CHAPTER XXIII. 

 PLANNING AND PLANTING THE HOME GROUNDS. 



299. American Rural and Suburban Homes. Among 

 the nations of the world the United States is alone in its 

 system of rural and suburban homes. The farmer, as 

 soon as means permits, fits up a comfortable, and often 

 beautiful home on his own land, and the business man 

 and retired farmer plans a suburban home, often a palatial 

 one, on his own land, with its well-kept lawn, trees, 

 shrubs, and flowers. Even the thousands who flock to our 

 shores from the Old World, as soon as able begin the work 

 of home-making on their own land, and in no case attempt 

 to revive the commune system of the old country. 



But it cannot yet be said that the fitting-up of American 

 homes is always in accordance with the principles of land- 

 scape gardening. As yet, a large proportion of our rural 

 homes and suburban places show mistakes in planning and 

 planting. In the selection of varieties and species, mis- 

 takes are too often made. The pictures and extravagant 

 praise of new varieties of trees, shrubs, and flowers, by 

 nurserymen in distant localities or States, often lead to the 

 planting in prominent places of varieties and species 

 wholly unsuited to the soil and climate. In the prairie 

 States even, landscape gardeners often assume that varieties 

 hardy at the East, or near the inland lakes, will do as well 

 on prairie soil and in prairie climate. Another leading 



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