36 How to Lay Out 



fields they will see that there are no harsh lines, and wherever 

 man has made excavations, nature is trying to soften the sharp 

 edges and remove the ugly defects. 



The location of a drive is important to its success. It should 

 conform to the topography and shape of the land. It should 

 be planned to save any valuable existing features or a fine 

 boulder, a good tree, a ledge or a gi'oup of desirable shrubs. 

 Drives are means of ingress and egi*ess, and should serve these 

 piu-poses quickly. The direction should be made very simple; 

 unnecessary crooks and turns are only awkward, not beauti- 

 ful. After once entering the property and having seen the 

 house, it is a poor plan to make the drive meander about. It 

 should be made as direct as possible. To the moderate home, 

 there should be some reason for building the drive other than 

 for the delivery of coal. The added expense of basketing 

 the coal at 25 cents per ton is more than offset by the cost of 

 the maintenance of the drive. See Plates X and XVIII. 



It is a poor plan to make the house appear like an oasis in 

 the desert by the encircling of the drive. The drive surface is 

 not very handsome in itself and should not be made wider or 

 more extensive than is necessary. Lawns, shrubberies, and 

 trees are more to be desired than barren drives. Many a beau- 

 tiful lawn has been separated from the house and spoiled for 

 enjoyment by a poorly located or unnecessary drive. If there 

 are no existing features to be saved or as a guidance or excuse 

 for a curve it may be necessary to plant trees and shrubbery 

 to give reason for the direction planned. Never use a flower 

 bed or small architectural object or. an urn; they are too trivial. 



The width of the drive is determined by the frequency of 

 use. If the distance is short and there is but little driving 

 a width of 9 or 10 feet is ample. If the distance is longer or 

 where there is need for carriages passing each other, the drive 

 should be made 14 or 16 feet in width. On no account should 

 a drive be made 12 feet in width, as it is too wide for a single 

 drive and not wide enough for two vehicles to pass without 



