Flints on Steps and Tennis-Courts 
mended. For the benefit of those who by force or 
choice do it themselves, the following advice will prove 
serviceable : 
The first thing to do is to level the ground. Broadly 
speaking, 120 feet by 60 feet is the area required, 
although there will be a tendency to restrict the width 
somewhat in small gardens, and often they are made 
50 feet wide, or even less. Let us assume we have a 
plot of ground 120 feet by 60 feet to level for tennis. 
What is the most economical method of doing it ? The 
first thing is to find the mean level, so that the higher 
portions may be excavated just sufficiently deep to 
provide the earth to raise the lower end to the required 
height without having to bring in or cart away any 
earth. The amateur can easily determine this by the 
following method: Procure a straight-edge, a spirit- 
level, and a number of pegs. Start from one of the 
higher corners of the plot and drive in a peg to the 
ground level. Work diagonally across the plot, and 
drive in another peg 10 feet from the first, using the 
straight-edge as illustrated. Drive the second peg 
until the bubble of the spirit-level remains central. 
Then proceed to drive in a third peg ro feet farther on, 
and repeat the procedure. It will easily be seen that 
when the bottom corner is reached the total fall diagon- 
ally across the plot will be just as much as the top of 
the last peg is above the ground—in the case of the 
plot illustrated, 6 feet. Divide this height by two, and 
we get a mean level of 3 feet. This means that we 
shall havé to excavate 3 feet at the top, and place the 
earth at the bottom to raise it 3 feet. Now drive in a 
peg at the bottom corner to the mean level—that is, 
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