HARMONY OF COLOURS. 



593 



confined to a raised dry platform around 

 the house, is a suitable and appropriate 

 appendage to every dwelling, of whatever 

 class. 



Terracing the ground around a mansion 

 requires great calculation on the part of 

 the designer, so that each part may bear 

 a correct proportion to that immediately 

 adjoining it, and the whole, when finished, 

 may bear the stamp of symmetry as much 

 as the building with which it is asso- 

 ciated. This mode of operating also in- 

 volves a considerable expense, much of 

 which maybe saved by judicious arrange- 

 ments ; but this can only be ascertained 

 upon the spot, by taking a correct section 

 through the ground to be operated upon, 

 arranging the breadth and depth of each 

 terrace so as to cause the least removal of 

 soil and the least expenditure in the re- 

 taining-walls. Le Blond describes ter- 

 races as of three kinds : the first con- 

 structed by making the one above the 

 other, separating them, and supporting 

 them by retaining-walls, all of which that 

 are above the ground line should be faced 

 with ashlar and surmounted with ballus- 

 trading, &c. ; the second supporting them- 

 selves without walls, by means of banks 

 and slopes cut at each end of every ter- 

 race, or such as we denominate grass 

 terraces ; the third having no terraces in 

 straight lines, "but to contrive landing- 

 places or rests at several heights, and 

 easy ascents and flights of steps for com- 

 munication, with counter-terraces, volutes, 

 rolls, banks, and slopes of grass, placed 

 and disposed with symmetry." These 

 are called amphitheatres, and are by far 

 the most magnificent, the second the 

 most simple and least expensive, while 

 the third hold a medium position be- 

 tween the other two. Terraces, Le Blond 

 observes, should not " be made too fre- 

 quent, nor too near one another, and, by 

 means of levels or flats, should continue 

 as long as the ground will permit, to 

 avoid the defect of heaping terrace upon 

 terrace, — there being nothing more disa- 

 greeable in a garden than to be constantly 

 going up hill and down hill, finding 

 scarcely any resting-place." The breadth 

 of terraces, as of straight walks, should 

 bear a proportion to their lengths. The 

 angle of elevation, or slope of grass ter- 

 races, is given from two-thirds of their 

 height to forming the base equal to their 



VOL. I. 



height. The batter given to walls should 

 be in proportion to their height ; for very 

 high walls, allow one-fifth or one-sixth 

 part, or say 2 inches in a foot ; for walls 

 from 15 to 20 feet high, one-eighth part; 

 from 12 to 15 feet, one-ninth part; and for 

 walls of 6 or 7 feet in height, one-twelfth 

 part. The thickness should be in propor- 

 tion to their height and the nature of the 

 ground. Stairs should be placed opposite 

 to leading walks, and be of easy ascent, 

 and the steps as few as possible. Their 

 number should be unequal, and should 

 never exceed eleven or thirteen in a flight 

 without a resting step of 6 feet in breadth, 

 and extending the whole length of the 

 stair. Each step should have 15 or 16 

 inch tread, and a rise of 5 or 6 inches 

 only, including one-fourth of an inch 

 for carrying off the water. Ascents in 

 grass should be as long as convenient, 

 to render them more easy of ascent. 

 Grass steps should never be employed 

 w T here stone terraces are used ; yet stone 

 steps may with propriety be used in 

 grass terraces, but always having their 

 ends enclosed with a stone plinth. Grass 

 steps need not always run square across 

 the ascent, but may be placed in a dia- 

 gonal direction also. 



The disposal of the surface in the 

 gardenesque style requires considerable 

 softening down, if it is naturally irregular 

 and broken. It is not, however, neces- 

 sary that it be brought to the same de- 

 gree of evenness and polish as if geome- 

 trical figures only were to be drawn upon 

 it : gentle and graceful undulations are 

 one of its characteristics ; yet, where beds 

 of uniform outline, such as circles, ovals, 

 &c, are to be employed, the ground should 

 be either level or of uniform inclination. 



§ 9. — HARMONY OF COLOURS. 



Great progress has been made of late 

 years in the arrangement of both form 

 and colour in the disposal of our first-rate 

 flower-gardens ; the first step to which 

 was, grouping the plants in masses, thereby 

 producing a much grander and more 

 decided effect than the old method of 

 planting them in the promiscuous manner. 

 Grouping also led to a much more judi- 

 cious taste in the selection of plants; and 

 hence the whole host of w 7 eed-like annuals, 



4 F 



