LAWNS AND WALKS. 



59 



THE TENNIS LAWN, WEST DEAN PARK. 



aim is to secure uniformity, as far as possible. A properly-laid drain, of i-Jin. in diameter, 

 will answer all purposes, as the drains only need to be a little closer together where the ground 

 is very wet, in which case they are even better than large pipes. Nor can moles gain 

 access through the smaller bore. When drains are laid, be sure to thoroughly ram 

 down the soil again, unless the whole of the soil has been newly made. This is especially 

 necessary where a drain of any kind has been made in a lawn already established, as, 

 unless well beaten down and allowed a little time to sink before the turf is relaid, there 

 will be a distinct depression throughout the length of the drain's course. 



LEVELLING is very simple, if a few points be borne in mind. It is not always necessary 

 nor desirable to have a perfectly flat and horizontal surface. The term also applies to the 

 even surface formation of slopes. Having worked the main body of soil as nearly level 

 as the eye will guide, after a glance from more than one direction, decide what shall be 

 your mean height ; set a shallow brick here, and at some point, several feet distant, place 

 another. Upon these a piece of stiff " quartering," or a narrow board that will not sag, 

 should be set, and a common spirit-level used to get this perfectly horizontal, raising or 

 lowering the bricks until this is obtained. Put a little soil to this, or remove as may be 

 found necessary. Repeat this operation from various positions, always taking care that 

 the first guide-brick set is on the level. Of course each other brick, after it is adjusted, 

 will be of the same height, and can be taken as a guide accordingly. A strong piece of 

 string, tightly stretched from point to point, is a good guide in the earlier stages, and 

 by driving in a few pegs at various parts of the ground, the tops of which are at 

 the desired level, all risk of movement will be avoided. When making a level lawn 

 upon a sloping piece of ground, set a stump or peg at the lower end at the height you judge 

 will be necessary to take the soil that is to be excavated from the higher end. Now dig 

 a narrow trench just sufficiently wide to take a piece of string easily, and follow this 

 until the further end is deep enough to stretch the string quite level. It will soon be 

 seen whether calculations were correct or not, and repetition of labour avoided. To make 



