House and Garden 
actual boundary of the estate. While it is not neces¬ 
sary to place it in the exact center of the property, 
its location should not be fixed so that it is at ex¬ 
tremely unequal and varying distances from the main 
highways and the principal points of interest on the 
estate. Also while it is satisfactory to observe an unob¬ 
structed view of the countryside from all sides of the 
house, it should be remembered that a house thus sit¬ 
uated is exposed and open to all the elements. There¬ 
fore, it the house has a southerly exposure and the 
view is fairly open on the east and west, it would be 
more satisfactory on the whole if it were set some¬ 
what below the crest of the hill on the north, as the 
side being the most severely affected by the weather. 
It is not an unusual practice when having selected 
the site for a house to cut and clear away everything 
around it within a very considerable radius, and 
then to create an entirely new condition by planting 
and grading to certain carefully defined lines. In 
many cases this idea can be carried to the extreme. 
As stated, a house should not be left entirely 
exposed to the weather, even if plans will ultimately 
develop means of protection. If the house is located 
in a forest or thick grove of trees, it is generally 
sufficient to clear away only a portion of the timber 
leaving certain portions to act as windbreaks on the 
sides most exposed. Then when the newly planted 
trees have matured, the older ones can be destroyed 
as may be seen fit. This matter of windbreaks is 
very important and can be considered on other por¬ 
tions of the estate as well. The success of a garden 
or cultivated fields may often depend upon the proper 
protection of the same against the elements. 
Assuming that it is necessary to locate the house 
also with some relation to the mam driveway, the 
latter becomes the next subject for consideration. 
By studying tbe topographical plan, the course of 
this road is determined and it is preferable to build 
this as soon as work on the house is in progress. It is 
unwise, however, to do more at first than to place the 
road in just such a condition as will serve for ordi¬ 
nary use as the constant heavy traffic during construc¬ 
tion periods will necessitate a refinishing of the road 
at the end of the work in any case. At the same 
time, a spot can be selected for the establishment 
of a nursery, as during the road construction and the 
work of clearing for the house, it will probably be 
necessary to remove much material which would 
be desirable for planting purposes in different parts 
of the estate. It is always well to save such hardy 
forest trees as dogwood, oak, hickory, spruce, pine, 
etc., of such sizes as can be transplanted readily and 
are of proper proportions. This nursery can be 
added to considerably during the course of further 
construction and much use can be made out of other 
material which otherwise would have been destroyed. 
Progress thus far, the development of the estate 
is now considered in a general light and the remain¬ 
ing features are studied out carefully. A service 
road is planned with an entrance and course quite 
distinct from that of the main approach. Inter¬ 
secting and branch driveways may be constructed 
traversing other parts of the estate. Means for a 
water supply are developed. A mountain brook 
will often furnish a satisfactory source for this latter, 
with hydraulic rams delivering to a tank set at an 
elevation sufficient to furnish adequate pressure for 
the requirements of the house. Under different 
conditions a deep pipe well, connected to a wind¬ 
mill or a small steam or hot air pump, will afford 
other means of supply. A complete pipe system can 
then be instituted to reach all points of the estate. 
While the practical points are being considered, 
it will be necessary also to give attention to the 
drainage system. The roads will be failures unless 
careful drainage is provided for, while the territory 
in the vicinity of the house must be just as carefully 
treated. Lowlands or bogs in the neighborhood of 
the dwelling should all be drained as far as possible 
as the annoyance or sickness which is apt to arise 
from the presence of such makes an expenditure in 
this direction very worthy. By careful study of the 
plan as a whole, the drainage from all these parts 
may often be combined, and delivering to some 
particular location it is often possible to use this 
surface water to form a lake and thus add to the 
attractive features of the property. In districts 
where there is no drainage to brooks and streams, 
ravines and hollows in the woods are serviceable 
for collection areas if located at a sufficient distance 
from the roads and dwellings. 
In matters of sewage disposal; a man of moderate 
means may be excused for not going any further than 
the construction of a cesspool, but in the case of those 
who can afford a large enough house to make the 
question of sewage a considerable item it is short¬ 
sighted not to arrange for a system which can be 
made wholly unobjectionable. There are several 
different methods of sewage disposal entailing varied 
cost, but one which is simple and very satisfactory 
is that generally known as the Waring system, which 
provides for the collection of the waste in a septic 
tank located at a short distance from the dwelling, 
the liquid matter being siphoned off automatically 
into a disposal field through open-jointed tile pipe, 
where it is allowed to filter through the soil and is 
also partially absorbed by the atmosphere. What 
material is not siphoned off in this manner is drawn 
off through another pipe line whenever necessary. 
The disposal field requires only a very small area, 
depending upon the size of the house and character 
of the soil, and a suitable location for this can gener¬ 
ally be chosen with little difficulty. The appear¬ 
ance of the soil is not affected other than that a richer 
verdure is produced. The settling tanks can be 
screened from view by thick planting, thus rendering 
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