86 
WALKS AND ROADS. 
between the steps and the street, and on a lot at least one hundred 
and fifty feet in width. For most residences the front street is near 
enough for a carriage to approach with visitors and callers, who 
generally choose fair weather; and the family can go to and from 
their own vehicles by some of the rear entrances of the house, past 
which the road from the street to the carriage-house should lead. 
Where houses are designed so that their main entrance is on the 
side, then a carriage-road may pass it properly, though the lot 
should be narrower than the size just mentioned. For lots having 
such narrow street fronts in proportion to their depth, this is the 
best arrangement for the house, as it leaves the finest rooms adjoin¬ 
ing each other in the front. See Plates XIII, XXV, and XXVII. 
In laying out a carriage-drive avoid sharp turns, and, as far as 
possible, the segments of circles reversed against each other, as in 
a geometric letter S. Such parts of circles, though graceful on 
paper, give the effect of crooked lines, as seen in perspective. A 
line that will enable the driver to approach the main steps most 
conveniently is the true line, unless trees or shrubs already growing 
prevent, in which case the same rule must be followed as nearly as 
practicable. By the most convenient approach is meant that w'hich 
a skillful driver would make if he were driving over an unbroken 
lawn from the entrance-gate to the porch. 
Nearly all amateur landscape-gardeners will blunder in their 
first attempts to lay out roads or walks, by making the curves too 
decided. The lines most graceful on paper will not appear so in 
perspective, as we walk along them; and it will not do, therefore, 
in laying them out on a paper plat, to suppose they will appear the 
same on the ground. If grounds were to be seen from a balloon 
the effect would be the same as upon your plan; but as we are all 
destined to look along the ground, instead of vertically down upon 
it, it will be seen why curves that look graceful on paper are likely 
to be too abrupt and crooked in perspective. If the reader will 
place the paper plan nearly on a level with his eye, and glance 
along the line of the proposed road or walk, he will be able to 
judge how his curves will seem as seen when walking towards or 
upon them; supposing, of course, that the ground to be platted 
has a tolerably level surface. There are several of the plans 
