312 ORNAMENTAL GARDENING. 



by the required size — around these a stout cord is placed 

 of such a length, that when the ends are tied, a loop will 

 be formed about one-fourth longer than the distance be- 

 tween the stakes. By placing a marking stake in the 

 end of the loop drawn taut, it will, with moving it around 

 — being guided by the loop, as shown in the engraving — 

 form a perfect ellipse on the ground. A little experi- 

 menting will enable one to construct a wider or narrower, 

 larger or smaller oval. 



All small circles, squares, triangles, and so forth, are 

 readily laid out with the . use of line, tape measure, or 

 ten-foot pole and stakes. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

 THE WORK ON THE GROUNDS. 



After a first laying out of the grounds, operations may 

 commence, by passing over and roughly shaping them, 

 excavating, filling in, etc., as alluded to in the last chap- 

 ter. 



Whatever alterations are made in the surface, it should 

 be laid down, as a rule never to be disregarded, that as fin- 

 ished, at least six inches of good loamy soil— and as much 

 more as possible — should overlay every part of the place 

 that is to be planted or made into lawn. Wherever con- 

 siderable cutting down is necessary, the good surface soil 

 should first be stripped from such parts, and placed at one 

 side, and after moving enough subsoil to effect the needed 

 reduction, return the top soil again. In mound-making, 

 instead of heaping up earth on the natural top soil, this 

 should first be strijiped, and then the body of the mound 

 be made of subsoil, afterwards replacing the surface soil 

 on the top. 



