68 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
idea to obscure their presence but 
rather to secure an orderly arrange- 
ment of the buildings and to have the 
front side to the front and the back 
side to the rear, 
The main driveway should enter 
from the direction of the heaviest traf- 
fic. As suggested in the accompany- 
ing plan, it may be desirable to pro- 
vide two drives, one leading directly 
to the barnyard for the heavy traffic 
and the other to serve the house, with 
a return loop for visitors. In locating 
drives, attention should be given to 
the matter of grades. Steep grades 
are objectionable and should be avoid- 
ed whenever possible. It is often 
practicable to do this by following 
around the hill, thereby securing not 
only an easy grade but also a long, 
sweeping curve which will make a 
more attractive drive. 
Massive concrete posts of a neat 
design may be appropriately used to 
mark in a formal way the entrance to 
the farmstead. Here also is a good 
location for the bulletin board, giving 
the name of the place, the proprietor, 
and other information. Every farm 
should have a name. It gives to the 
place a dignity and individuality that 
tobacco, etc., is cheapening. It not 
only detracts from the looks of a 
place but is an illogical thing to do. 
The owner should work up a reputa- 
tion for his own goods and advertise 
his own products in an appropriate 
way. 
Since the majority of the country 
people ride rather than walk there is 
little demand for front walks, which 
are wholly a matter of convenience 
rather than beauty. When built, they 
should lead in the direction people de- 
sire to go. Long, circuitous routes 
around a semi-circle are unnatural 
and do not represent good planning. 
It has been suggested that the best 
way to locate a walk is to find out 
where people want to go by first per- 
mitting them to form a path and take 
that as the location. This does not 
mean, however, that walks must al- 
ways be in straight lines. Often a 
gentle curve can be introduced so as 
not 1o be objectionable from the 
standpoint of distance and to give a 
pleasing landscape effect. In such in- 
stances it may be desirable to plant a 
tree or clump of shrubs on the in- 
side of the curve to give an apparent 
reason for the deviation. 
spread of 100 feet, while the green- 
ash or white birch will hardly exceed 
one-fourth of that. Do not overplant 
the lawn. By filling up the front 
yard the landscape effect is not only 
destroyed but the buildings are ob- 
scured or entirely hidden. From the 
sanitary point of view this is also un- 
desirable for it encourages dampness. 
Keep the trees back far enough to 
permit a free circulation of air and 
plenty of sunshine. Overshading is 
bad for a building and under these 
conditions the shingles decay quick- 
ly. As a protection against the after- 
noon sun, a shade tree or two to the 
southwest of the house is desirable. 
In general, plant along the sides 
to border or frame in the picture. In 
this way a vista is formed with the 
house as the central feature. Most 
people err in getting things into the 
wrong location rather than in the se- 
lection of varieties to plant. Keep 
an open front. Immediately in front 
of the house there is nothing so ap- 
propriate as a well-kept stretch of 
greensward. Keep the tree planting 
mostly along the sides and in placing 
them avoid a stiff, mechanical ar- 
rangement. If an evergreen is lo- 
AN ACTUAL FARMSTEAD PLAN WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY INCONVENIENT— NOTE THE WASTED 
GROUND AND THE EXCESSIVE TRAVEL REQUIRED TO CARE FOR THE LIVE STOCK. 
is otherwise lacking. Iowa now has 
a law permitting the registration of 
farm names and affording legal pro- 
tection therefor. Keep all other 
signs off. The use of farm buildings 
as bill boards for the advertising of 
As one of the larger features of 
the landscape, the location and num- 
ber of trees are of special importance. 
In selecting kinds the size of tree at 
maturity should be considered. The 
white elm, for example, may attain a 
cated so many feet from the walk on 
one side, do not place another one 
at a corresponding distance on the 
other side. Avoid a stiff checker 
board plan and plant the trees more 
in clumps, securing the effect of a 
