610 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Size of Roads. — When we make a road, it should be suitable to the 

 place. A palace may require the chief drive to be fifty or even eighty 

 feet wide, whereas twenty feet will be enough for ordinary houses, and six 

 or twelve feet will be wide enough generally for foot-roads ; eighteen feet 

 are required for carriages to pass ; twelve feet for single roadways. 



Not infrequently, we have in our grounds walks that are dry and firm, 

 and that would be comfortable to tread on except for their being con- 

 structed too high in the centre. This very much detracts from their utility, 

 and renders them exceedingly unsightly from all the views of which they 

 form a part. The sides and centre of a road, edging grass or whatever it 

 may be, must be of the same level ; ridges of roadways above the grass 

 level spoil the landscape very often, for if it be properly made, there need 

 not be more than one half of an inch of fall, in any ordinary road, in order 

 to shed the water from the centre to the margin next the sides ; one in 

 sixty is enough curvature for any rough public road. A badly made road 

 will always wear into holes, and raising its centre will not cure this defect. 

 For instance, in a carriage-drive 30 feet wide, the level side of the road is 

 to be 1\ inch below grass edge ; that gives a fall of H inch in 15 feet, 

 which is enough for a well-made road. Eyelets every 50 feet will take all 

 the water away before it accumulates in currents. Therefore it is 

 absolutely ridiculous to make roads and use half their surface for water- 

 ways, as is done in some places. 



Public Entrance. — The entrance to a domain should be in accordance 

 with the character of the place and the means of the proprietors. The 

 entrance gates should also be in full character with the place. In large 

 and beautiful domains, the magnificent approaches, among variations of 

 noble trees, lawns, deer, &c, may be entered by gigantic iron gates, 

 glittering with their gilded ornaments ; but in the quiet domains a quiet 

 lodge with wooden gates, oiled and varnished in their natural colours, will 

 be found much more harmonious and appropriate. 



An admitted canon law for entrances from public roads into a domain 

 is, that the best place for it is in a bend of the road, the reason for which 

 is quite apparent, as such a position gives an easy curvature from either 

 side of the entrance to the public road. Thus it is very often convenient 

 and even necessary to make a kind of recess, curving V-like towards the 

 gates, in proportion to the requirements. That the lodge itself should 

 never be seen from the residence is a long admitted fact ; but its windows 

 should be prominent, so that the roads can be seen from them in all 

 directions, and the approach of carriages watched. 



Entrance to a House. — There are three canon laws governing the 

 entrance to a house, as follows : 



Fhst : The first view from the drive should not show the house 

 too soon or too late. If the former be done, the dwelling will appear too 

 small for its possessions ; if the latter, it cannot be grasped at all. 



Second : The first view should be a perspective view, taking in two 

 sides of the house, say the north and west sides, with adjacent offices : 

 this shows residence and environments. • 



Third : The drive should bring the carriages to the entrance door in a 

 clean, bold, easy sweep, so that they can come full gallop if necessary, 

 free from any obstructions of curves or high grades, landing the carriage 



