The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1895-03-15
FARM BUILDINGS,
AN ESSAY BY HON f. SNOwDEN HILL, READ
BEFORE THE FARMERS INSTITUTE At
BELTSNIIIE, FEBRUARY 9TH, 1895.

BELTsvIILE, FEBRUARY 9TH, 1895.
The Importance of well planned and well
constructed farm buildings is admitted by
every one. Of course the subject varies
with localities, and remarks adapted to
one section, will not suit another. |. there
fore, wish to be understood as adj
dressing myself exclusively to the people
of Southern Maryland.
\ person travelling through Anne Arun-
del Calvert, st. Mary's, Charles and
Prince Georges counties will be often
struck by the temporary character of the
buildings. and their faulty construction
and he will be impressed with the fact.
that many of them must be soon replaced.
Let us hope that intelligence may guide
tle designs to be adopted, and that our
artisans may be competent and faithful
The dwellings of our farmers as a rule
have been well built. Being an old COM
munity, the houses vary much, ranging
from the brick Colonial mansion to the
modern frame cottage. Most of them are
large wooden structures, unpretentiouS in
appearance, and ill-adapted to the needs
of the present day. They were built in
times of slavery, when.the landowner was
not farmer, as we now understand that
word, and when his wife and daughter did
no more than supervise the domestic econ
Omy. Now, however, upon them often falls
IL the work of their home; and it is proper
that their labor shall be lesSened. by every
convenience possible. Foremost among
these, are economy of space, Store-rooms,
fuel, and Il system of pipes, by which pure
water is brought into the house and the
Slops carried off Our fathers did not
possess the advantages we enjoy in the
cheapness of building material, and the
skill of Architects Suburban develop
ment has necesstatcd the erection of
class of homes, adapted to the wants of a
population which comes from the cities
and continues to 90 there daily for the pur
poses of business. Possessed of means
more or less limited. yet requiring the COM
forts of town houses, they have demanded,
and architects have succeeded in design
ing cottages of moderate cost, with all
the modern improvements. These plans
are now easily obtained, and Il farmer who
til he finds one, which meets his needs
and purse Not only must works on cot
tage- e-buidin~ be carefully studied, but he
should visit some of the villages where
many specimens can be seen, and if possible
duplicate one that suits. There is Il great
advantage in doing this, the result being
seen in advance. and SO obviating those
changes in plans, which give rise to much
litigation between the owner and builder.
cannot indulge in details concerning the
the construction of these cottages. The
pants required must be as numerous as
the varying conditions of situation, needs
and means, but the following points
should not be overlooked. The roof must
not be fiat but of good elevation and pro-
iect we'll over the building. TINS furnishing
a good watershed, and protection for the
foundation. Another great advantage
consists in this should the spouts become
stopped by leaves or ice, the water from
the roof will relieve itself by running over
the leaves instead of being ponded and
escaping by percolation down the sides of
the house, if not within it. The founda-
ton should ALWAYS be of brick or stone
.,nl while effect n,uSt bp con Silnrn1 1nt
the exterior decorations be simple, and of
a nature To withstand the weather. Fl
nallv, the building should be painted. Two
coats of linsccd oil on the wood work. will
be economical as we'll Us beneficial, and
there after two coats of lead will suffice
| should use ready mixed paints taking
care to buy only those of good quality
There is always danger that painter
who mikes his own materials, will not put
enough lead or grind thoroughly. In dis
missing this branch of my subject can
not refrain from adding that no better com
binati0n of colors can be selected than a
body of colonial yellow with white trim
mings and dark green blinds
Second only in Importance to the homes
of man are those of domestic animals
Faithful and silent scrvitors, they deserve
kind and affcctionatc care. Unfortunate
ly, many do not realize that humanity and
profit are inseparabe. Our lands not being
adapted to grazing, the raising of stock
has been restricted to those proportions
required by the farms. Hence, there are
few of those large structures known as
Bank-Barns. They are built on the south
side of hill,the part under ground being of
brick or stone, while the superstructure is
of wood. The stock are kept in the base
ment, the upper portion being used for the
storage of hay, straw and grain. Such