94 GARDEN DESIGN 



preliminary drafting, and F. for ruling in before 

 inking. Pencils used for ruling should be sharp- 

 ened to a chisel point and used edgeways, as a 

 carpenter uses his pencil, and for the same reason. 



Paper must be stout and able to bear much 

 correction without the surface being spoilt, or a 

 hole appearing. Gentle use of good rubber 

 assists in its preservation. The surface must be 

 fairly smooth, sufficiently so to enable the ruling 

 pen to run freely. Drawing pins are usually 

 employed to hold it to the board, and they are 

 often troublesome and catch the T square. A 

 better plan when the paper is likely to be some 

 time in use is to strain it. The edges all round 

 are turned up about three-quarters of an inch, 

 and all the inside paper is wetted with a sponge 

 until quite soft. The edges are covered with thin 

 paste and turned back on to the board, and while 

 all is still wet the paper is stretched by dragging 

 the pasted edges outwards as far as they will go. 

 Weights should be laid on the edges while drying, 

 which should be done slowly while the board is 

 perfectly horizontal. Straining is best done over 

 night and next day a perfect sheet of tight paper 

 is presented for work. Another advantage of 

 the absence of drawing pins is that two plans can 

 be done on the same board without the least fear 

 of deranging the strained paper. 



The accurate use of the foregoing instruments 

 lies at the root of all plan drawing. Technique 



