PARK AND CEMETERY. 
67 
PLANNING AND ADORNING THE FARMSTEAD 
The landscape plan for the layout 
and development of a farm is a prob- 
lem of no mean importance, both to 
the landscape architect, and the farm- 
er. As a problem in landscape archi- 
tecture and engineering the farm has 
hitherto received little attention, but 
modern ideas of rural betterment and 
of scientific agriculture, have finally 
brought out the fact that convenient- 
ly arranged buildings, a well-kept 
lawn attractively bordered with trees 
and shrubs add greatly to the appear- 
ance and value of the farm. 
The Iowa State College of Agricul- 
ture at Ames, la., has recently issued 
a very interesting and comprehensive 
illustrated bulletin on “Planning and 
Adorning the Farmstead,” that is a 
thorough discussion of every land- 
scape problem that pertains to the 
convenient and orderly lay out of the 
farm. It is written by Prof. A. T. 
Irwin, and attractively illustrated 
with many plans and pictures. The 
accompanying pictures and facts are 
gathered from this bulletin. 
The farmstead, including as it does 
the general area occupied by the farm 
buildings, house and lawn, is the cen- 
ter of activity for the farm. Its plan- 
ning and development, both from the 
standpoint of convenience and of se- 
curing an attractive landscape effect, 
deserve special consideration. 
A well-thought-out plan is the first 
requisite to get these results, as in 
the absence of a definite scheme seri- 
ous mistakes are likely to be made. 
This plan should include the location 
of buildings, drives, walks, trees, 
shrubbery, and every other feature 
which contributes either to the con- 
venience or ornamentation of the 
place. It should be developed with 
the larger relationships always in 
mind. The location of the house and 
farm buildings is the first considera- 
tion. Even though it happens that 
some or all of these are already on 
the ground, a plan for their location is 
important. New farm homes are 
erected to supplant old ones and other 
new farm structures are added, which 
make practicable a general consider- 
ation of the entire building scheme. 
Material improvement can often be 
made in a farmstead by a readjust- 
ment as new buildings are put up, 
though the best results are obtained 
where things art planned right from 
the start. 
In selecting a site for the house, 
good drainage is the first requisite. A 
south or east slope is generally to be 
preferred while a north slope is unde- 
sirable. In its location give the house 
greatest prominence. The farmstead 
first of all provides a home and the 
residence should stand out as the cen- 
tral and most conspicuous feature of 
the picture. To place the barn and 
other buildings in front of the house 
is to reverse the logical order of 
things. Locate the house back far 
enough from the highway to afford 
privacy and give a good stretch of 
lawn in front, and yet not so far back 
as to suggest a spirit of exclusion 
nor with a lawn so large that it can- 
not be properly cared for. Most city 
dooryards are too small while many 
of those in the country are so large 
that it is impracticable to give them 
lawn treatment. 
The location and grouping of the 
general farm buildings is a perplexing 
problem and each place presents its 
own peculiar conditions and difficul- 
ties. The most common mistakes oc- 
cur in the location of buildings as to 
convenience. The corn crib should 
be located near the particular feeding- 
place that will call for the bulk of its 
supply and the toolshed where the 
implements can be taken up or 
dropped enroute to or from the field. 
In this connection the importance of 
providing enough shed room for the 
tools and general equipment needs 
emphasis. The promiscuous scatter- 
ing of machinery about the barnyard 
always gives a place an air of care- 
lessness and neglect and detracts 
much from its appearance, while the 
weathering of the machinery causes 
a serious economic loss. The water- 
ing-trough and workshop call for a 
central location. 
The general farm buildings should 
be to the rear of the farmhouse and 
the stable at least 150 or 200 feet 
away. Locate them to avoid odors 
being carried to the house by the 
summer winds. So far as practicable, 
arrange the farm buildings to serve 
as a windbreak. Locate the yards on 
the side farthest from the house, 
though it is often an advantage to 
provide a paddock near the highway 
for the display of the farm herds. 
The business side of the farm must 
not be lost sight of and special fea- 
tures of the general building equip- 
ment may be given prominence, such 
as the seedhouse or any other impor- 
tant feature of the place. In land- 
scaping the farmstead it is not the 
AN ATTRACTIVE ENTRANCE TO A FARM. 
