46 ROCK GARDENS 



formation of the banks when all excavations 

 are completed ; but, on the other hand, there is 

 more labour in throwing the good soil into 

 heaps and then putting it back again than in 

 placing it directly over that plot which has 

 just been dug out. It is, however, a matter of 

 individual taste which method to choose, and 

 though perhaps the latter alternative does entail 

 a little more work, it is the better of the two, 

 on account of its being easier to lay out the 

 general scheme when all digging is completed. 



I have described these operations rather fully, 

 as I wish them to serve as a basis for the reader 

 to work on ; but he will, of course, have to 

 modify them according to the circumstances 

 of each individual case. 



Where, however, there is a natural valley it 

 may only be necessary to make it a little deeper. 

 This can easily be done by sinking the centre 

 path and throwing the soil up on either side, 

 having first removed the sods, or whatever was 

 growing on it, for it is essential to have clean 

 ground to start with. The chief point to look 

 to when excavating is that the subsoil shall be 

 in its proper place beneath the upper soil, and 



