8o GARDEN DESIGN 



does much damage. Also the garden designer is 

 more interested in distances than areas, and the 

 link measure has not the same convenience for 

 him. 



LEVELLING 



GROUND is seldom, if ever, perfectly level, and 

 mostly one has to do with decided slopes. The 

 levels of the ground must be known to the de- 

 signer, for his opportunities (and difficulties) lie in 

 changes of level. The formal style requires most 

 levelling, and unless the gradients are known it is 

 impossible to reckon steps and retaining walls, 

 while even with the landscape style which accepts, 

 more or less, the natural contours, levelled spaces 

 need to be formed for games. 



The simplest and most laborious method of mea- 

 suring a gradient is by means of a spirit level and 

 straight edge. The former needs no description. 

 A straight edge is a plank of seasoned wood 

 about 5 in. broad and in. thick, and 10 ft. long. 

 With these and plenty of square headed pegs the 

 fall from point to point can be found. When a 

 gradient is uniform start at the highest part and 

 drive in a peg to ground level. On this peg rest 

 one end of the straight edge and drive in a second 

 for the other end to rest on, knocking it down 

 gently until the spirit level laid on the middle of 

 the board shows it to be exactly horizontal. 



