AND GROUNDS. 175 



Toad, with quick growing deciduous shrubs, such as bush honey- 

 suckles, lilacs, weigelas, deutzias, etc., which can be removed when 

 the centre tree begins to crowd them. Or, with one of the same 

 large evergreens in the centre, a gardenesque border may be 

 formed around the circle with single specimens of rare dwarf 

 evergreens, planted four feet from the road. Doubtless the noblest 

 feature of such a turn circle is a single great spreading tree 

 like a mature white oak or American chestnut, and if the pro- 

 prietor appreciates the pleasures of hope, and desires the greatest 

 simplicity of effect, he had better plant the latter. We have seen 

 specimens of the American chestnut of colossal size, which men , 

 now living remember as sprouts. 



A lot so large as this must needs have a ground-plan of the 

 planting made on a large scale, and as it is extremely difficult to 

 carry out any system of planting for such a place frorn a verbal 

 description, we shall not attempt to describe in detail all the 

 materials that form the plantation, but make merely a rough 

 inventory of its properties. Though it is an in-lot, and in the 

 main designed without connection with adjoining lots, from which 

 it is shown to be separated by high fences or walls and shrubbery 

 to within sixty or seventy feet of the street, yet on this front space 

 we have left openings on each side for connections with adjoining 

 grounds. Back of this, each side of the lot is bounded by screens 

 of evergreens. On the right of the drive to the carriage-house is 

 a cold grape-house. The house-front is supposed to be to the 

 east, so that this grapery has a soutliern exposure. It may seem 

 to have no border for the roots of the grape vines, if it is supposed 

 that the road in its front has been made by excavating all the 

 good soil and substituting broken stone and gravel only. But we 

 would not have this done. For a road-bed, or for a grape border, 

 the drainage must be equally deep and effective. That being 

 secured we would make the road-bed of the best grape soil, and 

 pave over it with stone, after the " Belgian " and " Medina " pave- 

 ment manner, at least as far as the length of the grape house ; 

 using no more sand or gravel than is necessary to bed or fill in 

 between the stone. Of course this bed will rise and fall ty the 

 freezing and thawing of the soil beneath, but this will do no 



