DESIGNS FOR ORNAMENTAL GROUNDS. 39 



The depth here is not as much regulated by the quality 

 of the soil as by the width of the drive or roads. The 

 more convexity given the bottom, the better for the ab- 

 sorption of the water by the drain, which ought to be at 

 least twelve inches deeper than the extremity of the curve, 

 whilst the top of the curve must remain at least six inches 

 below the top of the road or drive. 



Frequent raking, to remove the larger gravel or pebbles, 

 and more frequent rolling during damp weather, are 

 necessary for new walks. 



If good clay is at hand, a thin coat of it may be put 

 between the coarse and the fine gravel on top. 



Gutters made of flagstone, or simply paved, will b* 

 needed only where there is a great descent and a large 

 accumulation of water above, or sometimes even where 

 the ground is very light and sandy, although the surface 

 may slope but very little. 



In uneven grounds, drives and walks are to be made in 

 the same manner, but their finish and beauty will never 

 depend upon themselves, nor upon the way in which they 

 are laid down. An additional, correct grading of the 

 grounds, right and left, so as to bring the sod everywhere 

 at equal height over the gravel, and then a careful grad- 

 ing of the grounds three, four to six feet off the margin, 

 where the soil rises or falls, is indispensable in such cases 

 to make a finished drive. 



The staking out of such uneven walks, and the regu- 

 lar distribution of the grading, to avoid unsightly ups 

 and downs, is a matter of taste and practice, ruled by the 

 shape of the land and the direction of the walks. 



DESIGN FOR A FLOWER GARDEN". 



We give in figure 4 a design for a regular flower 

 garden, intended for the ornamenting of the foot of a 

 terrace, built in front of a large villa. 



