172 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



undesirable. In its location, give the house the greatest prominence. 

 The farmstead first of all provides a home, and the residence should stand 

 out as the central and most conspicuous feature of the picture. To place 

 the barn and other buildings in front of the house is to reverse the logical 

 order of things. Locate the house back far enough from the highway to 

 afford privacy and give a good stretch of lawn in front, and yet not so far 

 back as to suggest a spirit of exclusion, nor with a lawn so large that it 

 can not be properly cared for. Most city dooryards are too small, while 

 those in the country are so large that it is impracticable to give them lawn 

 treatment. 



The location and grouping of the general farm buildings is a perplex- 

 ing problem, and each place presents its own peculiar conditions and 

 difficulties. The most common mistakes occur in the location of buildings 

 as to convenience. The corn crib should be located near the particular 

 feeting place that will call for the bulk of its supply, and the toolshed 

 where the implements can be taken up or dropped en route to or from 

 the field. In this connection the importance of providing enough shed 

 room for the tools and general equipment needs emphasis. The promiscu- 

 ous scattering of machinery about the barnyard always gives a place an 

 air of carelessness and neglect and detracts much from its appearance, 

 while the weathering of the machinery causes a serious economic loss. 

 The watering trough and workshop call for a central location. 



The general farm buildings should be to the rear of the farm house, 

 and the stable at least 150 or 200 feet away. Locate them to avoid odors 

 being carried to the house by the summer winds. So far as practicable, 

 arrange the farm buildings to serve as a windbreak. Locate the yards on 

 the side farthest from the house, though it is often an advantage to provide 

 a paddock near the highway for the display of the farm herds. 



The business side of the farm must not be lost sight of, and special 

 features of the general building equipment may be given prominence, 

 such as the seed house or any other important feature of the place. In 

 landscaping the farmstead it is not the idea to obscure their presence, 

 but rather to secure an orderly arrangement of the buildings and to have 

 the front side to the front and the back side to the rear. 



DRIVES, WALKS AND GATEWAYS. 



The main driveway should enter from the direction of the heaviest 

 traffic. As suggested in the accompanying plan, it may be desirable to 

 provide two drives, one leading directly to the barnyard for the heavy 

 traffic, and the other to serve the house, with a return loop for visitors. 

 In locating drives, attention should be given to the matter of grades. 

 Steep grades are objectional and should be avoided whenever possible. 

 It is often practicable to do this by following around the hill, thereby 

 securing not only an easy grade but also a long, sweeping curve which 

 will make a more attractive drive. 



Massive concrete posts of a neat design may be appropriately used to 

 mark in a formal way the entrance to the farmstead. Here also is a good 



