plcasantest reminiscences of oiu' life are associated witli an old fashioned farm-liouse, 

 half-buried among fruit and ornamental trees. It was situated nearly in the center of 

 a twenty-acre mowing field, with no fence near it, except that upon the line of the 

 public road, (some twenty rods off in front,) and upon the sides of the lane which leads 

 from the rear of the buildings to the fields aiid back parts of the estate. Although in 

 the immediate vicinity of a large inland city, and upon one of the main avenues lead- 

 ing into it, this place was as quiet, as still, and as full of repose as the most retiring 

 disposition could desire. Nor did it cost one cent more to cany on the farm, nor was 

 there any inconvenience felt from the distance of the building from the public high- 

 way. Such a lawn need never be plowed, but only occasionally dressed with com- 

 post-manure, and the groups of trees, once set, will almost take care of themselves. 

 Without a la'WTi, of some extent, in front of the house, it is not worth while to have 

 any regard whatever to the appearance of the place ; for all attempts at ornament, 

 where this foundation is wanting, will prove miserable failures. 



The usual gi'ounds, or the farm proper, are by some eiToneously deemed to be 

 without the limits of esthletic science. Sir Uvedale Pkice and some others, as we 

 have stated in a former article, have aflSrmed that what is called an ornamental farm, 

 (a/crme omee,) is an impracticability, inasmuch as the useful element and the beauti- 

 ful element were mutually destructive of each other. This idea, however, rests upon 

 a mere shadow of a foundation ; for men everywhere recognize a beauty of utiliti/, a 

 beauty of adaption to puriwse^ a beauty in what promises to afford comfort or pleasure 

 to man. More or less of this beauty appears in whatever ministers to the happiness 

 of the human race. It waves upon the golden wheatfields, inviting the reapers sickle. 

 It blushes upon the sunny cheek of ripening fruit. The white milk in the pail, and 

 the yellow butter poured from the churn are beautiful ; and not less so are a group of 

 cows, grazing in the fields, or reposing beneath the shade of the forest. A fine field 

 of Potatoes or Corn, a yoke of oxen, at the plow, a stack of hay, are often admired, 

 even by careless observers; nor is the term beautiful misapplied to such objects; for 

 there are different styles of beauty. A fine race-horse is beautiful in one way, a fine 

 draught horse in another, and a carnage horse, or palfrey, in still another style. A 

 cun-e equally useful with a straight line, is the most beautiful of the two ; but let there 

 be an obvious necessity for comfort and convenience that the lines should be straight, 

 and they become beautiful ; this is well illustrated by the walls of a parlor, the surface 

 of a table, etc. Both for beauty and economy, there should be as few fences as possi- 

 ble upon a farm. In these days, when small farms are more profitable than large ones, 

 when soiling cattle has been proved, in many instances, to be better husbandry than to 

 pasture, there is less necessity to defoim a farm with numerous costly fences. Of such 

 fences as are indispensable, the beauty consists mainly in their being in good repair, 

 and not choked up with brush or weeds. Where there are but few rocks, the beauty 

 of a field will be greatly enhanced by removing them so that they shall not appear 

 above the surface. 



The beauty of the out-buildings of a farm consist veiy much in their adaption of 

 2xur])ose, and in their convenience of location with reference to the houses, to which they 

 should appear to be as servants, each designed not for itself, but as accessories or 

 ppendages of the mansion, in which the human tenants of the farm have their 

 have written huniedly, and in a very desultory manner, omitting much 



