FINDING THE PLACE 17 



or softened by winter suns, and in this way are less 

 liable to resist late frosts. So if you are designing 

 to plant a peach orchard you want a northern ex- 

 posure. This is partly true of some of our pear 

 trees and cherry trees. Winter thawing is more dan- 

 gerous than a steady all winter freezing. 



If possible, select easy slopes that take drainage 

 readily, rather than steeper hillsides that carry off 

 the water with a dash, and with it a great deal of 

 soil. This is one of the chief troubles with our 

 country-home life, that we are losing soil by winter 

 wash and summer showers often faster than we 

 are making it. 



You will be surprised, perhaps, at my placing the 

 matter of wind-breaks so prominently in my advice 

 as to location. If you cannot snuggle down behind 

 a hill to break the force of dominant winds, see if 

 you cannot get behind a nice bit of forest, or at least 

 a line of woodland. If you cannot, you must make 

 a wind-break as soon as possible. At all events, let 

 it be kept clearly in mind while selecting a location 

 that you do not wish to plant your house where the 

 full blast of northeasters or northwesters will strike 

 against you. They will not only put an edge on your 

 climate and uproot your trees, but they will sweep 

 the moisture off your land and make you the victim 

 of drought. 



We shall talk a good deal more about this by and 

 by, but meanwhile if you can get the protection of 

 an already-grown wind-break it will count enormously 



