32 THE BOOK OF GARDEN DESIGN 
that these should be made a distinctive feature. Stone 
flags look extremely well, much better, in fact, than 
cobbles, which are tiring to walk upon. Dressed stone 
is expensive, but it is often possible to obtain suitable 
material at fairly cheap rates from the town authorities 
who have the disposal of old street pavements. ‘Terrace 
walks are necessarily both formal and artificial, and 
remarks as to natural levels have no application where 
they are concerned. A fair width is advisable, but care 
must be taken that the house itself is not dwarfed by 
an undue expanse of terracing. If different levels are 
attempted, steps should be employed to give access from 
one to the other; a sloping path is quite out of place in 
a terrace scheme. I do not care for the practice of 
working in different coloured materials to form a mosaic ; 
there should be sufficient variety, both of colour and 
form, in the living contents of the garden, without having 
to face the necessity for embellishments in stone and 
brick. 
When contemplating any special features in the way 
of design, always consider whether it is possible to 
approach them conveniently by a suitable pathway. All 
the best views should be readily accessible without the 
necessity for traversing possibly wet lawns, or pushing 
through heavy undergrowth. Paths leading direct from 
the stables to the flower-garden must be broad and well 
made, as they will be in constant use for heavy traffic, 
carting manure, water barrows, etc. The lesser fre- 
quented walks need not be so wide, and providing that 
they do not lead through highly cultivated portions, and 
are dry and well made, need not be kept scrupulously 
gravelled. A degree of wildness is quite in keeping 
with certain parts of the garden, though an ill-kept, 
weed-grown path is never permissible. The walks 
which traverse the wild garden, orchard and woodland, 
will destroy much of the charm of these sylvan retreats 
