Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-08-31

In spite of all the advancement which
has taken place by reason of scientific
research man has found it extremely diff
ficult to improve on nature. Left to
her own devices she provides beautiful
Landscapes and wonderful forests con-
tanning a great variety of trees, shrubs
and flowers. Under her benign influ-
ence the scars produced by storm or
flood are quickly healed. When man
comes on the scene conditions are chang
ed and the washes and guliies with
which we are so familiar that they al
most fail to attract our attention be-
come a distinguishing mark of the land
scape.
| Why should this frightful waste of
our stores of potential wealth be per-
mitted to continue? Is 1t not self evil
dent that the destruction of our soils
| is lessening the efficiency of our peo-
Pile. making the country less and less
attractive and so tending to drive the
man away from the soil to the town
where we have a make-believe civiliZa-
| ton and endeavor in some sort of fash
ion to make homes more attractive and
| living conditions more desirable. DIT
seems to me that the neglect of the
| country is in large measure due to the
| fact that the study of the aesthetic side
of things has been too long overlooked.
One who proposed a consideration of
| problems of this character would in
many instances be thought effeminate,
and fit subject for jeers rather than
| for serious consideration. Has the time
not come when this train of public
| thought must be corrected and when
some systematic effort must be made to
beautify the rural home and the farm,
! thereby making them so attractive that
the rising generation will not care to
leave the delightful environment in
which they have grown up for the
superficial attractions which city life
affords.
To make any progress in the direc-
ton indicated, some systematic effort
must be put forth by the various con-
structive agencies towards developing
the open country along lines which
will preserve and add to its natural
beauty To this end the division of
horticulture of the Georgia State Col
lege of Agriculture has undertaken to
| prepare plans for a model farmstead
and for a small home suited to the
towns and villages dotted over the COM
monwealth.
1t is we'll known that the farm home
| is often set out in an open field, is un-
painted, lacking in shade and unadorned
by flowers and shrubs. 1t is frequently
in the worst location imaginable as to
sanitation and water supply, and is
| farm barns are no better suited to the
needs they are intended to serve, while
the homestead is without an orchard or
garden. 1t is not surprising that under
such conditions the boys and girls
should feel that the city offers greater
attraction and that their one ambition
ir life should be to get away from the
old farm. All this could be changed
at a comparatively small outlay; an
1 III. 20 arc
could make now Those who cannot I'M
dertake to make the needed expenditures
Immediately could work to this end If
they had a definite ideal in view be-
cause nature would do much of the
identifying herself al a very small cost
| If given an opportunity.
Let us consider, therefore, what
should be included to provide for a mod
ern farm home adapted to the needs of
Georgia in order that some definite con-
ception may be in mind and the neces-
sary provisions made by the ambitious
| farmer. First of ALL of course, his
buildings should be located in proper
relation to the cultivated fields; his
home grounds should be sufficiently
large to provide for a fairly good-sized
lawn. The building site should be ele-
vated and. therefore, well drained and
convenient to water furnished by a
be located with reference to convenience
to the public road, the school, church
| and nearest market town. and should be
at least 100 feet back from the main
driveway. This lessons the dust and
also provides a reasonable degree of
privacy. The barn should be at least
100 feet from the home in the rear of
the house and should be constructed
with the idea of having the odors aris-
| in arrfh he
by the prevailing wind. There should
be provision made on every farm for
an implement she'd for a silo, hog house
and paddock, poultry yard, garden, hot
bed and cold frames, smoke house and
garage. These buildings should be
grouped conveniently to each other and
within easy access to the house and
barn, but plenty of space should be left
between them so as to lessen the danger
from fire. The hog house should nat
urally be furtherest away from the
house.
AS to the type of house to build much
will depend on individual taste, but
probably a seven-room house will an
| swer for most farm homes in a satisfac-
| tory manner. 1t should be well lighted
and ventilated and have a large, cool
kitchen. The barn should provide &C
commodation for at least six horses or
mules. eight to ten cows, sufficient feed
pens for young stock, and loft capable
of storing 100 to 125 tons of hay. The
silo should have a capacity of sixty tons
and upward. The hog house should be
large enough to take care of twelve
sows, and the poultry house of from
seventy to eighty hens The garage
should be large enough to house a mod
erate-sized car and should also contain
work shop. The grounds should be
securely fenced. Cement posts can he
used for this purpose and extra heavy
electrically-wel wire.
A house. 40x52 feet and with modern
conveniences will cost about $1,000. The
barn should be about 40x60 feet and the
silo 12x26. Together they would rep
resent an outlay of 1915. An implement
shed 16x32 feet would cost about $50:
hog house 2Sx50. $500; a poultry
house 12x20. $50; a smoke house 1Ox21.
s75. and a garage 2Ox32, s125. Some 1O5
rods of fencing and gates would cost
about 800, making a total of s3.0S5.
In laying off the grounds an open
lawn should be provided for in front of
the house. Some shade trees should be
planted along the main road, but the eX-
panse of lawn should not be broken by
flower beds, trees or shrubs. The plant
ing around the house and other buildings