Beautifying the Farmstead. 



27 



'when the same general scheme may be adopted as though the farm- 

 stead were located directly on the highway. Such an approach road 

 will be likely to run parallel to the lines of the house and barns, but 

 it should not run directly toward either. A public building may be 

 appropriate as the terminus of a vista made by a straight approach 

 road, but a farmhouse or barn seldom is. A long straight approach 

 road is made more effective by a row of trees on each side, forming 

 a vista under their tops. There should be some attractive object to 

 which the eye is drawn at the end of the vista, or at the " focal point," 

 as it is called. This object ma} r be an attractive landscape, a beau- 

 tiful tree, or a clump of shrubbery. It is seldom desirable to have 



FIG. 29. A good entrance to buildings located well back from the highway. 



an entrance door at the focal point of a combined business and 

 home drive, such as the approach to a farmstead. Where a door is 

 used as the focal point of a formal drive it should be merely an 

 entrance door, not the door that leads to the lawns and pleasure 

 grounds of the family, as the latter should have more privacy than 

 could be given a door fully exposed to view from the main approach. 

 On the other hand, ugly or uninteresting objects should not be the 

 terminus of such a vista. (Fig. 30.) Trees or a clump of shrubbery, 

 especially if composed mostly of evergreens, can help such a situa- 

 tion greatly. The other walks and roads about the farmstead should 

 be as few as possible. All real needs should be met, but no pro- 

 vision should be made for fancied or possible ones. If in doubt leave 

 out a walk until experience shows the need of it. The place where 

 146100 20 Bull. 1087 4 



