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Reading-Course for Farmers. 



buildings surely express the man, — you know something of his type of 

 mind when you see his house and barns and sheds. Awkward, straggling, 

 unrelated buildings indicate loose and purposeless ways of thinking. Good 

 farming follows only good mental processes ; these processes work them- 

 selves out in the crop-schemes, the market-business, the buildings. Rarely 

 do you see efficient and convenient buildings without seeing also a good 



Fig. 273. — A city type of farm house. 



farmer ; and efficient and convenient buildings are almost necessarily 

 tasteful buildings. 



I mean to say that there is no abstract canon of good taste in farm 

 buildings except that they shall be perfectly adapted to the uses for which 

 they are designed and shall bear no meaningless or irrelevant parts or 

 ornament. Theoretically, the cylindrical stave silo is inharmonious in 

 connection with farm barns; but because it serves a direct purpose, we 

 accept it without question. Tf such a construction were added merely 

 "for looks," it would be ridiculous. The surroundings — the trees, 

 bushes, yards — may correct many of the faults of untastcfnl buildings 

 by hiding the faults, or by distracting the attcnticMi : but every building 

 ought to be attractive in itself. 



