The Florida agriculturist., 1907-05-22
Healthy Farm Homes.

should be such as to ensure its health
fulness. 1t is important to make
money, for without it the home will
be destitute OF comforts, but a COM
Portable home, without good health, is
misnomer. Therefore the following
from the Farm News is important and
contains some valuable hints:
On many of the farms of this coun-
try every year along in the summer
time, especially just after haying,
there is more or less sickness. Some
times only one member Of the family
may be sick; often a number will sue
cumb. The other members of the fam
lily are worn out caring for those who
are sick. In some cases the trelghbors
come in and help to make the burden
lighter. Always the doctor is the one
man of all who profits by the condi
ton OF things.
Usually we take this sickness as
matter of course We say it had to be
SO and make the best OF it we can.
Sickness must come Ali we can do is
to meet it and wage the. battle ITO the
best possible advantage If death
comes, we call it dlspensation of
Providence and shed ot1r tears accord
ingly.
But, fellow farmers, this matter is
not one that we may SO lightly slip
out Of We are ourselves to blame for
a great deal of the disease that comes
to us. Now, | know there are those
who will say that this is an extreme
statement. 1t is not 1t is fully within
the bounds Of reason and good COM
mon sense. | can prove that it is SO.
Let us be frank and fair about this
question. Go out and look about your
own farm surroundings. Do you real
ly think they are ideal from sanitary
piont of view? There is the well, for
example. When was it cleaned out!
Do you know that it is SO well protec-
ted from outside influences that no foul
water ever gets into it? What do you
do with the slops from your kitchen!
There are thousands and thousands of
farm homes where the dlShWater and
other even fOuler slOps are thrown
right out where they may ooze their
way down into the water Of the well.
Too bad to say it, and yet, it is so.
Every farm home should be provided
with good tight cement drain to car
ry the slops as far away as possible
from the house. If the lay OF the land
will not permit OF this, then a barrel
mounted on a set OF wheels may be
furnished and into this the slops should
be placed and wheeled away Out on the
farm before they make the air foul.
These slops are good for the land and
their removal tends to make the home
more sanitary.
And then, what about the cellar? Is
that as clean as the parlor: 1t ought
to be clean, dry and sweet. The time
is coming when we will never make a
cellar under our houses. They are a
menace to the health OF us all, make
the best OF them we can. But till that
time comes, every precaution should
be taken to keep out everything that
will make for disease. The light must
be let in and good provision made for
letting in the air regularly.
Still another source of disease is the
hog pen How often the foul smell
from these pens drifts up to the house.
You do not need to go to the door to
get the 'odor. 1t comes into the house
every time the windows or doors are
opened. The hoghouses should be as
far away from the house as possible.
They should be kept as neat and clean
as they can be. This will take time;
but it is time spent to better advantage
than waiting ON the sick.
The barn stables often breed dis
ease. Many OF them are terribly un-
clean. We are coming to know this
at least the people who use Our milk
and butter are, and they are insisting