112 



HOME AND FLOWERS 



Here the house will be surrounded by 

 fruit, flowers and landscape. There is no 

 tree in the world so characteristic of the 

 country, especially in the Xorthern states, 

 as the apple tree; therefore our ideal 

 country house nestless warmly in an or- 

 chard. There are other trees that belong 

 about a home to make it homely. The 

 English homestead is never held to be 

 complete without the beech. It is a social 

 tree. Its leaves are sweet, and it is full of 



A SUCCESSFUL SARRACENIA DRUMMOXDI 



nuts for the children. But a pear tree 

 should always stand near the door of the 

 country home. All the spring, cherry, 

 plum and pear and apple blossoms should 

 bring perfume and peace ; and all summer 

 the crimson and golden fruit give happi- 

 ness and health to the housefolk and the 

 birds. 



The newer farming — what we call in- 

 tensive as opposed to extensive farming of 



the last century — will require not more 

 than ten or twenty acres; but these will 

 constitute a garden brought to the height. 

 There will be grapes and berries and small 

 fruits in profusion. The newer vegetables 

 from Asia and South America will com- 

 pete with our indigenous corn and pota- 

 toes. We shall miss the mile long corn 

 fields of the prairies ; but the variation will 

 make the whole homestead a garden. 



The country house will not be a copy 

 of the city house, but will have an idosyn- 

 cracy of its own. The city ideal is the 

 worst possible ideal for the country. The 

 limitations of the city house require a cer- 

 tain number of restrictions ; and these are 

 compensated for by having a few conven- 

 tional ornaments. There is not the least 

 reason in the world for adopting this type 

 in the country. The first conception of a 

 house in a large field ought to be roominess 

 — nothing pinched or contracted. Little 

 bits of verandas mean nothing; so with 

 balconies and observatories that are too 

 small for use. The countryman needs a 

 house not to live in, but to go into in bad 

 weather. In good weather he should live 

 out-of-doors; and practically sleep out-of- 

 doors. His verandas should run mostly 

 around the whole building; and be amply 

 large and full of welcome. The lawns 

 should be as generous as the house and 

 full of great trees. A tree is the badge of 

 the country, in the city it always has a 

 borrowed look. A city house has modern 

 conveniences — the country house should 

 have the ancient conveniences — sun- 

 shine, light, good air, quiet, peace, 

 play. So there should be nothing too 

 conventional to be made familiar. 

 A chair should not look out of place 

 almost anywhere; and a sewing machine 

 should have as cozy nooks as the old-fash- 

 ioned spinning wheels occupied. But a 

 country house should always be somebody's 

 — as if it grew out of the needs and indi- 

 viduality of somebody. A city house is 

 almost always the creation of an architect ; 

 not the growth of the soul. It is for rent 

 — fifty families move in and move out — 



