STRUCTURES IN LANDSCAPE 205 



matter of scale relation. A lattice fence springing from the side of a 

 large house would probably be tall, for some distance at least, for the 

 same reason. Sometimes it is desirable to design walls and fences so 

 that though they give sufficient inclosure, they are not in themselves 

 conspicuous, being clothed with planting or perhaps even themselves 

 built with irregular forms which differentiate them as little as possible 

 from natural objects behind them, and enable them to serve as an in- 

 conspicuous background for interesting objects which they inclose. 

 More frequently, walls and fences, when parts of a formal scheme, should 

 be treated as architectural objects, which they are essentially. Their 

 top should be horizontal in effect, although it may be enriched by the 

 repeated subordinate breaks in outline of post and panel ; and if it is 

 necessary to have this top line at different elevations at different places 

 in its length, the break from one level to another should be made in a 

 proper architectural manner. 



Some kind of coping is almost always desirable for a wall, both for Walls : 



the consideration of protecting the masonry from water and for the Materials and 



i i r 1 11 i j Decoration 



esthetic consideration of giving the wall a crowning member and recog- 

 nizing the important horizontal line of its top. Similarly, a projection 

 of the masonry at the bottom will give the wall greater apparent sta- 

 bility, and, properly proportioned, will form the lower of the three 

 normal architectural elements for such structures : base, wall-sur- 

 face, cap. If there is danger of too great uninterrupted expanse of 

 wall-surface, this may be broken up by piers or buttresses. 



In texture, the material available in masonry gives almost endless 

 opportunity of variety and beauty. Where the effect justifies the 

 expense, the wall may have all the beauty of smoothly dressed stone, 

 and of justly-proportioned and finely wrought moldings, and even 

 decorative carving. > Similar results may be obtained at less expense 

 in cement concrete : simpler forms not requiring sharpness and ac- 

 curacy of edge may be obtained by casting the concrete in a mold 

 and improving the surface texture after the mold is removed by 

 scrubbing or dissolving away some of the finer material and allowing 

 some of the particles of the aggregate to show as a granular surface. 

 If material for the aggregate be chosen of the same hardness as that of 

 the cement, it is possible to improve greatly the definition of the cast 



