uous, it is more lasting. Nothing can be more
delightful than to entertain ourselves with prospects of our own making,
and to walk under those shades which our own industry has raised.
Amusements of this nature compose the mind, and lay at rest all those
passions which are uneasy to the soul of man, besides that they
naturally engender good thoughts, and dispose us to laudable
contemplations.'

What charming associations linger about the homes of the great men of
our history, whose tastes led them into the country! The grand old trees
at 'Monticello,' at 'Ashland,' at 'Fort Hill,' at the 'Hermitage,' at
'Sunnyside,' at Cooperstown, at Marshfield, at Mount Vernon, seem to
take upon themselves somewhat of 'the voice of the old hospitality'
which graced their presence in the days that are passed; and the visitor
now wanders with emotions of awe and sadness, in paths by copses and
groves and streams, in those quiet retreats of nature, planted and
preserved by the noble souls which loved them so wisely and so well.

Place the dwelling at a distance from the road, and in the position, if
possible, from whence the best view of the whole farm can be obtained,
mindful also of the charms which nature has spread before you, of
mountain, or hill, or plain, or river, or sea. Plant the orchard on a
slope toward the south, and not too far away. The barn and yard and
outbuildings should be behind the house, or far enough away to protect
the inmates from any annoyance therefrom. Let the approach to the house
be by a long avenue, bordered by majestic trees, planted by your own
hands. The lawn or garden should be well cared for in front. The
buildings should be painted or whitewashed, and over the house may
clamber and beautify it the woodbine, the jessamine, the honeysuckle, or
the rose. What attachments to the homestead shall thus inweave
themselves about the hearts of those whose interests and life are cast
with it--and still more, of those who go forth from it, by taste,
inclination, or bias, into the more bustling centres of competition and
trade!

The garden should receive a careful and generous attention from the
female portion of the household. Says Lord Bacon: 'God Almighty first
planted a garden; and indeed it is the purest of human pleasures. It is
the greatest refreshment to the spirits of man; without which buildings
and palaces are but gross handyworks; and a man shall ever see that when
ages grow to civility and elegance