AND GROUND SURFACES. 
35 
rising more rapidly near the fence may be an improvement, as 
shown in section B, of the same cut. 
Fig. 2. 
Sections C and D, of Fig. 2 , illustrate three less common, and 
perhaps more elegant forms for ground surfaces next to the street. 
Back of the fence, at a , is a strip of ground, level with the side¬ 
walk, not more than a foot wide, which should be kept free from 
grass by the hoe. The grass at the bottom of the terrace slope 
can then be trimmed to a line parallel with the fence. The effect 
is very pretty; and as it would be difficult to keep grass neatly cut 
at the bottom of such a slope so near the fence, this plan saves 
labor. The lower line on section C, of the same cut, shows a form 
that may be substituted for the terrace slope; and at D is another 
form more gardenesque than either. 
It is surprising how much larger grounds look which show such 
surfaces than those which are on a plane, level with the street. A 
quick rise from the street has the disadvantage, when the distance 
from the house to the gate is short, of requiring steps to gain the 
rise near the gate. Though no serious objection in summer, they 
are often dangerous in winter, especially to old people. In towns, 
a choice between such surfaces is frequently necessitated by the 
grading of a street a few feet below the level of adjacent lots. 
These should never be walled next to the street the full height of 
the excavation. The cuts just described illustrate appropriate 
modes of shaping the surface of the ground next to the street 
where the grade has not cut more than four feet below the general 
level at the street line. Grass slopes, behind light fences, are 
not only much cheaper than stone walls, but add more to the 
beauty of the grounds. 
Fig. 3 shows a more elegant treatment of the same sort of sur- 
