WALKS AND LAWNS 31 



away into a wilderness of shrubs. The effect, needless 

 to say, was supremely ridiculous. If the public road be 

 straight, or nearly so, the entrance drive should leave it 

 at right angles, an oblique juncture only being permissible 

 when the road is decidedly curved. Privacy should be 

 secured by suitable planting, as it is by no means desir- 

 able that the best parts of the garden or the windows of 

 the house be overlooked by persons using the general 

 approach. 



Another point which must necessarily be borne it 

 mind when contemplating a feature of this description 

 is the expense of up-keep no insignificant item in the 

 case of a considerable length of drive. Nothing looks 

 worse than ill-kept, weedy pathways, and unless con- 

 stantly tended and regravelled from time to time, they 

 soon present a spectacle of dismal neglect. The small 

 house is generally better approached by a short direct 

 route, omitting even a carriage court or turn, unless 

 ample space can be allowed. The seclusion afforded by 

 a drive is easily obtainable by other means, and the 

 feeling of pretentious importance which this feature often 

 imparts is scant compensation for loss of needed ground 

 for lawns and flower-garden. 



Garden walks are capable of great variety of treat- 

 ment ; they may be laid in several materials, and by their 

 presence, both utilitarian and artistic ends may be com- 

 passed. The most common fault with designers is the 

 formation of too many walks, a style of arrangement 

 which is particularly objectionable in small gardens. An 

 artificially constructed pathway is rarely in itself a 

 beautiful object, though it may often appear so owing 

 to the nature of its surroundings. For this reason a 

 walk should generally be made to serve a useful purpose, 

 rather than act as a mere foil to surroundings of a 

 different type. The walks nearest to the house will, in 

 many cases, form part of a terrace scheme, and it is well 



