John Scott

“ It is needless to add that the homestead should be as near the centre of the farm as possible, and that the buildings should abut upon a hard road. Scattered buildings are very objectionable; for although fieldbarns and yards economise cartage of both crop and manure, they occasion great loss of time in attending to stock, and the stock in the outlying yards can never be so much under the master's eye as is desirable. The best arrangement for outlying fields beyond reach of the dung-cart is not outlying barn-yards, but sheepfolding and green manuring. ”

“ Arrangement of farm buildings—A great deal of labour is saved by an economical arrangement of the various compartments of a building. The various parts should be so compacted that operations dependent on each other, or following in consecutive order, should be performed in immediate proximity; and the saving of all unnecessary labour, as well as the prompt and rapid execution of work, ought always to be kept prominently in view. ”

“ The same farm which under one system maintains a certain number of sheep and cattle, and requires the labour of so many horses, may, perhaps, under a different system of husbandry, support two or three times the quantity of stock, and increase the demand proportionately for horse-labour. ”

“ Outlay on Farm Buildings—It would not be very satisfactory, perhaps, to attempt to lay down any rule as to the proportion of capital per acre which it is necessary to invest in buildings on any particular class of farm. The class of building, the material used, local circumstances, as well as the extent of the farm and the value of the land, all tend to disturb calculation. ”

“ The air being so much colder than the body, must constantly draw from its heat and tend to lower its temperature. We all know that an animal exposed to more cold will eat more, and one better housed and warmer kept will eat less. The explanation is that warmth is an equivalent for food, and that, therefore, food may be economised by protecting cattle from cold. ”

“ Moreover the haulage of materials is a very important item in the cost of a building, and it is only reasonable that if a tenant does this part of the work that he should be paid for it at its value. He might then be able to afford the payment of interest on the building outlay, but he cannot also be expected to undertake the haulage of materials at his own cost. ”

“ And, on many estates—many of the largest estates in the country—it is a very common practice for the tenant to be required to draw all the materials for new buildings at his own cost. He has to do this very often, and in addition pay the rent-charge to redeem the actual expenditure. Now the horses and regular staff on a farm are generally just sufficient for the regular tillage operations of the farm, and if this haulage of material is undertaken, that work must suffer. ”

“ Under the present circumstances of agriculture, however, no land will support that outlay on buildings. At the same time, improved buildings and increased building accommodation is on numerous farms urgently needed. The solution of the difficulty therefore seems to lie in a more economical arrangement of the buildings, and in the discovery of cheaper material and methods of construction. ”

“ There is no fear of young animals growing up tender in a covered yard, provided it is roomy and well ventilated. The ventilation, however, should come from above the animals; there must be no draughts in a covered yard. ”

“ It is usually found that farm buildings of moderate extent come together most conveniently in the form of three sides of a square or parallelogram. The space lying between the projecting sides is either roofed over or left as an open court.
Advantages of covered yards—It goes without saying that there is no homestead equal to a covered homestead. Any improvement in shelter for stock is equivalent to an actual shortening of winter. The average temperature of the bodies of our cattle is about 100°, or 40° higher than the ordinary temperature of the atmosphere. ”

“ The position of the barn, the food-stores, and mixing floor, will generally be found the key to the whole range of farm buildings, as most of the labour at the homestead is connected with these departments. ”

“ It appears to be tolerably well agreed upon amongst agriculturists and architects that at the present time a substantial homestead—walls, roofs, and fittings, all included—cannot be built for much less than £10, while the cost often amounts to £15, a square. ”