THE SWISS COTTAGE. 



381 



oblique leaves, and pinkish-white flowers. It 

 blooms from July to September. Native of Am- 

 boyna. 



Begonia ulmifolia, Elm-leaved Elephant's-ear. 

 An erect branching-stemmed stove plant, with 

 ovate, elm-like, unequal leaves, and small panicles 

 of blush-white flowers. It blooms from May to 

 October. Native of America. 



Begonia undulata, Wavy-leaved Elephanfs-ear. 

 A shrubby, taper-stemmed plant, with oblong 

 wavy leaves, and large drooping clusters of white 

 flowers, blooming from August to December. Na- 

 tive of Brazil. 



Begonia villosa, Villose Elephanfs-ear. — A 



fleshy-stemmed stove species, with semi-cordate 

 leaves and white flowers, blooming from Au^-ust 

 to October. Introduced from Brazil. 



Begonia vitifolia, Vine-leaved Elephant's ear. 

 An upright, fleshy-stemmed stove species, growing 

 three to four feet high, with large peltate unequally 

 toothed woolly leaves, and large drooping clusters 

 of white flowers. It is from Brazil. 



Begonia, zebrina, Zebra-striped Elephanfs-ear. 

 A strong, branching, streaked-stemmed stove plant, 

 with large oblique leaves, beautifully marked with 

 dark green shades on the under side, "and bearing 

 clusters of pink flowers in March and April. Na- 

 tive of Brazil. 



HINTS ON SWISS COTTAGES. 



BY A YOUNG ARCHITECT, OF NEW- YORK. 



Dear Sir — I have read the remarks on 

 Rural Architecture, contained in the leaders 

 of your numbers of this journal, for Sep- 

 tember and October, with entire satisfaction. 

 The article bearing the name of the editor 

 of this journal, which is published in the 

 Transactions of the State Agricultural Soci- 

 ty, on the subject of " Farm Houses," seems 

 to me to contain " multum in parvo," the 

 soundest principles on this subject. 



That country houses, farm buildings, cot- 

 tages, and the like, to please a philosophical 

 mind, must, in a suitable degree, convey 

 some idea of the life and habits of the oc- 

 cupants of the same, is a principle, which I 

 regret to see, so few of our architects, and 

 fewer still of mere carpenters and builders, 

 have any real and practical idea of. Hence, 

 we so often behold town-houses, built in the 

 country, or in the suburbs of villages, where 

 they have no proper place ; where, indeed, 

 they have no more fi/7iess, than a true cock- 

 7167/, whose locality is the pave, has, when 

 he is found seated on a mossy bank, in some 

 wild and picturesque mountain dell. 



The simple bracketted country house, 

 which forms the leading illustration of the 

 October number, may be considered as one 



in a very pleasing and satisfactory style for 

 all country buildings, of a middle class. It 

 appears to be a modification, suited to our 

 wants, of the Swiss mode of building. 



This leads me to suggest to you, the lat- 

 ter style, as having, with suitable modifica- 

 tions, strong claims to attention, for those 

 who are about building in mountains, rich 

 sylvan, or picturesque parts of country. In 

 such districts, it is, as all families and tour- 

 ists will readily grant, strikingly appropri- 

 ate. 



But it also has some distinct merits, for 

 rural purposes, in this country. To begin ; 

 it is always built of wood, which is the ma- 

 terial most easily obtained, every where in 

 America ; even of the roughest logs, may a 

 picturesque Swiss cottage be constructed. 

 Then there is a certain rude7icss about the 

 style, which even the commonest country 

 builder, could not well fail to achieve. 

 Next, the widely projecting eaves, shelter 

 and make cool the apartments, during our 

 hot summer solstice, and indeed may be 

 made, as they often are, in Swiss examples, 

 to afford, by iheir broad projection, a fine 

 substitute for the piazza or verandah, all 

 around the house. 



