serviceable in winter. It is not possible to describe methods suitable for all situ- 

 ations, however, as the limiting circumstances in each case may necessarily make 

 the exception the rule. 



Foot approaches may be adapted to almost any situation, and to be practical, 

 interesting, and even decorative, require only some ingenuity for their design. 

 Steps, walls, and possibly the use of suitable planting, may make these entrance 

 walks more expensive than those for comparatively level front yards, but other 

 economic advantages of the irregular over the level lot may justify this labor and 

 expense. As a rule, walks should preferably follow the line of the drive. If the 

 drive is well-made and smoothly paved, it may serve both as a drive and as a 

 walk. If the front space is clear and open, and if there are no obstructions to 

 any plan for the walks, these are usually best made to start from the street at 

 one or both corners of the lot and to approach the house on a curving line of 

 which the steeper part is near the street, thus permitting a more gradual ap- 

 proach near the house. This suggestion if, in accordance with the general prin- 

 ciple of having a reasonable amount of comparatively level ground immediately 

 surrounding the house, whatever may be its elevation with respect to the street. 

 There are few situations indeed which will not permit a satisfactory setting for 

 the house far below the public road if the slope does not crowd too closely toward 

 the front of the building, and this, too, quite regardless of the necessity for walls or 

 for steep slopes adjoining the sidewalk. 



While it is hardly safe to attempt generalizations for examples of so variable 

 a nature, it is thought that low-lying land is more easily made into interesting 

 yards than is very high ground, providing of course, that good drainage is possible. 

 However, a high situation is usually a commanding one, and may afford more out- 

 look than does the low-lying property. In a city, however, distant outlooks are 

 not always interesting and may even be unsightly. If one's yard is higher than 

 the adjoining lots its enclosure is difficult, as the ground at the borders is likely 

 to be lower than that about the house; and this necessitates the planting of larger 

 trees and shrubs at the start or a long wait for them to grow before they can be 

 very effective. High situations, again, are usually exposed and dry, and therefore 

 difficult ones in which to grow any but the most hardy plants. More enclosure 

 is therefore necessary for success with the average assortment of plants, and also 

 more soil preparation is required. Furthermore, without the appearance of suffi- 

 cient protection, it is impossible to achieve an attractive and homelike atmosphere 

 of privacy. Still, there are advantages and disadvantages to be considered in all 

 situations, resulting from their relatively high or low elevations, and at the start, 

 when one is choosing a site, is the time to weigh these as well as other possibilities. 



Whatever plan may be conceived for an irregular lot, practical convenience 

 must be served; and the essential function of each feature must be borne in mind 

 when it is assigned to any particular topographical conformation. The contour 

 of any part of the land should be suitable for any feature intended for it, and the 

 position of that feature on the lot and in the plan should be determined chiefly 

 by its use. The relative levels of various features should not interfere with their 

 use, but should rather contribute to their attractiveness. Speaking more in 

 detail, trees and minor irregularities of the land should suggest the detailed de- 

 sign for each feature. If a lot consists of several comparatively level areas 

 separated by steeply sloping ground, so far as possible the more important or 



