Show = > f I ltarm and 6ardttJ v v J O f Tlt3 FARSIEJlS HOME Et SfcozUd Be the Hnppiust and Best on Earth A recent letter fnom the superinten nent of farmers institutes n the Btsute of Pennsylvania states that at I fevery two days institute held in the 1 Efcate during the coining winter the vetg session of the first day is toe to-e set apart to the ladies and the topic fc to be Country Homes All tic relating t home life in the botratry will be Included suoh a the l j iconstnicting of homes the heating lighting ventilating and sanitary ar tuneements for country homes the fcyater supply sewage and plumbing 01 houses in the country the cooking M food the care of the ick the care Of the children flower gardening Jcitchen gardening house decoration 1 fend all that relates in any way to fcomfort conveniences heal h and en fioymiont In a country home l L Commenting upon the ideas suggested sug-gested in this letter in the Louisville Home and Farm Waldo F Brown an fcminent authority on rural matters tayw This seems to me to be a move in he rigiit direction fo two reasons I iTirst because the home on the farm 16 the most Important thing about it 8nd the farm should always be sub brxMnate to The b m1 and second it If a wise move to direct the discussion fct the institutes ito practical chan t mels and not allow to much latitude t speakers I have often attended sessions ses-sions of farmers institutes that were taken up with topics that were not of Interest to the audience but in which some longwinded theorist undertook J to air his wisdom arid wasted the time of the audience and wearied and disgusted th < m In the state of Pennsylvania this year the superintendents have ordered that at half the sessions only three topics shall he discussed the other two being God Roads and The Education Educa-tion of the Farmer and His Children dTSilis leaves three sessions in which to fi4 < vu6S miscellaneous topics One pa pei a Its rain Indicates is a believer In the country home and so its title is Home and Far and not farm and home I have always desired to exalt the country home and bellow that no home on earth can be made more attractive at-tractive and that in no other country hi th world r do the farmers have S pood homes a in America or s large 1 per rent of the tillers o the soil own their own homes There has been in the past tO much changing of homes jibe farmers selling out at the first good pffer and starting over again and WhUo this is sometimes wise or necessary neces-sary I would advise every young touple starting on the farm to choose Ju location wieJy and then Fettle down for life if possible F In spite of low prices for fan products I prod-ucts and depression of farm interests there is a better chance now t secure 1 l sure IcvinK end a moderate compe ience for old age on the farm than in fciost callings and less risk of absolute failure The fane has a sun living and cannot by any possibility be Ihrown out o work and there sore so I many different kinds of farming that I every teste can be suited f I believe It to be true also that leaving t out the professions but includ lug a men engaged in manufacturing and trade and wage earners a larger I e cent of farmers wall own their hOe free from debt at fifty years oft of-t age than in all these callings com O i bin < binTe most successful farmers of the future I believe will b those with taiall farms thoroughly cultivated and producIng first of all a great variety 1sf luxuries for the family and then feame special products to tell suited toe < to-e market and which the farm is tvdl adapted t I hold that the mal Er farm that will support the owners faintly and leave him a small surplus Hue pleasanter the farmers life will be Here and there scattering aM over our land are found farmers who with farms of forty acres or less are receiving receiv-ing more money for its products and furnishing their families with more of I the comforts and luxuries of life than Ihelr neighbors with one hundred and Blxty acres and these a tie farmer I Mat I would hold up as models I They pay taxes on but onefourth as much land they can work it with less ore and fewer implements and do O need to hie s > much help and having less capital invested in land Can have more working capital and pan p cash fo all he buys Instead Of paying interest on debts or running Up balls to be paid at the end of the reM I It ife now forty years since the writer writ-er Srte on the farm and land can about half it be bought now for abut what Cost thfD I one must rn In debt for a part of his land interest is much f Jower I paid 10 per cent for money lo put up buildings on my farm and that w the common rate for a long i series o years now it would be but jittle more than half that and I pre 1 fume plenty of forms could b bought 4 Mth the interest on deferred pay pient only 5 per cent if the seller was I Sure of getting his interest promptly t I do not think it will be an easy lask to make a comfortable living on a mal farm but life is not easy at the best and brings more of discipline I than of ease and taking all things into consideration the chances seem Jo be more than average for the young < a who settles down to fight the battle of life on the farm I he must depend on his own exertions he must not ext to begin life in the same style that his father is i living in after forty yeas of industry and economy U must liave the moral courage to 1 ito without what he cannot pay for Jo a there is nothing that will ruin a jnans life more certainly than a in fcneasing burden of debt A man may linear cheap clothes and eat plain food i jamd respect himself but he cannot Submit to duns and dodge creditors fcnd retln either selfrespect or that l Jsf his nelghbos I would rather ride i in a secon < ihand spring wagon costing jf20 that Is paid for than a 200 car 120 gre that I had run in debt fo and ia as own licit there are examples I f both of tfaeee methodo I tes I |