352 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS September, 1907 



Break the Monotony with Heavy Striking Masses Which Serve Excellently in Improving 

 the General Appearance of the Grounds 



dom and more in harmony with the spirit of the drive. Do 

 not crowd It with detail that requires time and study to ap- 

 preciate, but rather break the monotony with heavy, striking 

 masses, which can perform Important functions in the general 

 building of the grounds. The Inside of a curve should 

 always have some planting to prevent the desire to cut cross- 

 corner while still inviting to surprises further on. 



An architectural erection, designed as prescribed by the 

 style of the house, adds statellness and beauty to an entrance. 

 7 he planting should, as far as possible, make the Immediate 

 surroundings a part by itself, and always out of view of the 

 house. The tall evergreens have a very signal effect, and 

 the dwarf varieties, artistically arranged, are of Inestimable 

 value In creating a permanent for- 

 mality so desirable In such a place. 

 If possible, there should be a sep- 

 arate entrance from a minor thor- 

 oughfare for the service drive, 

 which is distinctly for the accommo- 

 dation of kitchen, coal-chute, re- 

 frigerator, stable and pit. At any 

 rate, never allow the carriage drive 

 to pass the service parts of a place, 

 perhaps forcing the passer to peep 

 Into the domestic ways of the em- 

 ployees or to scan the family wash 

 sunning on the laundry green. The 

 carriage drive should approach the 

 house parallel with Its lines, and its 

 immediate settings should be part 

 of the study of house design, never 

 neglecting to pave the portion 

 where the horses stand under the 

 porte cochere with cement or other 

 washable material supplied with a 

 drain. 



Although a drive Is usually requi- 

 site, It Is not a necessary evil In a 

 landscape, and yet should be as 

 Inconspicuous as possible, always 

 occupying a position bordering or 

 dividing parts of grounds. Never 



adapt the landscape to the drive, 

 but the drive to the landscape. If 

 you have a soft, open lawn, do not 

 cut it with the hard lines of the 

 drive, but rather blend the drive in 

 its borders, making it a seemingly 

 natural part of its composition, 

 showing no evidence of the material 

 cuts or fills, engineering difficulties 

 or signs of other efforts in its 

 construction, but appearing In har- 

 monious formation with its adjoin- 

 ings, as if nature had shaped its 

 position and course. It being a 

 means to an end, make It a pleasing 

 and attractive one, a perfect fea- 

 ture and a part of the larger 

 scheme, possessing individual charm 

 and beauty, introducing and reflect- 

 ing the tastes to be expected at the 

 end. 



It is interesting to study roads 

 and drives from the point of view 

 just stated. The observing ruralist 

 will find much to Interest and in- 

 struct in taking notes of such mat- 

 ters. More important and helpful 

 will be the training and judgment 

 that one will unconsciously acquire. Comparatively few 

 persons understand there is an art of road designing that is 

 quite distinct from road making. Even the latter is hardly 

 understood as It should be; but the former is almost com- 

 pletely unknown and unappreciated because the fundamental 

 principles underlying It are not generally recognized. 



The road should be designed exactly as the house is de- 

 signed and the floral planting. It is true the road has a utili- 

 tarian use, but. In rural regions, it has a beauty use that is 

 often of the most important kind. A road should be more 

 than a mere line between two points, but should. In Its form, 

 its direction and the planting on Its borders, directly con- 

 tribute Itself to the esthetic effect of the scene. 



The Foliage of a Deciduous Tree Is Very Effective in Front of the Darker 

 and Stronger Evergreens 



