72 



MANUAL OF GARDENING 



adjacent lots, so there is a practical advantage in having the level 

 of the street lower than that of the ground adjoining. The 

 appearance of houses and home grounds is also much better 

 when they are higher than the street, and for this reason it is 

 usually desirable to keep the latter as low as possible and give 

 the underground pipes sufficient covering to protect them from 

 frost. Where the ground is high and the sewers very deep, 

 the grades should, of course, be determined wdth reference to 

 surface conditions only. It sometimes happens that this gen- 

 eral arrangement of the grades of home grounds, which is 

 desirable on most accounts, causes water from melting snow 

 to flow over the sidewalk in the w^inter time, where it may 

 freeze and be dangerous to pedestrians. A slight depression of 

 the lot away from the sidewalk and then an ascent toward the 

 house would usually remed^y this difficulty, and also make the 

 house appear higher. Sometimes, however, a pipe should be 

 placed underneath the sidewalk to allow water to reach the street 

 from inside of the lot line. The aim in surface drainage should 

 always be to keep the traveled portions of the street in the most 

 perfect condition for use. The quick removal of surplus water 

 from sidewalks, crossings, and roadways will help insure this 

 result." 



These remarks concerning the curbings and hard edges of 

 city streets may also be applied to walks and drives in small 

 grounds. Figure 69, for example, shows the common method of 

 treating the edge of a walk, by making a sharp and sheer ele- 

 vation. This edge needs constant trimming, else it becomes 

 unshapely; and this trimming tends to widen the walk. For 

 general purposes, a border, like that showTi in Fig. 70, is better. 

 The sod rolls over until it meets the walk, and the lawn-mower 

 is able to keep it in condition. If it becomes more or less rough 

 and irregular, it is pounded do^^oi. 



If it is thought necessary to trim the edges of walks and drives, 

 then one of the various kinds of sod-cutters that are sold by 



