AMERICAN JOURNAL 
or 
AGRICULTURE AND SCIENCE. 
CONDUCTED BY C. N. BEMENT, ALBANY. 
VOL. VIL FEBRUARY, 1848. No. 2. 
RURAL ARCHITECTURE. 
A suburban residence combines, to some extent, the advantages 
and pleasures of city and country life, but does not contain either 
to the full. A country residence affords, to the intelligent mind 
and diligent hand, pleasures and profits which are unknown in 
exclusive city life. 
For the last eight or ten years a decided taste has been mani- 
fested in rural architecture. The newly built cottages that meet 
our eye in almost every direction, tell us in plain language that 
our countrymen have given some thought on the construction of 
their dwellings; and instead of consulting the nearest carpenter 
for a plan, architects of known taste and skill have been employ- 
ed, and the consequence is, a taste for beauty of style has been 
engendered of a most happy character. 
How much of the beauty of a country, and of the ideas of the 
comfort and happiness of its inhabitants, depends on the appear- 
ance of its houses and cottages, every person is aware. The dif- 
ference between the best and the poorest is sufficiently striking; 
and the ideas of wealth, comfort, order, and symmetry is every 
where conspicuous. 
Utility is a beauty of itself, but there are higher degrees of that 
sentiment excited by the appearance of convenience, of design, or 
intelligence in contrivance, as displayed in the elevation and gene- 
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