STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 341 



the barns in the residence portions built out to the sidewalk so that one is compelled 

 to pass near all of the objectionable and unsightly features of a barn. Then how 

 many persons pile their wood on the ground between the road and sidewalk and if 

 they have any wagons or sleighs, rundown machinery of any kind, they find it con- 

 venient to store them indefinitely on wliat they imagine is waste ground. The 

 city oflScials could abate these nuisances, but they dislike to cause any disturbance 

 or are themselves indifferent to the subject. 



In towns a favorite manner of ornamenting the surroundings is to dump ashes 

 out in the street. I know men who for some unaccountable reason, every spring 

 wheel all the refuse of their back yards out into the middle of the street. Tin cans, 

 old hoop-skirts, cliips and rubbish of all kinds are brought out to frighten horses 

 and annoy persons driving by. So that in countrj^ and town I plead for an awaken- 

 ing to the importance and correction of these objectionable features and a cultiva- 

 tion of the adornment of homes. 



In laying out the grounds for a home, one should locate the buildings conven- 

 iently to each other, always being careful to keep barns and out-houses in the back 

 ground; or if on the side they should never be farther to the front than on a line 

 with the rear of the house, and all barn yards should be back of this line. The 

 house should stand so as to preserve a good proportion to the surrounding'ground , 

 not so far front as to make the front yard seem close and stingy, or so far back as 

 to mike the yard appear too prominent. Of course in the country one can and 

 sliould be more liberal in the use of ground than in towns; but I have seen farm 

 buildings so far from the road as to look as though they had been dropped there by 

 chance with no thought of symmetry or convenience. 



A not infrequent error in towns is to crowd the house into a corner of the lot and 

 then in the small remaining space in the shadow of the house and the dense shade 

 of the trees on the street, attempt to grow flowers and shrubs where grass will not 

 even do well. 



Choose an elevated situation for the house, and if the ground is level, set the 

 underpining up high and fill in so as to have good drainage from the house. The 

 wall should show at least 2 ft. above the sod. I have seen houses on side hills set 

 so low that on the upper side the ground came to the base board, and water would 

 run into the cellar. The ground was wet and unpleasant in every respect, when 

 good drainage was so near by. This principle should apply to barns and all out- 

 houses as well. It is a great deal more pleasant to work in and around buildings 

 that are up and out of the mud and dirt. 



Having located the buildings, we will proceed to ornament the grounds. 



GRADING. 



Where it can be avoided I would not plow the ground for a yard; simply sow on 

 blue grass seed and drag it in. In nature no attempt is made to bring everything 

 to a level or even grade. A man's house is his own little world, and why not as 

 far as practicable, have it look natural. If there is a mound or depression in the 

 yard, and it is not out of proportion with its size, let'it be, or you may possibly 

 enlarge or diminish the size of either and improve its looks. Rocks, fountains and 

 lakelets and running water always improve the looks when properly introduced, 

 but great care must be used not to give them a stiff and unreal appearance. 



When the grading is all done, we will next consider 



