8 



THE "ILLINOIS WAY" OF BEAUTIFYING THE FARM 





21. A House 



Give Your Farmhouse a Background 



22. A Home 



Do not set your house on a bare hilltop, where it is seen only against earth or sky, for it will look new and raw. Set it in front of an orchard or wood, and it will look old and 

 mellow. Make your house blend with the landscape not stand out in gaudy or artificial contrast. (Bailey's "Manual of Gardening.") 



plant is true only of the white oak. The pin, the scarlet, and 

 the red oaks are easily moved, and will soon overtake maples 

 and other trees that are quicker at the start. They will last 

 for centuries after the "quick-growers" are dead. Plant the 

 trees that you know will make your property more valuable 

 every year. 



A one-story farmhouse, however, will eventually be dwarfed 

 by tall trees, and look pitifully inadequate. (See Fig. 19.) For 

 small farmhouses it is better to use trees that always remain 

 small, like the flowering dogwood or American hawthorns 



not the English. Try a pair of these in preference to Magnolia 

 Soulangeana, because they are native. Or try a pair of red 

 cedars, the best exclamation points we can buy to relieve the 

 flatness of the prairie far better than the Lombardy poplar, 

 because evergreen and longer-lived. 



IMPROVE THE VIEW FROM YOUR PORCH 



Views have a cash value which is even greater than that of 

 trees. For instance, apartments in New York that face the 



23. How to Make the Best View of Your Farmhouse 



Frame your home picture by planting trees at either end of the house and your property will be more valuable. (Long Island meeting-house shaded by ancient oaks.) Oaks are 

 longer-lived than elms and cost less to maintain. "The oaks excel all other trees in nestling close to a house and making it look snug and comfortable." 



