50 



CA NA DIA N HOKTIC UL TUB IS T. 



and weeds. The proper inetliod is to 

 remove the earth to a depth of about a 

 foot and a half, and then till up one 

 foot of this with broken stones, fin- 

 ishing witli five or six inches of clean 

 gravel. This is well shown in 

 Fig. 19, which we have had repro- 

 duced from the same source as the other. 

 A border of nice sod, about six inches 

 in width, is then laid in such a way 

 that its surface isacouple of inches above 

 the walk and about on a level with the 

 adjoining soil. 



r^_:^^!*^-; 



'^S'M^'- 



The next thing in order, after plan- 

 ning tliese pathways, and seeding the 

 lawn, will be the planting with groups 

 of shrubbery and ornamental trees. In 

 this there is rooui for endless study, 

 and for many blunders. Nothing is 

 more common than to see a yard over 

 full of trees, and these perhaps planted 

 in rows across its whole extent. An- 

 other common fault is in having too 

 many trees of any one kind. So much 

 has the Norway Spruce been lauded of 

 late years that in many sections it is 

 almost the only evergreen used, and 

 disagreeable monotony is the result. 

 The writer is one of those who has this 

 tree intoo great abundance, andmustcut 

 them out by the dozen to make room 

 for others, for variety's sake. In other 

 places the Lombardy Poplar is in ex- 

 cess, and lends a stiff formal appearance 

 to the surroundings. It is a tree that 

 should be planted very sparingly indeed. 



One very important point in plant- 



ing tiees and shrubs in the vicinity of 

 a home, is the careful disposal of them 

 in such a manner as not to conceal dis- 

 tant views, or objects of interest. There 

 may be within sight a beautiful lake. 



Fio. 20 



or river ; a mountain, or a valley ; or 

 the spires of a distant city, and it would 

 be in the worst possible taste to hide 

 such a scene. This point is well illu- 

 strated in our engraving, which repre- 

 sents the home of Mr. N. P. Bailey, 

 of Harlem, N.Y., where the eye may 

 be charmed with the beautiful prospect 

 lying before it, of one of the most pictu- 

 resque valleys in the world, tii rough 

 which flows the majestic Hudson, We 

 cannot all have a Hudson river pros- 

 pect, but very often a distant view of 

 great beauty is gradually being obscur- 

 ed by the increasing growth of trees 

 unwisely placed. 



For the most part, both trees and 

 shrubs should be planted in groups at 

 entrances, at curves of the walks, in 

 corners, and on sides of the yard, but 

 some particularly choice specimens may 

 be placed in conspicuous positions. The 

 Scarlet Oak, the Cut-leaf Weeping 

 Birch, the American Elm, all make 

 beautiful single specimens where room 

 for them can be spared. The Oak 

 leaved Mountain Ash, shown in Fig. 

 25, is also a pretty lawn tree for 

 small lawns, growing only to a height 

 of twenty or thirty feet. A colored 



