AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
245 
is so general, and is so generally regarded as an 
evidence of taste on the part of the owner, that 
many would deem it a sort of profanity to ridi¬ 
cule it. It is not the shrubbery so much as the 
manner in which it is kept, that is to be con¬ 
demned. 
It was not until after a good deal of reflection 
that I could explain the reasons why those sit¬ 
uations were so pleasing, where the house stood 
upon an open lawn, unenclosed in front by a 
fence. These places have a certain agreeable 
picturesque expression, the cause of which was 
a problem not easy to be solved. I was at 
length convinced that it was an appearance of 
combined comfort, neatness, and freedom that 
gave them their interesting aspect. It is requi¬ 
site, however, that such a place should be shaded 
by trees; otherwise its appearance is too bleak 
to be agreeable. There is likewise a pleasing 
moral expression about such a place that adds 
to its effect. An open space in front of the 
house suggests the idea that the owner is a 
liberal-hearted or humble-minded man, who is 
not afraid of vulgar intrusion. Fences should 
be built only for protection; and where no such 
protection is needful, it is a useless appendage, 
that serves to mar the pleasing effects of the 
whole scene. An elegant fence might greatly 
increase the beauty of a place, but would spoil 
its picturesque attractions, which are far more 
important—as the expression of the human 
face is of more importance than the ruffles and 
jewelry that surround it. 
The appearance of adaptedness for pleasant 
retirement and seclusion is one of the qualities 
of a scene that renders it picturesque ; and it is 
said that a fence or hedge-row in front of the in¬ 
closures would promote this appearance.’ I 
contend, however, that one’s front yard is not 
the place for seclusion, which ought to be sought 
in the rear of the house, where any amount of 
shrubbery might be cultivated for this purpose. 
A fence or hedge-row, unless the house is on a 
ground more elevated than the street, serves to 
hide from view a great deal which is really laid 
out for observation. Most people decorate the 
outside of their houses for the public eye, and, 
whatever they may believe to the contrary, not 
entirely for their own. Other things being 
equal, they are best satisfied with those decora¬ 
tions which they believe will elicit the most in¬ 
telligent approbation. It is idle, therefore to 
ornament one’s dwelling, and then conceal it 
from view by a high fence or hedge-row. The 
greater number of the enclosures of houses, on 
a street where there is much travel, require some 
kind of a fence; but this should always be of 
open work, and as simple and as low as it may 
be to answer the purpose of protection. 
It may be objected that a house looks bald 
without shrubbery, or something in the place 
of it. If it stands on a green lawn, shaded by 
trees, this baldness would not*be so disagreeable 
to the eye as a crowded assemblage of bushes 
covered with the dust of the street. That 
tangled confusion, which is so delightful in the 
wild pastures, may be perfectly disgusting im¬ 
mediately about one’s doorstep. But this bald¬ 
ness, which is truly desirable to avoid, ought to 
be relieved by a honeysuckle, or some kind of 
climbing plant, trained over each door. Vinery 
does not conceal from sight either the house and 
its proportions or its enclosures, and a few fes¬ 
toons over each of the porches, if more could 
not be properly kept, would be sufficient to pro¬ 
duce the desired effect. Let the house stand as 
far as practicable from the street; let the trees 
be so far from the house as not to hide it, and 
have likewise ample room to extend their 
branches; let the house standing on a clear open 
lawn, be tastefully ornamented with vines, in 
such a manner as to improve the architectural 
beauty which it may possess, and the whole 
place would have a charming effect on the mind 
of every beholder. 
A profusion of beautiful ornaments, even if 
they were as easily procured and as cheaply 
maintained, are not to be preferred to good pic¬ 
turesque effects, whenever the latter are prac¬ 
ticable. In a crowded street they cannot be ob¬ 
tained, and here therefore is the place for orna¬ 
mental architecture. Just in proportion as the 
beautiful is sought, expense must be lavished. 
The most desirable picturesque effects, on the 
other hand, are compatible with plainness and 
simplicity. They may also be maintained with 
comparatively little expense. Beauty is more 
complicated, more luxurious and more costly. 
Picturesque effects, however, require a higher 
exercise of the faculty of taste. Any body who 
has money enough can make a beautiful and 
showy house, by means of sculptured and 
architectural decorations. He can do the same 
with his enclosures. By a confusion of sculp¬ 
ture, and a variety of flowers geometrically ar¬ 
ranged, he may produce very dazzling effects 
without one particle of genius. But one must 
be possessed of the true genius of a painter, to 
make such an arrangement of the house and 
outbuildings, grounds, trees and shrubbery, as, 
without any great lavishment of money, to pro¬ 
duce that indescribable charm which shall de¬ 
light every eye. We see but very few such 
places, for the reason that nearly all who build 
houses ape one another, and never think of any 
thing save the gratification of their vanity, 
which most generally consists of a desire to be 
thought wealthy. Of the few such model places 
that are to be seen, the most are the result of 
accident. It is by carefully observing these, 
and tracing to their source the agreeable sensa¬ 
tions felt on beholding them, that we can learn 
the principles on which the picturesque ef¬ 
fects are founded. An exact imitation of the 
model must be equally pleasing; but as designs 
must be made to suit different situations, we 
cannot transfer the genuine charms of one 
place to another without thoroughly compre¬ 
hending the true and secret causes of the 
pleasure they give to the spectator. 
In conclusion, I will repeat that it seems 
vastly more important to strive after these pic¬ 
turesque advantages in the style of our dwellings 
and their appurtenances, than to seek for a 
showy or ambitious style of architecture. It is 
of but little importance whether a house be 
Gothic or Grecian, Swiss or Italian, English or 
American in its style, provided it be justly pro¬ 
portioned, and destitute of meretricious orna¬ 
ments, and the grounds and outbuildings be so 
arranged as to render the situation pleasing to 
the eye. How beautiful soever a house may be, 
we may surround it with such decorations as 
shall cancel the whole effect of the fine style of 
its architecture. Too much stress has of late 
years been placed on mere architectural orna¬ 
ments. Seek propriety in the style of a house 
and let its beauty consist rather in its propor¬ 
tions than its ornaments. Let it be made attract¬ 
ive by a tasteful and expressive laying out of 
the grounds, and you will have done what will 
yield the most lasting satisfaction to the owner, 
the occupant, and the public in general.— Wil¬ 
son Flagg, in Rovey's Magazine. 
- • » o- 
HAY vs. GOLD. 
It has ever been our opinion that the ultimate 
prosperity of California, or any other State, 
must be influenced more by its adaption to ag¬ 
ricultural pursuits, than by any or all the gold 
mines that have been, or may be found therein. 
There can be no sort of doubt but that the great¬ 
est source of wealth which California possesses 
is found in the rich valleys, table lands, and 
mountain slopes so graphically described by 
Fremont, and now so ably noticed by Mr. Kelly. 
When these resources are developed, as they 
will be very soon, the gold diggings and quartz 
rock will sink into comparative insignificance. 
Look at it. It is said that the yield of gold from 
the California mines for the current year will 
reach the enormous sum of fifty-five or sixty 
millions of dollars! an enormous sum, truly; 
and yet we venture to say that the value of the 
hay crop alone of New-York, will fully equal it. 
Six counties of that State produced in 1850, 
800,000 tops of hay, which at $7 per ton, is 
$5,600,000. This they do year after year, with a 
gradual increase, and yet how few are seen rush¬ 
ing to the meadows of Oneida, Jefferson, Che¬ 
nango, Delaware, Chautauque, or St. Lawrence. 
The wheat and corn fields of Ohio produce 
annually more dollars than the gold mines of 
California. Yet there is no noise made about it; 
and, instead of thousands rushing to them in 
the hope of growing suddenly rich, thousands 
have been fleeing from them in search of gold 
—gold—gold. 
We hazard nothing in saying, that had the 
emigrants to California, since the discovery of 
gold there, gone instead to the rich lands of our 
Western States, they could have produced dou¬ 
ble the amount of all the gold dug from the 
mines of that El Dorado. The capital necessary 
to place a man in working condition in the Cali¬ 
fornia mines would have settled him comforta¬ 
bly on an eighty acre lot in Iowa, in a good cabin, 
with a team, farming utensils, provisions, &c., 
and insured him, instead of a chance for a little 
gold, the certainty of an independent position 
for life, without the sacrifice of home, friends, 
health, morals, and indeed all that men should 
esteem valuable in life. 
Thank heaven, the “gold mania” is in its de¬ 
cadence, and the time is near when it will be 
seen and known that every ounce of gold dust, 
dug from the California mines costs twice its 
market value.— Ohio Farmer. 
-• o •- 
To Head a Rearing Horse. —Whenever you 
perceive a horse’s inclination to rear, separate 
your reins and prepare for him. The instant he 
is about to rise, slacken one hand, and bend or 
twist his head with the other, keeping your 
hands low. This bending compels him to move 
a hind leg, and of necessity brings his fore feet 
down. Instantly twist him completely round 
two or three times, which will confuse him very 
much, and completely throw him off his guard. 
The moment you have finished twisting him 
round, place his head in the direction you wish 
to proceed, apply the spurs, and he will not fail 
to go forward; if the situation be convenient, 
press him into a gallop, and apply the spurs and 
whip two or three times severely. The horse 
will not perhaps, be satisfied with the first defeat, 
but may feel disposed to try again for the mas¬ 
tery. Should this be the case, you have only to 
twist him, &c., as before, and you will find that 
in the second struggle he will be much more 
easily subdued than on the former occasion; in 
fact you will perceive him to quail under the 
operation.— British Sportsman. 
Live stock in tue United States. —Taking 
the last census as the basis of a calculation, there 
is at this time about six hundred million dollars’ 
worth of live stock in the U. S. Their value ex¬ 
ceeds that all the manufacturing establishments 
in the country, and also exceeds the capital in¬ 
vested in commerce, both inland and foreign. 
Good Corn. —T. Barb, living four miles north¬ 
east of this place, tells us he has taken from 
one acre of his corn field 110 bushels. This, 
we presume, is about as good a yield of corn as 
is generally found in any country. Little Wyan¬ 
dot is hard to beat for a good many things. Suc¬ 
cess to our farmers.— Wyandot Pioneer. 
Great Corn—Pickaway vs. Ross. —We are 
informed by Mr. Robert H. Lansing, Secretary 
of the Ross County Agricultural Society, that 
Mr. John P. Barger raised on a field of eighty 
acres an average of one hundred and twenty 
bushels of corn to the acre, and sold to Mr. Enos 
Prather at that average. Can any body beat 
that?— Scioto Gazette. 
Yes-sir-ee! Old Pickaway can beat it all to 
pieces! Dr. P. K. Hull raised one hundred acres 
of corn on Mr. Ezra Florence’s farm, on the Darby 
bottoms, in this county, which averaged one hun¬ 
dred and thirty-six bushels to the acre, and G. B. 
Dresbach, Esq., of this city, took it at that ave¬ 
rage.— Oircleville Watchman. 
