The Surroundings of the Farm Home 2057 



heavier one will look more solid and dignified, and essentially more 

 omamenta]. The indispensable parts, therefore, rather than the trivial 

 details, should be selected for generous expenditure in material. 



THE YARD 



It is difficult to think of yard and house separately, so closely is each 

 related to the other. A well-planned and well-kept yard will greatly 

 improve an ugly house; a pleasing house makes it far easier to lay out an 

 attractive yard. On the other hand, a house with a poor yard, or none, 

 is inhospitable and forlorn, and a yard without a house is meaningless. 

 In planning either house or yard both must be kept in mind. 



In planning new houses the place of the yard, as well as of roadways 

 and bams, should be early decided on. At this time, too, one should 

 arrange for easy going and coming between house and yard, keeping the 

 house low to the ground and having doorways convenient to the lawn. 

 One should plan to have the most attractive places in the borders opposite 

 the most-used doorways and windows of the house. 



If house and yard cannot be planned at the same time, as is the case 

 where the house is already built, the yard will have to be made to suit it. 



SEVEN KEYS TO ATTRACTIVENESS 



If a person endeavors to think of places that have iinpressed him 

 as being attractive, it may be difficult to recall just how these places 

 were laid out. It is most likely that the impression was of an entirety 

 rather than of component parts, such as an elm tree, some rose bushes, 

 a garden seat, and a bed of petunias. In other words, such a scene was 

 a picture, not merely a collection of objects. For this reason, in plamiing 

 a yard, all that is done should give a positive answer to the question, 

 " Will it make the home grounds look better as a whole scene? " To 

 make such a picture, seven points should be emphasized: 



1. The place must be well clothed, or furnished, with trees and 

 shrubbery. 



2 . The house should be prominent and should have a good setting. 



3. There must be an open space of lawn or sward. 



4. The trees and the smaller plants should be massed or grouped at the 

 sides or at the rear rather than scattered all over the place. 



5. There must be no unnecessary fences, walks, or drives. 



6. There must be no curiosities conspicuously placed in the yard, such 

 as piles of stones, odd rocks, shells, pieces of statuary. 



7 . The place must be neat and well-kept so that it may look as if the 

 residents gave it loving care. 



