﻿38 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  January, 
  1907 
  

  

  in 
  their 
  new 
  surroundings 
  as 
  

   they 
  did 
  in 
  the 
  original 
  ones 
  

   for 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  designed 
  

   and 
  built. 
  A 
  great 
  many 
  of 
  

   our 
  finer 
  Colonial 
  ones 
  in 
  Vir- 
  

   ginia 
  and 
  Pennsylvania 
  were, 
  

   together 
  with 
  the 
  other 
  decor- 
  

   ations 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  gentle- 
  

   man's 
  country 
  seat, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   the 
  bricks 
  themselves, 
  brought 
  

   directly 
  from 
  English 
  houses 
  

   or 
  makers. 
  They 
  are 
  unpre- 
  

   tentious, 
  well-proportioned, 
  

   and 
  inexpensive. 
  Almost 
  any 
  

   mill 
  or 
  cabinet-maker 
  can 
  exe- 
  

   cute 
  them. 
  All 
  the 
  larger 
  

   salesrooms 
  or 
  dealers 
  in 
  man- 
  

   tels 
  have 
  hundreds 
  of 
  compar- 
  

   atively 
  excellent 
  copies 
  of 
  

   mantels 
  originally 
  executed 
  for 
  

   English 
  Georgian 
  or 
  our 
  own 
  

   Colonial 
  houses 
  of 
  the 
  next 
  

   generation 
  (illustration 
  No. 
  

   9). 
  Our 
  Colonial 
  ones 
  were, 
  

   out 
  of 
  economy, 
  almost 
  always 
  

   executed 
  in 
  wood. 
  

  

  Only 
  one 
  additional 
  feature 
  

   of 
  the 
  fireplace 
  is 
  worth 
  notic- 
  

   ing, 
  and 
  that 
  is 
  its 
  great 
  value 
  

  

  as 
  a 
  ventilator. 
  It 
  creates 
  a 
  steady 
  current 
  in 
  the 
  inlets. 
  Fed 
  by 
  these, 
  it 
  really 
  becomes 
  a 
  

   chamber 
  and 
  draws 
  out 
  the 
  exhausted 
  air. 
  To 
  be 
  truly 
  hot 
  air 
  mouth, 
  which 
  constantly 
  replaces 
  the 
  a 
  

   hygienic, 
  the 
  chimney 
  should 
  be 
  fed 
  by 
  exterior 
  fresh 
  air 
  by 
  heated 
  fresh 
  air. 
  

  

  10 
  — 
  Of 
  Excellent 
  Georgian 
  Form 
  

  

  ventilator, 
  a 
  

   ir 
  of 
  the 
  room 
  

  

  A 
  True 
  Country 
  Home 
  

  

  By 
  Edward 
  Watts 
  

  

  DO 
  not 
  intend 
  to 
  write 
  of 
  a 
  costly 
  country 
  

   place, 
  where 
  people 
  of 
  wealth 
  may 
  resort; 
  

   but 
  a 
  model 
  home 
  for 
  an 
  energetic, 
  intelli- 
  

   gent 
  family, 
  willing 
  to 
  study 
  nature 
  and 
  put 
  

   their 
  knowledge 
  to 
  practical 
  use. 
  A 
  well- 
  

   located 
  residence 
  of 
  twenty 
  acres, 
  or 
  even 
  

   ten, 
  where 
  the 
  conditions 
  are 
  not 
  unusually 
  unfavorable, 
  can 
  

   be 
  made 
  to 
  pay 
  its 
  own 
  way, 
  and 
  yet 
  take 
  into 
  its 
  makeup 
  

   nearly 
  all 
  the 
  charms 
  of 
  landscape 
  beauty. 
  The 
  homestead 
  

   that 
  I 
  shall 
  describe 
  was 
  not 
  unusually 
  fertile, 
  but 
  its 
  posi- 
  

   tion 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  slope 
  of 
  a 
  superb 
  valley, 
  overlooking 
  a 
  

   dozen 
  villages 
  and 
  a 
  city, 
  with 
  garden-like 
  scenery 
  in 
  all 
  

   directions, 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  easily 
  surpassed. 
  Yet 
  our 
  country 
  

   holds 
  many 
  such 
  places; 
  noble 
  in 
  outlook, 
  where 
  homes 
  like 
  

   the 
  one 
  that 
  I 
  shall 
  describe 
  may 
  be 
  easily 
  planted 
  and 
  

   sustained. 
  I 
  never 
  travel 
  through 
  New 
  England, 
  and 
  the 
  

   same 
  is 
  true 
  of 
  the 
  Western 
  States, 
  and 
  still 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  

   Southern, 
  without 
  saying 
  again 
  anci 
  again, 
  "There, 
  what 
  

   a 
  noble 
  place 
  for 
  a 
  home! 
  What 
  a 
  winsome 
  location 
  for 
  a 
  

   house!" 
  It 
  only 
  needs 
  an 
  educated 
  will 
  and 
  a 
  resolution 
  to 
  

   study 
  Nature 
  and 
  be 
  instructed 
  by 
  her. 
  Those 
  who 
  go 
  out 
  to 
  

   spend 
  money 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  concerned 
  with; 
  but 
  the 
  man 
  of 
  

   moderate 
  means, 
  who 
  has 
  a 
  taste 
  for 
  the 
  beautiful, 
  and 
  is 
  

   willing 
  to 
  adjust 
  himself 
  to 
  new 
  conditions. 
  

  

  The 
  old 
  homestead 
  of 
  my 
  boyhood 
  occupied 
  the 
  very 
  heart 
  

   of 
  a 
  western 
  slope, 
  overlooking 
  the 
  Oriskany 
  valley, 
  where 
  it 
  

   runs 
  down 
  through 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  Empire 
  State. 
  On 
  a 
  

   broad 
  rise 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  lay 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Clin- 
  

  

  ton. 
  Its 
  roads, 
  bordered 
  with 
  trees, 
  felt 
  their 
  way 
  in 
  all 
  

   directions 
  through 
  the 
  hills, 
  awaiting 
  for 
  steam-cars 
  and 
  

   trolleys. 
  It 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  village 
  created 
  by 
  New 
  Englanders 
  

   on 
  their 
  way 
  Westward 
  to 
  conquer 
  a 
  continent. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  

   wonder 
  that 
  on 
  that 
  knoll 
  the 
  pioneers 
  from 
  Connecticut 
  first 
  

   planted 
  a 
  home. 
  My 
  own 
  venture 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  on 
  the 
  very 
  spot 
  

   where 
  Dominie 
  Kirkland, 
  with 
  his 
  friend 
  Sconodoah, 
  planted 
  

   the 
  first 
  pioneers' 
  orchard 
  in 
  1 
  79 
  1 
  . 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  trees 
  

   were 
  still 
  standing, 
  and 
  the 
  old 
  farmhouse, 
  built 
  when 
  the 
  

   trees 
  were 
  planted, 
  was 
  still 
  capable 
  of 
  occupancy. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  orchard, 
  along 
  the 
  southeast 
  slope, 
  toward 
  the 
  

   street, 
  was 
  a 
  succession 
  of 
  knolls 
  and 
  swales. 
  Following 
  

   these 
  upward, 
  till 
  they 
  came 
  to 
  a 
  level 
  sward, 
  I 
  found 
  not 
  

   only 
  my 
  natural 
  driveways, 
  but 
  an 
  inviting 
  position 
  for 
  my 
  

   house. 
  Here 
  could 
  be 
  secured 
  the 
  most 
  perfect 
  drainage, 
  

   and 
  a 
  commanding 
  position. 
  This 
  location, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  ob- 
  

   served, 
  was 
  not 
  the 
  conventional 
  one 
  near 
  the 
  roadside. 
  It 
  

   was 
  selected 
  by 
  Nature 
  herself, 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  the 
  best 
  spot 
  

   for 
  a 
  house 
  that 
  should 
  command 
  the 
  whole 
  property. 
  It 
  

   was 
  as 
  convenient 
  for 
  the 
  rear 
  as 
  for 
  the 
  front. 
  Drainage 
  

   from 
  this 
  point 
  was 
  perfect, 
  and 
  the 
  outlook 
  took 
  in 
  not 
  only 
  

   the 
  property 
  itself, 
  but 
  the 
  whole 
  valley. 
  

  

  The 
  construction 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  was 
  to 
  follow 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  

   its 
  location. 
  Having 
  command 
  of 
  a 
  wide 
  outlook 
  and 
  of 
  

   many 
  beautiful 
  points, 
  it 
  must 
  not 
  be 
  so 
  constructed 
  as 
  to 
  

   shut 
  these 
  out. 
  In 
  other 
  words, 
  a 
  building 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  erected 
  

   exactly 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  spot 
  where 
  it 
  stood; 
  a 
  building 
  that 
  

   would 
  not 
  so 
  well 
  fit 
  any 
  other 
  place. 
  It 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  simple 
  

  

  