370 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



which comes in so well for the posts, and reeds for the roof ; but the 

 simplest brickwork and brown tiles would be far better than the con- 

 trast of ugly colours which the modern builder both in France and 

 England delights in. The place, too, should be carefully chosen and 

 the building not conspicuous. It is well to avoid the cost of railway 

 carriage in the making of simple structures like boat-houses, and also 

 carting, which is such a costly matter in many districts. It is best to 

 use materials of the estate or country. Ivy and living creepers may 

 help to protect the sides of airy sheds. Larch comes in well where Oak 

 is not to be spared, and Larch shingling for the roof might be used, 



A thatched su 



as is commonly done in farm-houses in Northern Europe and America. 

 Little shelters for mowing machines, tools and the like can be made 

 with wood covered with Larch bark, as at Coolhurst, and a very 

 pretty effect they have, besides being less troublesome to make 

 than the heather or thatched roofs, especially in districts where 

 the good thatcher is getting rare. The chip roof, also, of the wooded 

 country around London is an excellent one, lasting for half a century 

 or so if well made, but the men who made it so well are now less and 

 less easy to meet with. And on the whole the best roof for any 

 structure that has to last is of tiles of good colour : tiles made and 

 tested in the locality being often the best. 



