THE COUNTRY HOME [CHAPTER 
the corn fields or the hop fields stand in rich allu- 
vial, and where orchards divide the clover fields, 
while there are still some bits of original forest in 
sight — maple, beech, and ash, nearly always flank- 
ed with butternut, chestnut, or walnut. Do you 
see anything anywhere that you would like to call 
your own? I do not doubt but that in half an 
hour’s ride you will have craved a dozen spots, and 
you will hardly know which one you like the best. 
The right sort of location ought to please on 
sight. You will recognize something of yourself 
when you see the place where you ought to estab- 
lish your home. The fact is, every one of us has 
already grown a good many tastes, opinions, emo- 
tions; and probably some whims, that we shall 
have to outgrow; and these must be gratified, in 
selecting a location, or they will make trouble here- 
after. 
Those who go to distant states, where climate and 
soil and trees are all novel, are homesick for old 
scenes and old conditions. Do not go into the coun- 
try unless you can find some place that recognizes 
you and will make itself familiar with you — that 
is, appear homelike. I have friends who feel that 
there is nothing like a broad, flat, level meadow for 
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