124 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE FARM 
descending, they seem to have but the one simple function of 
keeping out the rain. Their colors are not—at least they 
were not—all the rainbow hues. Sir Joshua Reynolds used 
to say, “If you would fix upon the best color for your house, 
turn up a stone, or pluck up a handful of grass by the roots, 
and see what is the color of the soil where the house is to 
stand, and let that be your choice.”’ 
The trouble with many homesteads is that no thought has 
ever been taken of the gifts of nature near at hand; how rich 
they are, and how available for use in beautifying the home, is 
little realized. Vistas that would warm an artist’s soul are 
shut out by sheds, unnoticed. The choicest of native plants 
are cut away as “brush.” Buildings are set down helter- 
skelter, facing all ways, at all levels, up and down. The 
boundaries of fields are accidental. Roads happen. Efficiency 
and beauty are sacrificed together. Both demand that a 
homestead shall fit its environment. Both efficiency and 
beauty need a little planning and forethought. For both, 
a little study of what: nature offers in materials and in 
models lies near the beginning of wisdom. 
Study 16. A Comparison of the Outlook of Local Farm 
Homesteads 
The program of work includes a visit to the front approach 
of half a dozen or more near-by farmsteads to see how they fit 
their environment; to see how their builders have treated the 
beauties of the larger landscape, and how they have used 
decorative materials in planting. 
The record of this study may consist of notes on each one 
of the homesteads visited, arranged for each one as follows: 
No. (If the name of the owner be not set down, it will 
matter less whether the remarks be always complimentary.) 
Location. (This may, perhaps, best be shown by making a 
little sketch-map of the route, whereon all the places studied 
