ARID AND SEMI-ARID REGIONS 187 



his work, to a very large extent, is connected with 

 the growth of vegetation. Ordinarily, he needs trees 

 for shade, for sky-lines and for beauty of foliage, 

 branches, flowers and fruit. He needs shrubs and 

 herbaceous plants for their beauty and to cover the 

 ground, since it is his ideal to have all ground occupied 

 with growing plants excepting that taken by roads, 

 walks, bowlders, and protruding rock. Where plants 

 are lacking, what can be done to make a home com- 

 fortable and beautiful ? 



There is hardly any locality that need be entirely 

 destitute of plants, even though these may be only 

 cacti, yuccas, and sage-brush. The outlines of build- 

 ings as silhouetted against the sky are always impor- 

 tant, but are of special significance in a treeless re- 

 gion. Usually, buildings in such a region should be 

 broad and low. In arranging buildings for comfort, 

 the prevailing winds and the climate should be stud- 

 ied in the western states just as in the East. In 

 arranging a home in New Mexico or Arizona, which 

 are typical arid states, the points to be considered 

 might be enumerated as follows : 



I. Views. 



Large areas in New Mexico and Arizona com- 

 mand attractive mountain views. There are also 



