COMliIUNICATIONS. 863 



particularly among blooming fields, fruits, and gardens, should 

 adaptation and elegance characterise all tenements and enclos- 

 ures — where the works of naturj and industry should be in. 

 pleasant harmony. 



Yet how otherwise do we too generally find the facts ; what 

 person of cultivated taste but finds his feelings constantly vio- 

 lated by the unsightly form and location of our farm buildings, 

 as he travels through the country — uncouth buildings situated 

 in unpleasant locations. ISTot that they lack costliness, for in 

 many instances, even more expensiveness appears than would 

 be necessary to make more beautiful and comfortable residen- 

 ces, if only dictated by better judgment. And it is not princi- 

 pally in the size of a dwelling that the most pleasant accommo- 

 dations are to be found, but rather in the position and arrange- 

 ■ ment ; nor is it in a large, costly furnished parlor — often not 

 used in weeks and months, and then generally only in the eve- 

 ning — that the household happiness is found, but in the dining 

 room, too often contracted and poorly lighted, while it should be 

 the most spacious and cheerful apartment of the whole house ; 

 it is the one in which all the inmates and visitors are brought 

 together, several times each day, to partake of their meals, which 

 should be enjoyed always in rooms well lighted, warmed and 

 ventilatad, in order to secure the greatest degree of health and 

 comfort ; hence, it is an unwise, short-sighted pride that sets 

 apart the best and largest room of the house as a parlor, seldom 

 used, and that generally in the evening. 



This is a point on which much might be said and more should 

 be thought, by those interested in the matter ; and next to the 

 dining room, the nursery, or family room, where the sick are at- 

 tended and the children reared, should be selected and arranged 

 with reference to all items of health and comfort, such as light, 

 air, and warmth. Thus, a proper exercise of taste and com- 

 mon sense before hand will do more to secure comfort and en- 

 joyment in a residence than lavish expenditures carelessly made 

 without taste. 



Perhaps it will not be amiss here to point out a few of the 

 fatal and commonest errors in our farm residences. After total 



