VoL. LXXVI. 
NEW YORK, JUNE SO, 1917. 
No. 44S(5. 
Rearranging the Farm 
Mobilizing the Waste Places 
HANGING CONDITIONS.—The average East¬ 
ern farm, if not actualls' badly arranged, could 
be much improved by rearrangement. This is true 
because when many of the farms were laid out, 
natural obstacles which have since disappeared in¬ 
terfered with the work, and a large amount of 
handwork was done, which made for smaller fields 
than are best now; or because the type of farming 
has changed; or because parcels of land have been 
sold from an originally good layout, spoiling its 
good shape. Originally the East Avas heavily wood¬ 
ed, and had to be cleared when settled. Some land 
would be rather easy to clear, and so would be put 
will be found excellent for general types of farm¬ 
ing. S(iuare fields, if they can be cut in half for 
plowing, are good, because they can be fenced most 
economically: but they should be large, .so that the 
number of turns Avill be kept down. Triangular and 
irregular fields waste time in plowing, because the 
number of turns are increased. Irregular fields are 
especially wasteful of fencing because of the extra 
number of corner posts needed, which require care¬ 
ful bracing. 
REDUCING FENCING.—In regard to fence.s, it 
is probably safe to as.sert that on most farms the 
amount could be reduced and the quality of what 
was left improved, with a good deal of benefit all 
around. First of all, a good line fence is essential; 
after that it pays to consider carefully before put- 
Avill disappear of itself in time naturally; but Uie 
latter presents more of a problem. However, the 
stone can be u.scd in building and making improve¬ 
ments on the farm, and used in road building; or 
it could be hauled to a permanent stone pile on a 
poor piece of land, rather than be allowed to oc- 
cupy good land. I know of several cases where 
stone walls have been carted off and crushed for 
road metal; and I know of one instance where the 
owner Avas paid for his stone I It costs from 2.5 
cents to a dollar or more per rod to clear out stone 
Avails and hedgerows, depending upon the amount 
of Avork to be done and the use to Avhich the mate¬ 
rial can be put. The land gained, ea.se of Avorking 
the field, and freedom from imsts Avill .soon make up 
the cost. 
Fishing in a Florida River. Fig. 332 
under cultivation first. Naturally, th's resulted in 
irregular fields; and in many cases, even after the 
rest of the land Avas cleared, the old lines remained 
as they Avere. This is especially true Avhere stones 
from the fields Avere piled along the fence, or made 
into stone Avall.s. It is likeAvise true tnat originally 
most of the AA'ork Avas done by hand; but since labor- 
saving machinery came into general use on farms, 
it is important that fields be of good size and as 
regular as possible, in order that machinery may be 
used to best advantage, time saved in Avorking, and 
the amount of fencing needed be reduced. 
LAYING OUT FIELDS.— Long fields save time in 
plowing, because feAver turns are made than Avith 
other proportions ; SO rods or more is a good length, 
and if the width is half the length, the pi’oportion 
ting up any .sort of permanent structure. On stock 
farms, fences betAveen fields are usually necessary; 
but Avhere little or no stock is kept they are often 
not only unnecessary but a decided disadvantage. 
Fences are costly to put up, costly to maintain, re¬ 
quire expensive hand mowing eveiy year to keep 
them in shape, and Ava.ste land. A 10-foot fence 
row around a 10-acro- field half as Avide as it is 
long, Avill occupy, roughly, a half acre of land, Avorth, 
perhaps, fifty dollar.?. 
DISADYANTAGE.S OF FENCES.— If the fence 
is groAvn up Avith bushes, there Avill not only be a 
reduction of the crops along the ro\A', but insects 
and diseases will be harbored there, to cause dam¬ 
age. Perhaps the Avorst offenders are the Avonn 
fence and the stone Avail. The former of course 
THE BRUSH LOT.—On some farms brush lots or 
poor Avoodlots occupy land too valuable for such 
purposes; they can gradually be put under cultiAxi- 
tion. Often, hoAvever, land is Avorked that is so steep 
or rough that it would pay better to put it in pas¬ 
ture or Avoodlot. 
LAND WASTERS. —Very often a spring makes a 
marshy place in a field, Avhen a few days’ time spent 
in draining it off Avould enable the Avhole field to be 
put under cultivation. Another land Ava.ster is the 
open ditch, usually running diagonally across a 
field, and often Avith an accompanying hedgeroAV. 
In very many cases such a ditch could be made into 
a coA’ered stone or tile drain, so that the land gained 
and the ease of Avorking the field would soon pay 
the cost. Still another land waster is a tree in the 
