B o O' k of Gardens 
The stones ought to be bedded 
firmly in the soil when the latter 
has had plenty of time to settle 
after the final grading and has 
been well tamped down. The sur¬ 
face of the slabs should be raised 
Yz" to 1" above the top of the earth 
so that during heavy rains they 
will not be flooded. 
As the photographs clearly show, 
a considerable variety in size as 
well as outline of the paving rocks 
is necessary to permit laying them 
in a wholly pleasing pattern. Any¬ 
thing in the nature of a geometrical, 
regular design should be avoided 
except in really formal work. On 
the other hand, guard against the 
appearance of “spottiness” which 
inevitably follows a too great mass¬ 
ing of either large or small rocks. 
When the path is completed it 
ought to present a uniform appear¬ 
ance when considered as a whole— 
no particular sections of it should 
stand out more prominently than 
the others because of the size or 
arrangement of the stones. 
The path of paved stones is sane¬ 
ly substantial and forthright. It 
knows where it is going, and why. 
The effect of even pattern is evi¬ 
dent here 
The spaces between the stones 
should also .be irregular in both 
size and shape. It is they which 
outline the pattern of the path, and 
the slabs should never be so closely 
fitted that these spaces lack promi¬ 
nence. If this point is overlooked, 
the finished job will be in large 
measure flat, stale and unprofit¬ 
able. The photograph at the left 
shows a path in which the pattern 
has been well developed. 
From start to finish, keep this in 
mind: a path exists primarily to 
walk upon, and it should invite 
rather than discourage involuntary 
footsteps. To this end its surface 
must be level and firm. It should 
never inspire one with the sensa¬ 
tion of skipping along a stream on 
a succession of unevenly spaced 
and wobbly boulders. “Watch your 
step” should be as unnecessary an 
admonition to the stroller along 
the slab-laid garden walk as it is 
needful in the maelstrom of a New 
York subway station at the rush 
hour. 
The stones should be of varying 
sizes and shapes. Grass may be 
sown between them, or low 
flowering plants put in. Kirk¬ 
land Cutter, architect 
