For Jdiitiary, 1122 



15 



and naturalness is therefore to a greaitT or lesser extent 

 lost by the erection of buildings, the making of drives, 

 walks, tS;c. In the nature of things in the country these 

 features must form part of the home landscape, and it is 

 important that the house, whatever its size, should har- 

 monize with its environment. Too often one sees resi- 

 dences more or less palatial set in the midst of puny, in- 

 significant surroundings, the house being several times 

 too large for the garden, and quite as frequently an 

 artistic landscape is seen to be spoiled by mansions the 

 reverse of artistic and which are merel_\- examples of 

 vulgar ostentatiousness. 



A style of architecture suitable for a private house or a 

 public building in a city, or for an institution, where the 

 architectural features of the buildings are the only things 

 to be considered, is quite out of place as part of a land- 

 scape. A country house should not only be in harmony 

 with the country, but its size should not be altogether 

 out of proportion to t1ie grounds in which it is set. and it 

 should be as simple and unobtrusive as possible. It 

 is these latter characters which enable such charmingly 

 artistic eti'ects to be obtained when the house is built on 

 the bungalow style, and it is certainly a source of pleasure 

 to all lovers of the beautiful to see that this kind of house 

 is becoming at the present time more popular; apart 

 from artistic considerations, those who have ever lived in 

 a properlv designed bungalow prefer that kind of house 

 to anv other. The next best style for harmonizing with 

 the country, when a house of more than one story is 

 desired, is that known as the half-timbered. The objec- 

 tion sometimes heard that houses built in this manner 

 are not lasting has no foundation in fact, as we know 

 of many that were Iniilt over three hundred years ago 

 which are toda> perfectly sound. 



But after all it is the undue prominence that is given 

 to the house which oiTends the artistic eye. A country 

 house may be as roomy as the owner considers necessary 

 for his requirements, but large piles of brick and stone 

 several stories tall are out of place in connection with a 

 country home. AIan\- instances have come within the 

 writer's knowledge, where, after erecting a large resi- 

 dence, the owner has expressd himself as being unable 

 to afford to do much in the way of planting the grounds 

 surrounding it : cases of this kind are unfortunate ex- 

 amples of the want of good taste. 



In the country the style and size of the house should 

 have some relation to the ground surrounding it, other- 

 wise the creation of an artistic home is impossible. One 

 would not buy a landscape painting in which four-fifths 

 of the canvas was taken up with the portrayal of build- 

 ings, although no artist would be at all likely to paint 

 a picture of that kind. 



Frequently the landscape possibilities of a home have 

 irreparable harm done to them by the manner in which 

 the house is placed upon the ground, even when such is 

 in itself artistic, and in this connection much good could 

 be done bv the designer of the house and the landscape 

 man getting together before anything is done even when 

 the smallness of lot does not leave much room for choice 

 in position. 



Then, too, considerable more harm is frequently done 

 to the features of a home as a complete artistic unity by 

 the designer of the house indticing the owner to consent 

 to the erection of more or less numerous detached. 

 heavily constructed pergolas about the grounds, a prac- 

 tice which appears at the present time to be unfortunately 

 upon the increase. Among several new homes I have 

 recently come across with this bad feature connected 

 with them, there is one in which the surroundings have 

 been especiallv spoiled bv this means. The area of tiic 

 place is scarcelv more than half an acre in extent and 



ahhough the house is really too large for the ground 

 it is an artistic one and constructed in such a manner and 

 of such material as not to present any loud note of dis- 

 cord. But the whole thing has been blemished by four 

 or five pergolas being stuck about. One has been placed 

 in the center of the front lawn and is of heavy timber 

 upon a brick foundation ; altogether an element of un- 

 naturalness has been introduced of a grossly jirimounced 

 and discordant character. These pergolas or trellises 

 are al\\a}s ineconcilable with a tastefully laid out garden 

 and are reallv as bad there as billboards are in connection 

 with natural landscape. When they form part of the 

 house, or are connected with it in creating a covered 

 way over a much frequented walk leading to somewhere 

 they are not so much out of place, especially if so con- 

 structed as to be easily and quickly covered with plant 

 growth. While a summer-house is an unnatural feature 

 it may be so placed and camouflaged as to be a pleasant 

 ■-pot in which one may sit and quietly enjoy the beauties 

 of the garden even on a wet day if the roof is rain-proof. 

 On the other hand a summer-house may be, and often is, 

 a very monster of ugliness. 



l')Ut any of these features, of whatever character or 

 construction, and wherever placed, are always excres- 

 cences and points at which naturalness is more or less 

 lost, and which, therefore, require careful treatment and 

 thoughtful good taste to adapt them quite to the best 

 interests of the complete unity of the natural composition. 



If landscape gardeners possessing real artistic tastes 

 were more often called in to advise upon the whole 

 scheme of home creation there would be fewer eyesores 

 about the country. ]\I(}re often than not landscape men 

 are handicapped at the onset of their work by what has 

 been done by other people previously to their seeing the 

 place. It is of comparatively little use creating har- 

 monious effects about one part of the home if loud, dis- 

 cordant notes are always in evidence at other parts. The 

 effect of the want of complete harmony thus produced is 

 frequently felt even when the cause is unknown to the 

 individual having this feeling. An estate owner once said 

 to me : "We feel there is something wrong here, but don't 

 know what it is." So long as a feeling of that kind 

 exists it will be impossible for anyone to .gain the full 

 benefits from a home in the country that would other- 

 wise be the case as it is scarcely possible for exhausted 

 nerves to gain much vigor when continually surrounded 

 with discords. It is therefore of the first importance to 

 realize that something more than a well laid out and 

 cared for garden is necessarv for the creation of a com- 

 liletelv harmonious country home. 



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