132 Landscape Gardening 



If the land is smooth and free from stones and can be 

 ploughed through to the roadway, the surface can be very 

 easily graded up and finished around the ornamental plant- 

 ing, but generally the smoothing and levelling must be done 

 by the slow process of digging off the projections and filling 

 up the depressions. 



The same smoothness that we find on the lawn is not to 

 be expected or desired, but there should always be a well- 

 rounded gutter between the road-bed and the border. 



As with trees, we find also a great many shrubs, ferns, 

 and flowering plants already established along the roadsides, 

 and but little care is needed to put them in condition of 

 perfect growth. Shrubs can be more severely pruned and 

 more quickly grown into perfect shape than trees. 



This work, however, should not be left to the irresponsi- 

 ble road commissioner or agent, but should be in the hands 

 of the village improvement society or some one who can be 

 depended upon to trim out only the undesirable varieties 

 and preserve such as are the most ornamental and of the 

 best form. 



Should the soil be very poor, a light dressing of compost 

 or fertilizer should be used, but generally the road-wash can 

 be so utilized as to make the best of top-dressing and pro- 

 duce the most perfect growth. 



If we take the ornamental trees, shrubs, vines, etc., as we 

 find them along our roadsides, we are pretty sure that the 

 soil in which they are found is well suited to their growth, but 

 if we transplant to fill up places not properly provided we 

 must be sure to set out such as are suited to the soil and 

 exposure of the place. Some species will only do well under 

 conditions of a close tangled growth and such conditions 

 must be provided for them, while those that only reach per- 

 fection in full exposure on all sides should be planted accord- 

 ingly. 



