114 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Febrnaiy 6, 1873. 



damage through rain, and therefore prove a valuable substi- 

 tute for such as Lobelia speciosa, Treutham Blue, Quicksilver, 

 and others, which, with few exceptions, soon become straggling 

 in growth and faded in bloom, especially in such a wet season 

 as the past. — J. M. C. 



EAISING EOSE TEEES FEOJI LAYEES. 



A FAVOURITE Rose of mine is Gloire de Dijon. We have no 

 other Rose that blooms so freely except Wm. La Mark [Noisette 

 Lamarque ?] . Last year these two Roses bloomed from the 

 1st of May until Christmas, and I never wish to look on finer 

 blooms. Our land is rich and loamy, which is in their favour ; 

 and I grow them from layers like Carnations, as I find they 

 and the rest of the best Roses succeed in this way a great deal 

 better than they do on the Briar. 



This system I can recommend with confidence to all lovers 

 of Roses'for two or three reasons. They can be kept as low as 

 Geraniums, or they can be trained up to a standard to any 

 height by cutting the under shoots. They wiU hve much 

 longer, blossom more profusely, and there is no trouble with 

 the suckers from the wild Briar as there is with the other 

 standards. — William Gaik, Dibden Lodijc, Southampton. 



FOEMIKG A TEEEACE. 



The formation of a terrace is, in its principal details, a work 

 of line and rule — that is to say, it is a geometrical operation, 

 and is, or should be, carried out strictly in accordance with the 

 rules of geometry. A knowledge of this fact tends very much 

 to simplify the work, especially in its earliest stages. Laying 

 down right lines so as to impart proportions suitable to the 

 position and in keeping with the most prominent features near 

 the site, whether they be natural or artificial, is perhaps the most 

 important fundamental law affecting this work. The effect of a 

 noble building standing upon a well-made terrace is stately 

 and chaste. The two form one grand harmonious whole, from 

 which no part may be taken without affecting the remainder, 

 for there is nothing irregular or out of place, but each part 

 bears a relative value to the others. It is very important that 

 there should be no incongruity in the situation of a terrace as 

 regards its natural surroundings. Along the face of the steepest 

 dechvity or gentle slope it is equally in its right place, but it 

 is not so when situated upon flat or low-lying ground, where it 

 loses all its dignity, and becomes in reality what the dictionaries 

 say it is, " a small mound or raised walk." 



it is hardly possible to lay down arbitrary laws or rules for 

 such work, there being in almost every instance local circum- 

 stances and features which must be dealt with solely on their 

 own merits. In this paper, therefore, I shall not attempt to 

 enter mnch into minute details, but strive rather to set forth 

 clearly such generahties as are most likely to occur in every 

 case. 



A terrace may be defined as a ledge or horizontal surface 

 projecting from the side of a hill or slope. Having selected 

 the site, attention is immediately given to obtaining soil where- 

 with the work may be best carried out. This is a primary con- 

 sideration of much importance, for the simple reason that the 

 cost of the work depends in a great measure upon its nearness 

 to the site, and the facility or otherwise with which it may be 

 obtained. There are two ways by which soil is usually to be 

 had — the one by taking it from the slope along the back of the 

 terrace, and casting ;t forward till the front is extended to the 

 required width, and the other by utilising the soil excavated 

 for the cellars and foundations of a newly-built mansion. In 

 the latter instance the material is usually so dead and in- 

 fertile, that it can only be used to form a solid foundation for 

 a layer of better soil in which the roots of turf, shrubs, and 

 plants will flourish. To avoid any vexatious settling of the 

 soil after the final dressing of the work, it should be pressed 

 together as closely as possible, for which reason I very much 

 prefer horses and'carts to wheelbarrows, taking care to make 

 the loaded carts pass as near as is safe to the outer edge of the 

 terrace, where the greatest depth of soil is, and where, therefore, 

 there is most risk of a subsequent settlement. From 9 to 

 12 inches of rich soil are requisite for the surface-dressing. 

 In advising this I am aware that a rich soil for the turf of or- 

 namental grounds is often objected to, on the score of its 

 tendency to promote rapid and rank growth. The proper use 

 of a mowing machine will correct all this, and I would rather 

 have to mow three times a-week than see the large patches of 

 parched turf that so often disfigure the best-kept lawns in 

 Etumncr, 



The whole of the slopes should be of a uniform angle of 30°| 

 and the soil must of course be dressed to this angle before the 

 turf is laid. The most expeditious way of doing this is to let 

 the work spring from the upper or inner edge of the terrace, 

 iov if that is first made square and true, the bevel can be 

 apphed with equal certainty along its entire length. Fig. Lis 



Fig. 1. 



a sketch of a very useful bevel ; it has a spirit leviel' 

 let into the upper side of the top bar. The figures 

 denote the degrees, and by removing the peg at A 

 Ihe instrument can readily be set to the reqnireci 

 angle by moving the top bar up or down. Fip. 2 is 

 another useful instrument, in every way superior to 

 the old plumb level ; the spirit level is let into the 

 top under the handle. iSy it " dead " levels or 

 trifling gradients can be taken with the greatest 

 facility. The graduating pegs a and b have no pins, 

 but are made to fit tight, so that a sUght blow is 

 required to force them up or down. 



If the terrace is a wide one it should not be pre- 

 cisely level, but should have an almost imperceptible 

 outward gradient of about a quarter of an inch in a 

 foot to carry off rain water quickly. In small ter- 

 races the proportion of width to length may be as 

 1 to 2, but in largo works a greater width may safely be ven- 

 tured upon. It is always more satisfactory to make the level 

 surface too wide rather than too narrow. Nothing can appear 

 worse than a building of even moderate pretensions standing 

 upon a very narrow terrace, whereby all sense of dignity and 

 repose is lost. 



Fig- 2. 



A certain air of formality'always prevails about a terrace. 

 This, however, may be so modified as not to be offensive. 

 Chaste simplicity is not an incompatible feature in such a 

 scene, but is desirable; and to effect which, flower-beds of simple 

 outline and graceful form, a few Conifers, and vases or groups 

 of statuary dispersed and yet arranged in definite order so as 

 to maintain a rightful balance, are all that is necessary. 

 Clipped hedges, very comphcated geometrical designs, or a 

 superabundance of costly architectural embellishment, are to be 

 voided, the aim being to avoid tameness or insipidity on the 



