112 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



April 



OUR HOUSES AND GROUNDS ABOUT 

 THEM. 



The first grand requisite in this mortal exist- 

 ence is a good conscience. Without this, all is 

 "vanity and vexation" of spirit, — for a viper is 

 constantly gnawing at the very fountain of life. 

 The next tiling is good Jiealth, — though some say 

 that uninterrupted health is not desirahle. If we 

 had ever enjoyed the latter for five consecutive 

 years, we could judge better. When we do, our 

 opinion shall not be withheld. 



Having then, the conscience and the health, — 

 the next important thing to our convenience and 

 happiness is the house in which we live, and the 

 things which surround it. Parental example and 



180 f. 



Village Homestead as it is 

 This engraving represents one of the hundreds 

 of homesteads in New England of about the same 

 size and shape, or only slightly differing, and must 

 be familiar to all. The land is half an acre in 

 size, on which is a house forty feet square, with L 

 and wood-shed. There is also a barn, 40 X 30 ; 

 at one corner of the barn, o, is a pile of manure 

 exposed to the washing and beating of wind and 

 rain ; this pile is surrounded by the hog-pen, 

 whose squealing inhabitants are plainly perceiva- 

 ble by all. 



The buildings are all more or less painted ; 

 probably white in front, and bright red on the 

 back and sides ; in some cases there are blinds, 

 but in more none. Every path is straight, and 

 if it is inconvenient to go around the corners, 

 another path is worn across the grass. F, is the 

 road up to the barn ; this road is shut from the 

 main street, by either a pair of bars, or a three- 

 barred gate generally halting on one hinge. K, 

 is the path to the front door, which also is closed 

 by a gate, commonly composed of pickets, one or 

 more of which are askew, or broken out. H, g, i, 



instruction must establish the first, but the latter, 

 the house and its surroundings, will so thoroughly 

 map themselves upon the minds of children that 

 no influences of after life will be able to efface 

 them. This map will reproduce pleasant scenes 

 and memories, that will make the heart cheerful 

 and elastic, or they will be scenes and utterances 

 from which will spring a morbid spirit full of mur- 

 murings and discontent. 



How important, then, it is, that every thing 

 that is to fill and mould the young mind shall be 

 of an agreeable and instructive character. Let 

 us see how much we are doing, in this direction, 

 to secure this result. The cut which we present 

 below is the 



REFERENCES. 



0. House. 



b. Kitchen. 



c. Woodshed. 



d. Barn. 



e. Pig-sty. 



f. Main Carriage Road. 

 a. Path from Shed to Barn. 

 h. Path from the Kitchen to 



Barn. 



i. Path from Kitchen to Gar- 

 den. 

 Path from the front door 

 to Garden. 



k. Path to Front Door. 



1. Border of Currant Bushes. 

 m. Dilapidated elms in front. 

 n. Rows of Apple Trees. 

 o. Manure Heap. 

 p. Gooseberry Border. 

 q. Grass. 

 r. Flower Border. 



-Unimproved. 



and j, are paths through the garden and grass, to 

 and from the house and barn ; in every case it is 

 necessary to go around a long and awkward cor- 

 ner, or cross grass or plowed land. M, is a row 

 of half-starved elms from the woods, or, perhaps, 

 of overgrown and neglected apple trees. S, rep- 

 resents the tillage by dotted lines. Q, grass, by 

 straight lines. At n, n, there are fruit trees, all 

 of which indicate the absence of horticultural 

 skill. On the west side is a long picket fence, 

 out of which many slats have been lost, thus ac- 

 commodating the neighbor's or the proprietor's 

 pigs and hens in their friendly visits. Against 

 the fence on the west, north, and east, there may 

 be a row of moss-covered currant, raspberry or 

 gooseberry bushes. On either side of the front 

 walk, k, are two borders, r, r, for flowers, which 

 in some cases will have a few stunted roses and 

 pinks, and a few roots of phlox or other perenni- 

 als. The border, p, is filled with some berry fruit, 

 and the tilled surface more or less covered with 

 fruits, vegetables, and most of all, ivceds ! 

 Now let us look at the other side, the 



