24 THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



be placed in the middle or on either side. Drives and walks 

 must have gully-holes, with gratings, in sufhcient number, accord- 

 ing to the gradient of the ground. The outlet pipes of the 

 gully-holes must be 6in. above the bottom to allow spaces for 

 the deposit of gravel displaced by rains. 



Turfed walks are more economical, but they must be kept 

 clean by mowing them and trimming their edges frequently. 



The centre of an alley must never be of a higher level than 

 that of the verges. From the lawn bordering an alley one 

 should step down to the alley. The less apparent the walks 

 and alleys are, the better is the general aspect of the garden. 

 Both verges must be kept at the same level at the start, even 

 if the ground is rising on one side and faUing on the other. 



There are numerous forms of verges, which vary according 

 to circumstances. In Fig. 23 a few sections of good 

 and defective dispositions of verges are reproduced. In 

 Section A they are flat, as is very often seen ; while A' represents 

 a better disposition, the walk being sunk a little, and the edges 

 of the verges rounded. Sometimes the edges are seen (as in 

 Section B) to be cut straight out as in ab^ before joining the 

 level of the lawn in bb. The lines a\ a, of B' are more deeply 

 sunk, and of a better aspect. They can also be disposed as in 

 r, c, putting the alley more in view. In Section C the ground 

 is falling according to the line ab, and the broken line 

 de must not be imitated, while the section on ab' in 

 Section C could be replaced with advantage by d'e. When 

 the ground is boggy, the alley must not rise abruptly over the 

 level of the ground (as in cd in D) ; it must be kept above the 

 average surface («' // in D') which is flooded, and be supported 

 by the verges, c, d\ which gradually join the level of the 

 general surface. 



When the fall of the ground is too rapid, it can be interrupted 

 now and again by steps, either of wood or stone, between 

 w^iich the slope will be gentler. Stone steps must have a rustic 

 appearance, so as to appear as if naturally found on the spot. 

 They must not be higher than 4in. or 5in. each, and must also 

 be wide enough to allow of taking several steps on each 

 before getting on the next. Wooden steps are made with long 

 branches either left whole or split in the middle ; they are then 

 fastened by stout pegs, inserted on the outside, or nailed against 

 the latter when the pegs are inside. Their disposition must be 

 the same as that of stone steps. 



