LAynS CA PE GARDENING. 



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artists, one a painter of buildings and the 

 other of landscapes, to paint pictures inde- 

 pendently of each other on different canvases 

 and then to trim them up and fit them to- 

 gether successfully. Not only should the 

 character of the ground be considered in de- 

 termining the character of the house, but 

 also the character of the surroundings. I 

 know of a modern cottage, constructed 

 largely of rough bowlders with dark-stained 

 and irregular gables and projections, all 

 covered with a growth of vines. It is staiid- 

 ing on an avenue surrounded on all sides by 

 stately mansions of cut stone, brick and 

 wood. It reminds me of a countryman 

 in his old clothes at a city ball. He would 

 be a very pleasing and picturesque object on 

 the farm among his cattle and his help — the 

 controlling feature of the scene — but he 

 would look out of place among dress suits, 

 and so did this house among its neighbors. 

 The character of the place having been 

 determined by the landscape architect, or 

 with his assistance, or it may be by the 

 owner (for the designs of many places have 

 been made and carried out by the owners 

 with most satisfactory results), the location 

 of the house, arrangement of grounds, and 

 construction is to be considered. In these 

 matters it is useless to attempt to establish 

 rules, for it is seldom that two places can be 

 treated exactly alike, even if it were desir- 

 a,ble that they should be, and there are no 

 two families with the same requirements. 

 General principles may be stated that can be 

 adapted to varying circumstances. The 

 house will be located with reference to views, 

 exposure, the subdivision of the ground, 

 surrounding buildings and approaches, and 

 this can be properly determined only by a 

 comprehensive study of all these points. A 

 well drained location will be secured, care 

 being taken to avoid a site over, or in the 

 line of, springs. In a house to be occupied 

 in winter a warm exposure for the living 

 room is desirable, but if to be occupied only 



in summer the cool side of the house should 

 be the living side. 



Convenient and comfortable approaches 

 are more important than fine views from the 

 windows. One soon tires of a fine view, if 

 it is secured at the expense of a daily climb 

 up a long hill or long flight of stairs. A 

 fine view is to be sought for and is an in- 

 valuable possession, but it will be fully as 

 much appreciated if reserved for occasional 

 enjoyment from a comfortable outlook above 

 the house site, if it is not practicable to se- 

 cure it from the house and at the same time 

 secure good approaches. In any event, the 

 question of approach will largely govern the 

 location of the house. Too often the land- 

 scape architect is only called in to solve the 

 problem of how to get to the house after it 

 is built, this important matter never having 

 been considered up to that time, and then 

 appearing impossible. Many times a very 

 expensive or very awkward, and always 

 unsatisfactory makeshift, is the only way 

 out of the difticulty. The position of the 

 house will depend upon the use the ground 

 is to be put to, and care must be taken that 

 it does not encroach upon areas required for 

 other purposes. An example I have in mind 

 is that of a village lot in the centre of which 

 a house was placed. The proprietor wanted 

 a lawn tennis court, and could have secured 

 it at small expense if the house had been 

 located a few feet to one side from where it 

 was. He had to go without it, as other 

 parts of the ground were required for other 

 purposes. 



The subdivisions of a small or medium 

 sized lot, outside of the approaches and 

 yards, would ordinarily be the lawh, a flat 

 surface for tennis or other games, which 

 may be a part of the lawn, the flower gar- 

 den, and the vegetable garden, of which the 

 flower garden may be a part. The lawn 

 should be the broadest piece of unbroken 

 surface on the place; its position and size 

 would be governed by the shape of the lot. 



