14 
HOUSE & GARDEN 
The typical completed perspective 
THE VALUE OF A DEFINITE PLAN 
How the Plan 
is Made to Give the House a Setting—The Massing of Shrubbery 
LEONIDAS WILLING RAMSEY 
The first sketch, a paced plan, 
locates all existing features 
B EFORE commencing 
work upon a place it 
is necessary to have a 
definite plan for all that 
is to be accomplished. 
This plan should include 
not only the work to be 
carried out this year, but 
should be an ideal for 
the future development 
of the grounds. For a 
place should not grow as 
Topsy grew, hut should 
be developed with care 
and precision. 
If a landscape archi¬ 
tect is available, so much 
the better; for he can 
look into the conditions, 
and with his ability and 
experience can develop 
a plan that should he 
correct in every detail 
and one with which 
there should he little 
trouble. When a land¬ 
scape man is not avail¬ 
able, or when the place 
is too small to afford the 
services of an experi¬ 
enced man, the work can¬ 
not he carried on success ¬ 
fully without a definite 
plan. Such a plan may 
he developed according 
to the suggestions that 
follow, and even though 
it may appear a bit ama¬ 
teurish, it will have the 
strong individuality of 
the owner and will prove 
a great help in develop¬ 
ing the place. 
Locating Existing 
Features 
The first step in mak¬ 
ing a plan for the place 
is to locate, upon paper, 
all existing features that 
would have an influence 
in the general design. 
The most important fea¬ 
tures may be located by 
measurement, and the 
less important located by 
stepping off the dis¬ 
tances. The paced and 
measured survey should 
then be transferred to 
another sheet of paper 
at some definite scale; 
10' to the inch seems to 
be the most convenient 
kutr 
