IMPROVED FARM HOMESTEADS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3106, 11 June 1881, Page 4

IMPROVED FARM HOMESTEADS.

It is greatly to be regretted that farmers in Australia, as a class, bestow so little attention upon their homesteads, the majority of which are arranged in the most " rough and ready manner," with an almost total disregard of convenience and comfort. Ap a matter of course, a selector of limited means, for a year or two after taking up hi* farm, must he prepared to make shift with poor accomodation, and contentment under Buch circumstances is a virtue. There is no reason, however, that this state of affairs should continue after the heavy preliminary "work of settlement is finished, and the farmer ought as soon as convenient endeavor to make himself and his family as comfortable as possible. Too large a proportion of Australian farmers, through having to rough it in the early stages of settlement, get so used to a rough life that they are content t(pass their days with the most_ primitive accommodation, instead of making a comfortable homestead. A convenient residence, well situated, with cheerful surroundings, is what is required on every farm to make a family happy and contented, and to lighten the burden of toil. Instead of this, however, a large proportion of our farmers are content to dwell in huts of the rudest description, having few and inconvenient rooms and furnished very scantily. In many cases the accommodation is out of proportion to the number of persons, and as a consequence, the family must suffer in health and morals As a rule, no attempt is made to obtain n home supply of vegetables and fruit b> planting a garden and orchard, and though fruit is plentiful it is not varied sufficiently for the health, of the family. In arranging a f<irm homestead, comfort, convenience, and health should he studied far more than is the rule at present among Australian settlers. On most farms an eligible spot for the purpose can generally be found, but in too many eases the place selected is quite unsuitable. An elevated spot gives a great advantage, as in such a position quick and thorough drainage is secured —a matter of no small consoquence to the health of the farmer's household. After selecting a suitable site, the size and character of the dwelling-house must be the next consideration ; and though, as a matter of course, requirements will vary, the rule should be to have ample accommodation. Capacious rooms, and plenty of them, in which the family can live and sleep comfortably, artnecessary for the health of the family. < Jutbuildings Buch as stables, cowsheds, pigstyes, &c, though necessary adjuncts to a farm homestead, should be arranged in such a position that they will not prove a sourer of annoyance. Too frequently these buildings arc in close proximity to the farmer'? dwelling-house, and the exhalations from them are both unpleasant and injurious to health. Ano-her strong reason for keeping these buildings away from the dwellinghouse is, that tbey are breeding-grounds for flies, which during tho summer months are Buch an intolerable pest in many localities. As there is always plenty of land available on a farm, there is no excuse for crowding the necessary outbuildings and the dwellinghouse together. The water supply for a homestead is another important consideration, and the farmer should endeavor not only to obtain enough to supply his wants but also to get it as pure as possible. Pure water is as necessary to health as good food and fresh air, and many diseases are engendered when it is taken from an impure source. Though it is not always an easy matter to obtain an absolutely pure supply, yet much may be often done by a little care and foresight to prevent contamination. When there is no natural supply it has to be provided artificially, the most common method being by a dam or wate'rhdle. Most people endeavor to obtain water as near td the house as possible, and baring only this object in view no precautions are taken in many cases to preserve its purity. A hollow spot is chosen very often, which receives the surface drainage, of an area covered with the excreta of animals and other filth, and, as a matter of course, the water is impure. Water collected in this way will, perhaps, after a time, get clear and appear wholesome, but it must necessarily contain the germs of disease. Contamination in the way we have described may be prevented in a great measure by forming dams and water-holes in localities where no surface filth can drain into them, and preventing the access of animals by secure fences. A farm homestead should also include a garden and orchard, and seeing that there is always land available for this purpose, there is no excuse for not providing a home supply of vegetables and fruit. The farmer has plenty of space at his command for all purposes, and though in these times he is not in a very flourishing condition, there is no reason why he should not make himself as comfortable as possible by a little care in arranging his homestead. —Federal Australian.