322 



The Country House 



Fowl. We often see pictures of beautiful gardens m which peacocks roam free. 

 Now this is hardly practical, for this fowl and for many others, where choice 

 flowers are to be raised. The birds may do much more damage in a short time 

 than they are really worth as decorative features or otherwise. 



Framing. Use care in cutting into framing timbers; too much Cutting will 

 tend to weaken the structure more than it will gain in strength 

 by too much framing in. 



Garden. A still body of water, as a pool, may play a 

 very important part m the garden layout, owing to its 

 natural powers of reflection. The house, or some important 

 motive of the garden, may become a hundred-fold more im- 

 pressive with the introduction of a still body of water between 

 it and the most important point from which it is to be seen. 

 Garden, 'Japanese. In the installation of a Japanese 

 garden on a scale smaller than nature, it should be under- 

 stood at the start that any conflict between this and natural 

 objects of full scale will utterly ruin the scheme. For in- 

 stance, it your garden is so placed that your neighbour's cow 

 may look over the fence at you while you are contemplating 

 its excellence, the advantages are all with the cow. 



Garden, Kitchen. The kitchen garden should be 

 planned with the idea that the rows of planting shall run 

 north and south. In this manner both sides of the row 

 receive the sun some time during the day, provided of course 

 that there are no trees or other obstruction to shade it. It 

 is perhaps well to provide a windbreak of trees to shelter it. 

 This will be found invaluable in the case of corn or like tall 

 and frail growth. 



Gutters. Gutters and conductors may be protected to a considerable ex- 

 tent from deposits of leaves and the like by building in under the lower course 

 of shingle a narrow strip of copper screening of about \" mesh. This strip should 

 project slightly over the nose of the gutter. Should it be necessary to get at the in- 

 side of the gutter this strip of screening may be turned back, the lower being 

 unfastened; in replacing it, it may be necessary to fasten it to the gutter nose \\irh 

 a few small staples in order to keep it in place. In a case where overhanging 

 trees exist this expedient may be of much service. 



Hangings. The appearance of coolness and of warmth may be largely 

 influenced by the colour of the hangings. The warm colours naturally suguist 

 warmth and the retiring colours coolness. The red or warm brown or yellow 

 hanging for winter use may do much to influence and carry out the general im- 

 pression of warmth and glow. 



Heat. By the use of excessive artificial heat air becomes artificially dry. To 

 obviate this a vessel containing water should be placed in the room near the 

 source of heat. 



Hedges. We often see old spruce and cedar hedges which have become 

 slightly " worm-eaten " or dead in parts so as to be very irregular. Oftentimes these 



An inexpensive form of 

 flower irellis, which might be 

 built for $5 or so 



