March, 1908 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



93 



sun as well as the prevail- 

 ing breezes in summer. As 

 the view of the Hudson is 

 magnificent from this house, 

 it will be noticed that from 

 all the principal rooms the 

 full benefit of this may be 

 derived. 



The entrance-h all is 

 quite out of the ordinary, as 

 it is octagonal in shape, and 

 extends two full stories in 

 height, with a round, railed 

 opening at the second story. 

 The trim is quartered oak 

 with dull Flemish finish, the 

 stairs being finished to har- 

 monize. The dining-room 

 is raised two steps above the 

 hall, and is shut off by fold- 

 ing doors with clear leaded 

 glass panels. This room is 

 trimmed in whitewood with 

 white enamel finish, the 

 walls being tinted a d u 1 1 

 green. The kitchen and 

 laundry are in the base- 

 ment, and a door from the 

 kitchen leads into a little 

 yard inclosed with stone 



walls. The bedrooms are all finished in white enamel with 

 mahogany doors, the hardware being natural brass with 

 glass knobs. The plumbing and heating work is of the most 



The Fireplace in the Living-room Has Facings of Mottled Green Tile and a High Mantel Shelf 



modern and approved type, and the house is in every way 

 practical and comfortable as well as artistic. It was designed 

 by Mr. Hobart A. Walker, architect, of New York. 



Fences in Towns and Villages 



By Ada March 



HE fence is the successor to the wall; the 

 wall, originally, was a means of defense; 

 the fence is therefore the modern survival 

 of the old protective wall, used as a means 

 of defense, and itself a protection against 

 the intruder. Modern civilization has done 

 away with walls as protections; they are 

 thoroughly unadapted to modern conditions; they have no 

 present utility; they have no present value, and express a 

 civilization different from our own. 



Just as the utility of the wall has disappeared, the useful- 

 ness of the fence has greatly diminished. Fences are no 

 longer of value as boundary lines, since these are fixed by 

 maps, which are more precious to the owner than many 

 fences. They are sometimes helpful in keeping out the small 

 boy; they may act as lines of demarcation between the 

 property of unpleasant neighbors; they have at least service in 

 keeping out stray dogs, horses and other animals; and they 

 have been known to keep ferocious cows within the limits of 

 their particular pastures. The sum total of their excellences 

 is, therefore, decidedly limited, and the question naturally 

 arises, Why have a fence at all? 



Why, indeed, if it does not serve some purpose? In the 

 towns its value has almost completely disappeared; in the 

 country it is still useful, especially if one has a large place 

 the boundaries of which can not readily be kept under sur- 

 veillance. The practical question which confronts most prop- 

 erty owners is, therefore, not what kind of a fence, but 

 whether any fence at all. 



In itself the fence has little beauty. If of wood its painted 

 pickets are not necessarily ugly, though few ordinary wooden 

 fences have any beauty. The metal fence is rarely orna- 

 mental unless deliberately made so, when it becomes too 

 costly an adornment for any but the most expensive places. 

 But if the fence alone has no beauty, it can be readily trans- 

 formed by applying vines and plants to it, and the whole 

 border becomes one of real and penetrating charm. 



Thus treated, the fence loses any inherent disadvantages 

 it may have, and becomes a distinct gain. It is no longer a 

 fence, but a trellis for wistaria and roses, for trumpet vines 

 and clematis and jessamine. Such fences are to be gladly 

 welcomed, and distinguish any place that they surround. 



The privet hedge has frequently supplanted the fence as 

 a boundary border, and with great good reason. A well- 

 grown, well-trimmed hedge is a source of constant delight. 

 It is as thoroughly effective as a border as any ordinary 

 fence, and it is much more decorative. The hedge, for- 

 tunately, needs no commendation, for its value and beauty are 

 well recognized. 



No inclosure at all is often sufficient as a protector, at 

 least toward the street. When a locality is invaded by loose 

 animals the fence, of course, has a utility that nothing else 

 can give. But the fenceless garden never misses the fence, 

 the well-kept border, the carefully cut grass being all that 

 is needed. Houses so surrounded acquire the effect of being 

 in and of a park, an effect of very decided esthetic value, and 

 one more helpful to most houses than any kind of a fence or 

 inclosure is apt to be. 



