336 ORl^AMENTAL GARDENING. 



upon the nature of the soil, but six feet is safe in any 

 place, and four feet may do for light, open soils. In set- 

 ting copings, the pieces of which are of considerable 

 length, foundations need only be made at the places 

 where the joints or ends of the stones come, instead of 

 along the whole length. 



Foundations for plant houses, arbors, or other wooden 

 structures should be carried well above the surface, to 

 ensure dryness to the sills. Abase board maybe allowed 

 to project down over the stone work if it be desired, to 

 hide it, and this can be replaced whenever it begins to 

 show signs of decay, where it comes in contact with the 

 earth. 



All planed wood-work should be thoroughly painted or, 

 if finished with the natural surface, oiled. Oil finish is 

 very pleasing about the garden, but in time it turns to a 

 dull, dark color, and then it may be painted. The best 

 colors for garden work are plain, unobtrusive ones. The 

 grays and browns of stones, rocks, and tree trunks, show 

 what colors are most in harmony with natural garden 

 beauty. Such faint colors may be aimed at, and if 

 lightened or otherwise varied to please the taste, are 

 usually satisfactory. The bright green often met with in 

 urns and trellises is in poor taste. It is a color for Avire bas- 

 kets that are to be hid in a protruding lining of moss, or 

 may be tolerated in light wire screens, to be covered with 

 verdure, but not elsewhere. Bronze is unobjectionable 

 for garden iron work. 



In employing rustic work in the garden, whether it is 

 constructed on the grounds or bought ready made, let it 

 be firmly put together, and braced with all the nails 

 clinched. In its manufacture, the material is irregular 

 and hard to nail or fasten, especially in hard-wood, and 

 so far as appearances go, that which is poorly put to- 

 gether may look as well as the best, while in point of 

 durability it is really very inferior. 



