396 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



shade or the landscape effect. If brushy pastures are mowed once or twice 

 a year with a mowing machine their unsightly weeds may be removed 

 and a green blue grass cover encouraged in place of the unsightly brush. 

 This has an economic value as well, for not infrequently enough more 

 grass can be secured to more than pay for such mowing. 



In addition to thus securing views of the broad surrounding land- 

 scape, some individual planting may be 'done immediately about the 

 buildings. The first thing to do is to clean up the place. This may con- 

 sist in placing the wood pile in some inconspicuous place in the rear ; 

 gathering together scattered machinery and getting it under protection ; 

 defining the drive so the traffic will be confined to a "given entrance-way 

 rather than driving promiscuously about the place. In addition to this, 

 inexpensive planting may help to screen away certain unsightly objects, 

 especially in the rear. A back fence behind the place may be covered 

 with vines; the wood pile or chicken house may be sheltered from di- 

 rect view of the road by massing shrubbery in front of it. A screen 

 of vines may protect the unsightly wood pile from direct view; the 

 feeding lot or chicken yard may be screened off by a planting of grape 

 vines which in addition to their cover as a screen, may furnish fruit for 

 the family. 



A main essential is to secure a green grass lawn before the house. 

 Next to securing a good sod, it is essential that the lawn should have an 

 open center. It should never be broken up by scattered and promiscuous 

 flower beds or isolated shrubs. A green, open, sunlit lawn suggests 

 restfulness and quiet, while scattered shrubs or flower beds produce 

 an idea of fidget and distraction. 



In placing shade trees it is desirable to use a row of them along 

 the road; others may be grouped in curves of the drive-way or about 

 the borders or in the rear of the home grounds. Enough may be 

 grouped about the house to give necessary shade to hot sunny porches 

 or south windows. Native forest trees may be used, where desired. 

 Fruit trees often may be planted about the poultry runs or feeding 

 lot in order to take away their barrenness and offer inviting shade. 



Shrubs should, for the most part, be massed about the borders of the 

 home grounds, or in the rear. Occasional low masses of them may be 

 placed at the angles of drives or walks. 



Vines frequently may be used to good advantage over porches 

 to keep out the hot sun, or as previously described, to screen away back 

 fences or unsightly objects. 



For road-ways there are probably no better shade trees than the 

 native elm, sugar maple or oak. Native species are already acclimatized 



