tirnuniJAN kksidencks*. 



meridian of tlioir beauty, n most dismal and forbiddirifj aspect. What a mistalvO, wo 

 had to exclaim, to come out of town, and spend so much money on suburban resi- 

 dences, in such a place as this, where to step out of doors is to get deafened with 

 noise, and blinded and covered with dust I Why did these men not rather choose 

 some of those quiet streets that lie among the secluded, rural-looking districts ? There 

 they might have tasted some of the sweets of country life, but here they cannot. 



Something might be done, however, to make these residences on public streets much 

 more comfortable and agreeable than they generally are. The houses might be set 

 further back, and masses of low trees and shrubs might be planted, to exclude the 

 noise and dust, and give them an air of seclusion and quiet. No matter how retired 

 the situation might be, we would plant sufficiently to shelter the interior of the garden, 

 as well as the dwelling, from the wind, and to protect it from intrusion ; so that, at 

 all seasons, and at any time of the day, any member of the family might work, or 

 amuse themselves as they saw fit, without being observed. Very few gardens are 

 sufficiently sheltered. In the north, high winds prevail during the early spring months, 

 so that, unless shelter be amply provided for, it is impossible to cultivate spring 

 flowers successfully, or for ladies, or persons in delicate health, to enjoy daily the 

 pleasures and recreations of a garden at that season. 



Farmers gardens and dwellings are, as a general thing, sadly deficient in shelter and 

 protection. The house is usually placed, for convenience, close to the highway, and 

 the garden and door-yard inclosed with low, painted board fences. A row of trees, 

 along the street, is all that seems to them necessary ; and the consequence is, there is 

 not a spot that can offer pleasant out-door recreation until summer arrives. Why 

 can they not plant, on the exposed sides of their residences, thick belts of forest trees, 

 to break off the winds, and inclose their gardens with high board fences, or what is 

 much more sightly, Arbor Vitaj screens. Ladies, children, or infirm persons, who may 

 desire out-door exercise, would then have some opportunity of enjoying it with safety 

 and comfort. This provision for shelter, on an ample scale, should be one of the 

 earliest cares of every man who goes about the work of improvement in our boisterous 

 climate, where we have winter full half the year. It is a great sacrifice to people who 

 live in the country or in the suburbs of a city, to be.shut up in the house six whole 

 months together. Winter walks and resorts need to be provided more than summer, 

 because in summer almost every place is pleasant in the country. 



We do not propose to recommend that people should inclose their gardens with 

 high walls, as though they were prisons, or to surround them with thickets of trees to 

 such an extent as would give them an air of exclusiveness, obstruct their views beyond 

 their own boundaries, or impede too much the circulation of air. These extremes are 

 as much to be guarded against as that of too great exposure. There is a medium which 

 every person of good sense will discover, if they but give the subject due reflection. 



A very sensible English writer,* a professional landscape gardener of much experi- 

 ence, in speaking of laying out the grounds of a villa residence, says of " seclusion" : 



* Parks and Pleasure Ground*— by ',€. H. J. Smith; an American edition, of which has been edited by 

 \lles, Esq. 



