THE COUNTRY PLACE 9 



formal plan like Versailles or the Villa d'Este^ but it should be the 

 basis of the simplest problem that the landscape architect has to deal 

 with. Suppose you are to work out a plan for a simple farm place, 

 the same principles apply. There will first be the question of land- 

 scape emphasis, style of architecture, etc., but before these the question 

 of the location of the buildings group, its orientation and convenience 

 of arrangement must be determined. Are the buildings to be built in 

 one group or as separate units? In many of our country places an 

 attempt has been made to carry the landscape plan out along natural 

 lines and this desire on the part of the landscape architect has given 

 an over-emphasis to the grounds that defy both the architecture and 

 the open-country view. The result has been to give us a type of 

 country place entirely out of harmony with its surroundings. 



In a country place of the most naturalistic type, the architectural 

 group should be planned with a very careful study of the views so 

 as to have them in an axial relation with the house and its setting. If 

 the axis lines do not carry out into the country view we soon find our 

 whole scheme lacking in the ideal country atmosphere. 



As the emphasis of a country place is the open country view, the 

 long axis of the house is placed so as to feature this. The entrance 

 is usually placed opposite this and the gardens and service sides of the 

 house arranged so as best to fit the natural requirements of the prob- 

 lem. The proper use of the division lines of the separate areas is the 

 fundamental basis in the organization of any landscape problem. 

 Whether the emphasis is to be formal or informal in the general layout 

 and planting, the same principles apply in the solution of the problem. 

 The areas about the house must first be adapted to the requirements of 

 each problem as to size and shape and then to the natural landscape 

 conditions of the country. One of the faults with many of our 

 American places is the entrance portion of the residence. While we 

 may not aim at securing magnificence a casual entrance takes away 

 the dignity of the house and keeps the visitor from securing a good first 

 impression of the place. 



The country atmosphere is a feature that is apt to be found lack- 

 ing in what was for a long time considered as the true American 

 country home. In the gradual development of these places the real 



