WALLS OF STONE AND BRICK 175 



there is a great deal of moisture it looks antique 

 in a year's time. It is soft and brittle, too, and 

 wears and crumbles away in the most enchanting 

 manner. It gives the needed colour to a garden 

 in Winter, and most flowers look well growing 

 against or near it; altogether it is most desirable 

 if it can be used without appearing to strain for 

 effect. Face a retaining wall with brick, or build 

 brick piers at the corners of the garden between 

 the hedges. For making a flight of steps it is far 

 and away ahead of stone; and it combines excel- 

 lently with the materials that are most used in 

 the construction of small houses, brick, stucco, 

 shingles or clapboards. 



The best stone to trim brick with is marble, but 

 unless marble is used in trimming the house it 

 would be too conspicuous in the garden. Blue- 

 stone is bad; never use it to cap brick walls or 

 make steps of, especially dressed or cut bluestone. 

 The best cap for a brick wall is what masons call 

 a rowlock, bricks stood on their sides and over- 

 hanging the wall for two or three inches front and 

 back. The rowlock cap was used extensively in 

 the South where bricks were a favourite material 



