2056 



The Cornell Reading Courses 



Therefore the farmstead needs to be considered as a whole. It is not 

 a question of roses or daisies, porches or fresh paint, broad lawns or tidy 

 dooryards, but one of having living places that, in their whole effect, are 

 pleasant and elevating to older folk and children alike. 



HOW A COUNTRY HOUSE SHOULD LOOK 



Showy ornament has no place about a farmhouse. The most unassuming 

 building should have broad, spreading lines. It should be wider than it 



is high, because such proportion is 

 in harmony with the amplitude of 

 the count r>\ The city house may 

 be tall and narrow as the result of 

 high property values, which make 

 for narrow lots. An example of 

 the city type of house may be seen 

 in figure 209. A comparison with 

 the building shown in figure 210 

 indicates that the latter is the more 

 satisfactory for a country setting. 

 While this colonial type, character- 

 istic of the older farmhouses in 

 this country, may have been too 

 low to permit sufficient circulation 

 of air in the bedrooms, this faiilt 

 may be remedied without departing 

 from its general lines. However, 

 every foot of height added to ceil- 

 ings adds two steps to the stairways, 

 and may make necessary another ton 

 or cord to the supply of winter fuel. 

 If one thinks he can afford to 

 ornament his famihouse, he might 

 better first apply his means to 

 substantial construction — to the 

 use of first-class materials, to having 

 ample fireplaces, and to good workmanship. His means might well 

 be shown in broader eaves and in heavier posts on the porches. 

 Doorways, stairways, and windows are necessary features; to use 

 simple strong woodwork about them is to most fittingly apply dec- 

 oration to the house. The eaves mark the 'meeting of roof and walls, 

 and should appear to be a substantial tie between the two. While 

 a comparatively slender post will actually support a porch roof, a 



Fig. 211. DOORWAYS are necessary 



FEATURES 



To use simple, strong woodwork about them is to 

 most fittingly apply decoration to the house 



