128 FRITZ BAHR'S COMMERCIAL FLORICULTURE 



away with the necessity of installing a tile drain for which an outlet 

 has to be provided. But if you do have to put in a drain, a 3-in. 

 farm tile will carry a great amount of water. Don't lay it over 

 2 ft. deep if you can help it and put a 6-in, cbvering of cinders over 

 the tiles. If you have 75 or 100 ft. from the residence to the lot 

 line, a slight dip or depression about half way will give a better 

 effect than an uninterrupted, even fall all the way. Sometimes, 

 with a surplus of soil on hand and the water table considerably 

 higher than the surrounding level of the grounds, a 12- or 15-ft.- 

 wide terrace may be suggested, if agreeable to the owner or the 

 architect. By the way, always try to be on the right side of the 

 architect; compliment him on the residence and obtain his ideas 

 (and he usually has some of his own) on treating the planting of the 

 grounds. 



Never spread excavated soil from a cellar or basement without 

 first removing the top soil of the area to be covered. Then top dress 

 with the good soil again later. If there happens to be a shortage of 

 material with which to get a desired grade, it means that you must 

 buy some, or in case a drive or walks are to be built, the excavated 

 material from these might be figured on. 



As to estimating the cost of rough grading, if you have to hire a 

 teamster to do it he can most likely figure the job for you. Or 

 by keeping a correct record of the actual cost of everything when 

 doing your first and second jobs you will be able to estimate fairly 

 closely the cost of the third job you take up, and with very Httle 

 figuring. In time you will find yourself able to walk over a place 

 once and tell in three minutes what the grading job is worth. That, 

 however, is not to say that it doesn't pay to be careful, nor that the 

 grading on all jobs is alike. 



Laying Out Drives and Walks 



The driveway in small grounds is usually not a thing of beauty, 

 for it takes practically 60 ft. to provide a turn-around or drive 

 circle to accommodate a large machine. This is out of the question 

 on a 100-ft. lot without cutting up the entire front, so we usually find 

 a straight drive leading to the garage along which the car is backed 

 out to the street. Or a square space for backing up and turning 

 around may be provided directly in front of the garage. Still an- 

 other way is to enter the grounds on one side of the lot, swing up to 

 the front entrance of the residence with a graceful curve, and swing 

 out again on the other side, with a stub end leading to the garage. 



In considering a driveway, always keep in mind, first, having 

 it of practical use. Next avoid as much as possible the cutting up 

 of the grounds. Then comes the construction. The most sensible 

 solution is to use concrete; this is by far the most satisfactory way. 



