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THE FARMS MUST BECOME GARDENS. 



mative period than a shrub or a tree. A badly shaped 

 tree is always a standing reproof to somebody's careless- 

 ness or neglect. 



One of the newer villas in Newport that can never 

 fail to attract attention is that of J. J. Van Alen, 

 situated at Ochre Point, but not bordering directly on the 

 sea. It is said that the house and estate generally are 

 modelled after an old English mansion, and that its pe- 

 culiarities are chiefly foreign rather than American. 

 The house, built of granite, appears more like a castle 

 than an ordinary dwelling, and the whole estate is sur- 

 sounded by a massive granite wall so high that no one 

 can look within, and so strong, that in time of war it 

 might be capable of withstanding quite a siege, were an 

 enemy to attempt its capture. About the only glimpse 

 which is to be obtained from the street, of the well laid 

 out and extensive grounds, is through the beautiful iron 

 gate shown in the illustration. And this is one of the 

 most charming pictures of the Newport gardens. Near 

 this gateway on either side, within, there is a rich col- 

 lection of rare shrubs and flowers, including a fine show 

 of Japanese maples, the foreign species and varieties 

 predominating throughout. The villa is too new, dat- 

 ing back to 1884, to have these yet in their highest per- 



fection, though the tall trees scattered through the 

 grounds, some removed to their present situations when 

 quite large, go far to take away the impression that it 

 has been fitted up within a half dozen years. The great 

 wall is as yet mostly uncovered, but it is evidently con- 

 templated to make it bright with color. Already there 

 have been planted considerable numbers of the Japan 

 ivy, Ampelopsis Veitcliii, and other vines, which will soon 

 become effective. 



Mr. Van Alen has in his grounds a feature that does 

 not appear anywhere else in Newport, in what is known 

 as a sunken garden, the general features of which are 

 shown in the illustration. The space occupied has been 

 excavated five or six feet and the bottom supplied with 

 rich fresh soil suitable for planting. In visiting it, one 

 looks down upon the tops of the beds of flowers instead 

 of viewing them at the usual angle. These are mostly 

 annuals and, as might be expected, are always of the 

 best class. The garden is reached by stairways, as shown 

 in the illustration. While interesting as an experiment, 

 this sunken garden has not been thus far an especial 

 success in producing fine effects ; greater experience 

 will doubtless insure satisfactory results. 



L. D. Davis. 



THE FARMS MUST BECOME GARDENS. 



MANUFACTURING company, 

 wishing to find a place for their 

 factory, examined a number of 

 sites in a small town, but find- 

 ing the town taxes rather high, 

 decided to go into the country 

 just beyond the town Hmits. 

 Here they were only subject to 

 the state and county taxes. They thought them- 

 selves very smart to thus be near town and its ad- 

 vantages, and yet to escape their share of the town 

 expenses. The factory built, they prepared to sell 

 their goods, when a new and perpetual tax was laid 

 on every pound of material that came to the fac- 

 tory, and on every single manufactured article sent 

 to market. This was the cost of transportation. 

 The cost of teaming to and from the factory and 

 the railroad in town was four times the amount of 

 the town taxes. 



This is precisely the position of many a small farm 

 to-day. It is too far away from its market. The mar- 

 ket is the nearest town where the fruit and vegetables 

 are sold. It costs too much to team the stuff. The 

 farm is also too big. There is too much useless land, 

 rocky hillside, bog or woodland. It is cheap. Of course 

 it is cheap, because it is too far away. Such farms can't 



pay, because of the cost of hauling over bad roads with 

 narrow-tired wheels, that cut deep in the mud and add 

 hundreds of pounds to the load, besides wearing out the 

 wagon and the horses. 



The raising of crops is precisely like this factory. It 

 is a manufacture of perishable goods. Like any busi- 

 ness, it must be conducted on business principles. It is 

 far better to have two or three acres of good land close 

 to a town than a forty-acre farm six miles out. Better 

 pay town taxes and be close to town stables for manure, 

 and close to a town full of consumers, than to be on a 

 big and cheap place with low taxes, miles away over bad 

 roads. Better one acre, and half of it under glass, ten 

 minutes from the town stores, than a farm one hour out 

 of town. Town taxes and the interest on the land can 

 be calculated exactly. The cost of teaming is an un- 

 known quantity — a perpetual tax that may far exceed 

 the increased cost of near-by land and town taxes. 



For this same reason it seems plain that to succeed, 

 our small farms should be turned into gardens. A farm 

 carries too much land that pays nothing, and it is too 

 far from the consumer of perishable products. Garden- 

 ing is the coming business that will supersede farming 

 in many of our eastern states. The farms will be planted 

 to forests, and the gardens will become manufactories of 

 food products. Gardens will become more and more 

 like shops, conducted on business principles and located 

 close to their markets. 



