30 Landscape Gardening 



basins and valleys, the surface-soil, if it is needed or can be 

 utilized, should be first shovelled or scraped to one side and 

 then be graded over such coarse material as may be used 

 for this filling. 



The surface should slope away in all directions from the 

 house, so that there shall be no surface-water standing at 

 any time during the year within several yards of it, and in 

 no place on the lawn should there be basins where the water 

 shall stand for any length of time after heavy showers, or 

 during heavy rains or melting snows in the winter and 

 spring. In the latter case, especially if ice is formed upon 

 the lawn, the grass will often be smothered (winter-killed) 

 or drowned out, so that much labor will be required to reseed 

 and bring it into good condition again. Thorough and 

 deep underdraining will in a measure overcome this diffi- 

 culty, but when the ground is frozen water will stand on 

 the surface, the grass will be killed out, and a growth of wild 

 grasses and weeds often come in that it is almost impossible 

 to eradicate. 



The preliminary grading should be done as soon after the 

 completion of the house as possible, that the land may 

 become perfectly settled before sowing the grass-seed or 

 setting the trees and shrubs. 



Obtaining the Grade 



To obtain the desired smooth grade, flowing outline, and 

 curve of surface, where the services of the skilled civil 

 engineer is not available, various expedients are resorted to. 

 Many persons with a quick eye, trained to detect uneven- 

 ness of surface or irregularity and unsymmetry of form, 

 can obtain very good results without the aid of any instru- 

 ments, but the majority will be obliged to call to their aid 

 at least the carpenter's or mason's level and more or less 

 small stakes. With this instrument resting on a box or 



