8 FRUIT CULTURE. 



of a fine avenue, or the loveliness of a walk 

 winding around groups of shrubbery until lost 

 in the deeper shade of larger trees. 



As a general rule, the approach to the house 

 should not be at right angles, but by a gradual 

 curve, which will avoid the effect of stiffness and 

 also will afford the most favorable view of the 

 house. A private drive, not being subject to 

 the heavy usage of teams, will not require to be 

 as thoroughly constructed as the public streets. 

 Still it is best to do all such permanent work 

 well at the outset. The first step will be to 

 remove all the loam and soft subsoil, possibly 

 to the lawn or kitchen garden, for the purpose 

 of deepening the soil, or else to the compost 

 heap. The width of this excavation, for estates 

 of moderate size, should be about ten feet, and 

 should broaden at the barn into sufficient space 

 for turning, or else for circling around a group 

 of shrubbery at least twenty feet in diameter, 

 which wiU afford room for carriages to wheel 

 and at the same time conceal the extent of gravel. 

 The depth of this trench will vary with different 

 soils, from fifteen to twenty-four inches. Unless 

 very soft and inclined to be wet, the first depth 

 will be sufficient. A small tile drain laid two 

 feet below the bottom of this trench will be much 

 less expensive and more effective than a greater 



