18 MY FARM. 



living in the pretentious house of another man's or- 

 dering and building, as I should chafe at living in 

 another man's coat. Country architecture, whose 

 simplicity or rudeness is so far subordinated to the 

 main features of the landscape as not to provoke 

 special mention, may be of any man's building ; but 

 wherever the house becomes the salient feature of the 

 place, and challenges criticism by an engrossing im- 

 portance as compared with its rural surroundings, 

 then it must be in agreement with the tastes and 

 character of the occupant, or it is a pretentious false- 

 hood. 



Perhaps I ought to beg the reader's pardon for 

 this interpolation here, of a law of adjustment in re- 

 spect to the country and country houses, which would 

 have more perfect place in what I may have to say 

 upon the general subject of rural architecture. 



At present I return to my stock of pleasant advi- 

 sory letters : 



A tasteful gentleman, of active habits, calls my 

 attention to a park of which he is the projector, and 

 within which several desirable places, with admirable 

 views, remain unsold ; while land in the neighborhood 

 might be secured at a reasonable valuation, for such 

 farm experiments as I might be tempted to enter 

 upon. Attention is particularly called to the social 

 advantages of such a neighborhood, where none but 



