GRADES, LEVELS, CONTOURS 55 



Land that is uneven of surface is more often 

 found clothed with scrub trees and undergrowth 

 than the commoner level and conventional plot, 

 probably because the cleared meadows of farm 

 lands which are the first offerings of the coun- 

 try to the suburb, were usually their level por- 

 tions, I suppose, while the hillsides were left un- 

 cultivated. And in this natural growth there is 

 another valuable suggestion for the garden, as 

 well as an actual beginning sometimes. For 

 even the most unpromising specimens already 

 established, if given proper care and attention, 

 have an advantage over trees and shrubs that 

 are introduced. 



Preservation of such growth, however, is only 

 accomplished by the preservation of the grades 

 whereon it is fixed, for the surface levels above 

 the roots of trees cannot be appreciably changed 

 without great risk to the trees — a risk varying 

 somewhat according to the varieties represented 

 and the amount of the change in level, to be 

 sure, but always present nevertheless. Six inches 

 of soil added or six inches removed may very 

 easily prove fatal, while less is often the occa- 

 sion of a severe set-back or general decline from 

 which they recover very slowly and perhaps 

 never completely. This is because roots grow 

 at the depth which insures them the right de- 



