THE SELECTION OF A SITE 23 



shall be a good one. No comfort can be expected if the 

 approach to one's residence is ill-made and badly kept, 

 a mere " boreen," as the Irish would say. Neither 

 should it be deemed sufficient that a road is likely to be 

 made in the near future. The authorities often move 

 with unaccountable slowness, and cases are by no means 

 uncommon in which unfortunate residents have been 

 kept waiting for years before anything more than a 

 mere track has been made to their property. Whilst 

 other details may to a great extent be modified and 

 adapted to meet requirements, this primary consideration 

 is unalterable : either there is suitable access or there 

 is not. In the latter case, it is extremely doubtful 

 whether a host of minor advantages will act as ade- 

 quate compensation. 



Unless it is proposed to approach the residence by a 

 fairly long drive, a garden situated beside a main road 

 has many drawbacks. Chief of these is the dust 

 which is constantly raised during the summer months. 

 Especially in this age of motor cars, many otherwise 

 pretty places are completely disfigured during the time 

 they should be most beautiful : shrubs, trees and 

 hedges are alike smothered with a thick covering of 

 dust. On this account, and for other obvious reasons, 

 a branch or bye-road, if well kept, is far preferable as a 

 boundary line. 



Presuming that the question of approach has been 

 satisfactorily solved, the character of the land, its 

 aspect, surroundings and other details present them- 

 selves for careful examination. Much will depend upon 

 the class of soil with which we are dealing, not only as 

 regards its suitability or the reverse for garden opera- 

 tions, but because it is a matter directly affecting the 

 health and comfort of the owner and his family. 

 Heavy clays are of all things to be avoided ; they spell 

 unceasing labour, and endless discomfort to all whose 



