﻿August, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  291 
  

  

  ntnrnis^mt". 
  

  

  ttrtamtttttt«\3ttt 
  

  

  - 
  

  

  mmmfmmmr^^mmmmmmmm^immmi 
  

  

  Concrete 
  Garden 
  Benches 
  of 
  Graceful 
  Design 
  Follow 
  the 
  Outline 
  of 
  the 
  Curved 
  Path 
  

  

  Cement 
  and 
  Concrete 
  in 
  the 
  Formal 
  Garden 
  

  

  By 
  Phebe 
  Westcott 
  Humphreys 
  

  

  jEMENT 
  casting 
  and 
  concrete 
  construction, 
  

   from 
  being 
  mere 
  curiosities, 
  have 
  gradually 
  

   become 
  familiar 
  necessities 
  in 
  the 
  formal 
  

   American 
  gardens 
  of 
  to-day. 
  For 
  the 
  ce- 
  

   ment 
  castings 
  various 
  experiments 
  have 
  been 
  

   made 
  to 
  render 
  the 
  material 
  durable 
  and 
  to 
  

   give 
  it 
  a 
  certain 
  hint 
  of 
  color 
  for 
  garden 
  

   urns 
  and 
  vases 
  for 
  balustrades. 
  As 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  sands 
  

   that 
  are 
  mixed 
  with 
  the 
  cement 
  have 
  not 
  sufficient 
  color 
  in 
  

   themselves 
  to 
  effect 
  it, 
  "mortar-color" 
  is 
  frequently 
  added. 
  

   But 
  in 
  the 
  concrete 
  used 
  for 
  outlining 
  and 
  walling 
  formal 
  gar- 
  

   dens, 
  providing 
  coping 
  for 
  fountains 
  and 
  substantial 
  garden- 
  

   benches 
  of 
  graceful 
  design, 
  no 
  attempt 
  at 
  coloring 
  is 
  made; 
  

   the 
  gray 
  and 
  bluish 
  tones 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  mixture 
  having 
  

   proved 
  entirely 
  satisfactory 
  in 
  the 
  formal-garden 
  designs 
  

  

  without 
  the 
  addition 
  of 
  coloring-pigments 
  of 
  any 
  sort. 
  

   Garden-decorators 
  from 
  across 
  the 
  water 
  tell 
  us 
  that 
  "in 
  

   the 
  land 
  of 
  its 
  invention, 
  Portland 
  cement 
  is 
  now 
  used 
  for 
  

   whole 
  buildings, 
  monuments, 
  sea-walls, 
  fountains 
  and 
  

   bridges. 
  Kilometre 
  posts 
  measuring 
  roads 
  on 
  the 
  Continent 
  

   exhibit 
  the 
  material 
  which 
  went 
  into 
  the 
  highway 
  itself. 
  In 
  

   France 
  and 
  England 
  it 
  is 
  employed 
  so 
  cleverly 
  at 
  artificial- 
  

   rock 
  gardening 
  as 
  to 
  call 
  forth 
  admiration 
  of 
  the 
  thing 
  

   imitated." 
  In 
  America 
  the 
  uses 
  of 
  cement 
  are 
  daily 
  extend- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  the 
  building 
  of 
  bridges 
  and 
  houses, 
  and 
  seemingly 
  in 
  

   every 
  form 
  of 
  constructive 
  work 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  scale; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  

   difficult 
  to 
  say 
  how 
  much 
  more 
  rapidly 
  it 
  would 
  extend 
  in 
  

   completing 
  decorative 
  garden 
  features, 
  if 
  satisfactory 
  varia- 
  

   tions 
  in 
  texture 
  and 
  color 
  were 
  practicable 
  without 
  impair- 
  

   ing 
  cohesiveness 
  and 
  consequent 
  strength. 
  

  

  Mammoth 
  Garden 
  Urns 
  

  

  A 
  Corner 
  of 
  the 
  Sunken 
  Garden 
  

  

  