorable influences. 
A very rare thing is a clean, inoffensive piggery. Eve- 
ry pig-house should have a smooth, hard floor, so as to 
be constantly scraped and swept, by the easiest possi¬ 
ble removal of the accumulations. Where several 
inches of peat or turf are deposited, for them to root 
and burrow in, (when the weather is not freezing.) this 
should never be allowed to remain long enough to cre¬ 
ate an unpleasant odor, and a hard floor will contribute 
much towards its easy removal. How much better 
would be such special provision as this, than the more 
common practice of allowing swine to roam the barn¬ 
yard among cattle, seeking shelter and cleanliness, but 
finding none. Fowls are very sensitive to cold and 
discomfort. We have examined many well made poul¬ 
try-houses, but scarcely one kept constantly sweet and 
clean. It costs but little more to remove a peck of 
hen-guano, in light semi-daily instalments, than at one 
weekly and disagreeable operation. Sheep would grow 
and thrive, and survive our winters enough better to 
pay for artificial shelter in a year or two, if comforta¬ 
ble sheds and dry yards were provided for them, and 
sufficient divisions made for keeping the various classes 
of weak and strong, young and old, separate. 
Complete ranges of buildings to furnish ample pro¬ 
vision for all these purposes, should be regarded as a 
sine qua non of every good farm; and if the tools and 
implements, also, could be only regarded as having 
some degree of sensation, perhaps better care would bo 
taken, and better shelter be provided for them. Carts, 
wagons, and plows; rakes, hoes, and forks; harrows, 
cultivators, and drills, should as much have special 
rooms provided for them, in which they should be care¬ 
fully kept when not in use, as the favorite horse. 
There is one other room of a different character, 
which should never be omitted on any farm of conside¬ 
rable size, but of which nearly ©very one is entirely 
destitute. This is a business office^ attached to the 
