DECORATION OF HOME GROUNDS 79 



Grading About the Buildings. 



The first consideration after a new house has been 

 built is the grading of the ground about it and locating 

 such walks and drives as are needed. In this work aim 

 should be to have an even, smooth grade away from the 

 buildings, so that the surface water may run off quickly 

 and not settle into the ground about the foundation, 

 provision being made for carrying the roof water away 

 in concrete or paved gutters or underground drains to 

 an outlet some distance away. Care must be taken that 

 no basins are formed where the water will stand during 

 heavy rains or in the winter. 



There should be no unpaved gutters along the roads or 

 walks to catch the water and thus cause washouts. In 

 grading, the coarse and poor material had best be put 

 on first and then a top dressing of good loam not less 

 than ten inches in thickness. A poor soil may be so 

 improved that it will grow good trees, shrubs and even 

 grass, by deep spading or plowing and working into it a 

 large amount of rich manure or fertilizer, but the better 

 it can be made in the grading the less after work will 

 be required. 



Roads and Walks. 



Walks and drives are a necessity for comfort on any 

 place, and especially upon the farm, where more or less 

 teams are kept and where a large amount of produce is 

 to be carried out and supplies brought in. Yet they are 

 artificial structures, expensive to build and keep in 

 repair. 



Location of Roads and Walks. 



The location of roads and walks is a very important 

 matter. We are planning these conveniences with the 

 idea of a permanent home, and an unsatisfactory loca- 

 tion means much inconvenience, loss of time, and hard 



