THE LAWN. 



777 



within its own boundary, and on the same level 

 as the beds. When the irregular style is adopted, 

 and the beds are considerably elevated above the 

 grass plats or gravel walks, the general effect is 

 lost, and then every turning must produce its 

 own points of attraction, the one succeeding the 

 other in endless variety. 



In connecting the various parts of the lawn, 

 and uniting, as it were, together the American 

 garden, rosary, &c, with the mixed or lawn 

 flower-garden, kitchen-garden, &c. gravel walks 

 become necessary. The lines of these should be 

 so contrived that they be as little seen from the 

 mansion as possible. For, however necessary 

 they are in themselves, if allowed to cut the 

 grounds into pieces, they destroy much of the 

 effect so greatly to be desired in the production 

 of an entire and unbroken lawn. In proceeding 

 from the house they should be carried along the 

 sides of the lawn in a circuitous manner, bending 

 in one direction or another in graceful curves, 

 but always showing some apparent reason for 

 each turning. Thus curves may be taken in- 

 wards towards the lawn, at such points as it may 

 be best seen from ; others outwards towards the 

 boundary of the grounds, where the finest distant 

 prospects may be viewed to the greatest advan- 

 tage. A fine tree or shrub, a projecting piece 

 of rock or raised bank, as well as a pit or other 

 inequality in the ground, all offer sufficient rea- 

 sons for changing the course of the walk, either 

 to see the former to advantage, or to avoid any 

 of the latter. All unnecessary bends should be 

 avoided, particularly in the principal walks. 

 Where any of these obstacles do not occur natu- 

 rally, they may be made to do so artificially, but 

 seldom with the same good effect. Secondary 

 walks are necessary, particularly in extensive 

 grounds ; and these may, by good management, 

 often be made to connect various points of the 

 main ones, to shorten the distance from one point 

 to another, as well as to lead to objects of less 

 importance. The proper management of the 

 direction of walks is an important part of the 

 landscape-gardener's art. They should not be 

 too numerous, else they lead to confusion. They 

 should be made to avoid all disagreeable objects, 

 as well as the least interesting parts of the 

 grounds, and be conducted so that these may 

 be shown to the best advantage. The principal 

 walks should not be less than 7 feet broad, so 

 that three persons may walk comfortably abreast ; 

 the secondary ones not less than 5 ; but mere 

 footpaths may only be 3 feet, sufficient for one 

 person to pass along. Resting-places should be 

 provided at convenient distances apart, and in 

 extensive grounds places of shelter as well as 

 retiring to should be formed. In carrying the 

 gravel walks through the lawn, it is always de- 

 sirable that they be concealed in such a manner 

 that the party traversing them may see no other 

 walk than that which lies immediately before 

 him; so that, as Downing rightly remarks, a per- 

 son walking in the grounds, in looking across the 

 lawn, can never discover the extent either of 

 what he has seen, or what he has yet to see. 

 To form a great number of walks of this sort, 

 and lead the spectator over them without show- 



ing him more than one walk at a time, but taking 

 care at the same time to let him have frequent 

 and extensive views across the lawn, and these 

 views always different, constitutes the grand 

 secret of making a small place look large. 



The formation of walks.— The proper construc- 

 tion of walks is seldom sufficiently attended to. 

 The great object to be kept in view is to render 

 them dry, and fit to be used at all seasons, and 

 this cannot be done if they are not efficiently 

 drained below. To effect this in the most sub- 

 stantial manner, the ground should be excavated, 

 in the case of principal ones, to the depth of 12 

 or 15 inches, depending on the soil and locality, 

 whether it be wet or dry. Upon rocky or gra- 

 velly bottoms dryness is easily effected, and such 

 need not exceed half of that depth. In soils of 

 an opposite character, and where much rain falls, 

 such as on the west coast, not only will the 

 former depth be required, but a course of drain- 

 pipes, of 3 inches in diameter should be laid 

 along both their sides, with eyes or small cess- 

 pools at every thirty or forty yards, on level sur- 

 faces — much closer, however, together on steep 

 inclines — furnished with iron gratings laid 2 

 inches under the level of the surface of the 

 finished gravel, to receive the surface-water dur- 

 ing heavy rains. These drains should discharge 

 themselves in hollow places, or be connected 

 with other and larger drains. The bottom of the 

 walk should be filled with the best material the 

 situation offers, such as stones, scoria, brick- 

 bats, flints, coarse gravel, or other porous and 

 hard material. Two inches of stones, broken to 

 about 1 inch in diameter, or gravel of the same 

 dimensions, to be laid over the first, and 3 inches 

 of the best pit-gravel employed as a finishing, 

 and which, when laid down, should be well 

 trodden down and rolled until the surface be- 

 comes smooth and uniform. The gravel should 

 reach as high as to be within 1 inch of the grass 

 verges, and the centre should have a rise of 2 

 inches for a 7 -feet walk, to allow the water 

 to run to both sides ; if narrower or broader, a 

 rise in the same proportion. Many substitutes 

 for gravel have been recommended ; none, how- 

 ever, harmonises so well as gravel of a yellowish 

 tint with the grassy margins. 



Grass walks often become necessary in con- 

 necting one side of the lawn with the other; and 

 these, if properly laid down in the first instance, 

 require little after-keeping than repeated mow- 

 ing. Gravel walks are also in cases required for 

 the same purpose ; and if these can be rendered 

 sufficiently dry below, they may, to prevent their 

 appearing to cut the lawn in two, be kept from 

 6 to 10 inches below the grass-level, having the 

 sides sloping down to within 1 inch of the 

 gravel. All deep-cut edges, particularly when 

 not covered with grass, have a harsh and unplea- 

 sant effect. For this reason they should be 

 kept straight by using the edging-shears, instead 

 of being cut with the edging-iron. Where pit- 

 gravel is of a bad colour, or apt to become 

 muddy after rains, a thin sprinkling of sea-gravel, 

 where it can be procured, may be laid on the sur- 

 face once or twice a-year, but only to the extent 

 of merely altering the colour, because, if laid on 



