284 



The Country House 



In its uncovered state, too, it frequently serves as a flat-toned background for shrubs 

 or tall plants like the sunflower, dahlia and hollyhock with most pleasing effect. 

 From English sources comes the suggestion that a retaining wall of dry-laid 

 stone may have planted in the joints small flowering plants. Naturally such 

 specimens as are indigenous to the rocky crevice should be selected for this pur- 

 pose. There seems, 

 however, to be a ten- 

 dency on the part of 

 our Eastern brother 

 to overdo the thing 

 in a cont i n uo us 

 treatment of the 

 entire wall, and it 

 would seem, too, 

 that the scheme is 

 good enough to be 

 saved by limitation. 

 Hence the wall laid 

 partly dry and partly 

 in mortar, after a 

 previously arranged 

 planting plan, would 

 save this excellent 

 suggestion from be- 

 coming cheap and commonplace. By the use of small and large stones a greater 

 or less area of colour can be gotten, as well as some suggestion of pattern. 



It is important, however, that the beds of the dry-laid stones shall incline slightly 

 downward from the face of the wall to allow of the retention of such moisture as 

 may find its way into the intervals of soil. It is possible to apply the above to a 

 brick wall by the omission of bricks at intervals, as the construction may allow. 

 All walls should be surmounted by a stone capping, and for ordinary pur- 

 poses the 3-inch slabs of North River stone serve well for both stone or brick. 

 This capstone should project slightly beyond the line of the wall both front and 

 back. In like manner the wall is built on a stone foundation, after the usual 

 manner of house walls, with heavy projecting footing stones. This should be 

 sunk below the frost level. A brick wall 16 inches thick, with one exposed face of 

 water-struck brick, may be estimated at about seventy-five cents per square 

 foot of exposed surface. 



Garden steps should be easy; that is, of slight rise and increased tread. A 

 5-inch rise and a 1 5-inch (or even more) tread is suggestive of ease. For the ex- 

 tremely formal garden they may be entirely of stone or brick, or with stone 

 nosing and brick tread. As the severity of style relaxes, they may even be made 

 of hard-packed earth, held in place by fairly rough stone nosings or risers, and to 

 insure their lasting qualities irregular flat stones may be introduced in the treads 

 after the manner of the Japanese stepping stones. In extreme cases the irregular 

 flat stone may be used alone with excellent results. 



Old Prince House at Flushing, Long Island, showing entrance to terrace through the 

 arching box growth 



