FARM BUILDINGS.—The buildings of a well-appointed farm in Great Britain consist of a residence for the farmer and his family, cottages for the farm-labourers, and the farm-steading. The dwelling-house varies to some extent with the size and character of the holding, the 'rules of the estate,' the fashion of the district, and the taste and social standing of the tenant. Modern farm dwelling-houses upon holdings of about 200 acres and upwards are, as a rule, both commodious and comfortable, substantial in construction if not ornate in external appearance, usually surrounded by simply but tastefully laid out grounds, with a moderately sized garden—for, despite the old adage, farmers are not now all bad gardeners. The dwelling-house should be from 50 to 200 yards distant from the steading, and, if possible, upon a slightly higher level, and so situated that from the farmer's parlour and bedroom windows the whole of the steading and stack-yard may be in view.
The servants' cottages should be near the steading, perhaps at the opposite side from the farmer's dwelling-house. The cottages should be plain, substantial, and roomy; they are often in one continuous row, often in pairs, seldom built singly. Each family may have three or four compartments, with a separate door, and a separate plot of ground for garden produce. Cottages for farm-servants are now more fully provided than prior to 1870; and it is well known that, where there is ample cottage accommodation, the supply of agricultural labour is, as a rule, both abundant and of good quality.
The farm-steading, as the term is understood in its narrowest and most generally accepted sense, consists of erections provided for the accommodation of the crops, stock, and farm implements and machines. The cost, character, and capacity of the farm-steading vary not only with the extent of the holding, the system of farming pursued, and the situation of the farm in regard to climate, but also to no small extent with the tastes and desires of the land-owner, and perhaps likewise, although to a smaller extent, with the fancies of the tenant. It is the presumption that all the buildings and other permanent equipments of the farm are provided by and are the property of the owner of the soil. The character of the steading is therefore, as a rule, determined by the 'rules of the estate.' These estate rules too often enforce the observance of certain plans irrespective of the exceptional necessities and peculiarities of individual farms. On this account, and through a widespread ambition on the part of both landlords and tenants for imposing and almost luxurious farm buildings—an ambition fostered by, if not born of, the times of exceptional prosperity experienced prior to 1875—an excessive and unreasonable amount of capital has in many cases been sunk in the buildings of the farm, thus placing upon the land a burden which it is ill able to bear, and which is therefore detrimental alike to the land-owner and to the tenant. The greatest amount of steadying accommodation is required upon mixed husbandry farms, where a large quantity of home-grown produce is consumed by cattle in winter. Unfortunately upon such a farm the maximum expenditure is required where the land is, as a rule, least able to bear heavy burdens—viz. in the cold northern districts, where substantial and comfortable houses have to be provided for the stock during the long and severe winters. In many instances there is four or five times as much money sunk in buildings—i.e. apart from the dwelling-houses—upon mixed husbandry farms in the north of Scotland as upon similar farms in the south of England. For farms exceeding 200 acres in extent the outlay upon buildings would range from £4 to £10 per acre.
The following estimate of the cost of buildings for different farms is based upon actual experience of extensive estates in Scotland, rent instead of acreage being taken as indicating the character and wants of the farm—viz. : £80 annual rent—dwelling-house, £190; offices or steadying, £310; total, £500. £160 annual rent—dwelling-house, £325; offices, £475; total, £800. £240 annual rent—dwelling-house, £410; offices, £740; total, £1150. £500 annual rent—dwelling-house, £500; offices, £1100; total, £1600.
The farm-steading is usually situated as near as possible to the centre of the holding, on a dry, airy, yet well-sheltered elevation, with the water-supply abundant, if such is to be had on the farm, but not in close proximity to stagnant water or swampy ground. The open part of the steadying should, as a rule, have a southern exposure, yet the immediate situation as to shelter may warrant variations from this rule. The most common and convenient plan for a farm-steading is in the form of three sides of a square or parallelogram, with a wing down the centre, and perhaps also stretching out a short distance at the back of the cross wing, the dimensions of the square or parallelogram being so regulated as to provide the required capacity in the various compartments. Modern experience has fully demonstrated the advantages of covered courts for cattle. In most improved steadings, therefore, the whole or greater part of the spaces between the centre and side wings is roofed and arranged as courts for cattle. The whole of the season's dung is often accommodated in these courts, and is benefited by the treading of the cattle, while the roof saves it from damage by washing with rain-water. Where good management prevails, the liquid manure is collected in a tank close to these courts, and periodically pumped over the heap of solid manure. Quantities of gypsum are sprinkled over liquid manure wherever it is exposed, to fix free ammonia, which would otherwise volatilise and pass away in the atmosphere.
A point worthy of careful consideration is the placing of the various compartments of the steadying in such relation to each other that there may be no unnecessary moving of food, manure, or dairy produce, so that time in performing the various operations going on in the steadying may as far as possible be economised. The straw-barn should be near the centre of the steadying, and the classes of stock receiving most straw accommodated nearest to the straw-barn. The root-stores should be easily accessible from the cattle compartments, the hay-store from the stable, the dairy from the cow-house, and the stack-yard from the threshing-mill and straw-barn. The cart and implement sheds should be near to the stable.
In close steadings most careful attention should be given to ventilation, so as to secure a sufficient current overhead to keep the atmosphere pure and equable without allowing draughts to play directly upon the animals. Besides stone and bricks, concrete—1 part of stale Portland cement to 6 parts of broken stones or pure gravel (free from earthy matter)—is now largely employed in the construction of farm buildings, notably servants' cottages. Galvanised corrugated sheet-iron is extensively used in roofing courts for cattle. Covered stack-yards have not come into use, as was at one time expected, but large hay-barns, roofed with corrugated iron, are now very common, and are a valuable acquisition to farm-steadings.
On the American continent farm buildings are generally constructed of wood. It is common there to find all the compartments of the farm-steading grouped under one roof, which is often of great dimensions.