Class _SB_4iJIiL 
 Book O 6 
 
 Copyright N" . 
 
 COF»{IGHT DEPOSm 
 
E{)e Eural ^citnct ^txm 
 
 Edited by L. H. BAILEY 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
Cije Eural <Scicnce Serirs 
 
 Edited by L. H. Bailey 
 
 The Soil. King. 
 
 The Spraying of Plants. Lodeman. 
 
 Milk AND Its Products. Wing. Enlarged and Bevised. 
 
 The Fertility of the Land. Boberts. 
 
 The Principles of Fruit-growing. Bailey. 20th 
 
 Edition, Bevised. 
 Bush-fruits. Card. Bevised. 
 Fertilizers. Voorhees. Bevised. 
 The Principles of Agriculture. Bailey. Bevised. 
 Irrigation and Drainage. King. 
 The Farmstead. Boberts. 
 Rural Wealth and Welfare. Fairchild. 
 The Principles of Vegetable-gardening. Bailey. 
 Farm Poultry. Watson. Enlarged and Bevised. 
 The Feeding of Animals. Jordan. (Now Rural 
 
 Text-Book Series. Bevised.) 
 The Farmer's Business Handbook. Boberts. 
 The Diseases of Animals. Mayo. 
 The Horse. Boberts. 
 How TO Choose a Farm. Hunt. 
 Forage Crops. Voorhees. 
 
 Bacteria in Relation to Country Life. Lipman. 
 The Nursery-book. Bailey. (Now Rural Manual 
 
 Series.) 
 Plant-breeding. Bailey and Gilbert. Bevised. 
 The Forcing-book. Bailey. 
 
 ThePruning-book. Bailey. (Now Rural Manual Series.) 
 Fruit-growing in Arid Regions. Paddock and Whipple. 
 Rural Hygiene. Ogden. 
 Dry-farming. Widtsoe. 
 Law for the American Farmer. Green. 
 Farm Boys and Girls. McKeever. 
 The Training and Breaking of Horses. Harper. 
 Sheep-farming in North America. Craig. 
 Cooperation in Agriculture. Powell. 
 The Farm Woodlot. Cheyney and Wentling. 
 Household Insects. Herrick. 
 Citrus Fruits. Coit. 
 
 Principles of Rural Credits. Morman. 
 Beekeeping. Phillips. 
 
 Subtropical Vegetable-gardening. Bolfs. 
 Turf for Golf Courses. Piper and Oakley. 
 The Potato. Gilbert. 
 Strawberry-growing. Fletcher. 
 Western Live-Stock Management. Potter. 
 Peach-growing. Gould. 
 The Sugar-Beet in America. Harris. 
 Pork-Production. Smith. 
 Landscape-Gardening. Simonds. 
 Commercial Apple Industry of North America. 
 
 Folger and Thomson. 
 The Sweet Potato. Hand and Cockerham. 
 
LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 BY 
 O: C. SIMONDS 
 
 THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 
 
 1920 
 
 All rights reserved 
 

 Copyright, 1930, 
 Bv THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. 
 
 Set up and electrotyped. Published October, 1920 
 
 g)CI.A604318 
 
 
 n^« / 
 
o 
 
 DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF 
 
 BRYAN LATHROP 
 
 TO WHOM ALL FINE ARTS MADE A STRONG APPEAL 
 
 AND WHOSE INFLUENCE HAS BEEN FELT IN 
 
 EACH PAGE OF THIS VOLUME AND 
 
 IN ALL THE PROFESSIONAL 
 
 WORK OF THE AUTHOR 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 The Aims of Landscape-Gardening 
 The art expression 
 
 PAGES 
 
 1-25 
 19-25 
 
 CHAPTER H 
 
 The Saving of Natural Features and Resources 
 Each for all ....... . 
 
 26-39 
 29-39 
 
 CHAPTER HI 
 
 Land 
 
 40-45 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 Planting Materials . 
 
 Trees .... 
 Shrubs .... 
 Vines .... 
 Herbaceous flowering plants 
 Ferns .... 
 Mosses and lichens 
 
 46-57 
 47-50 
 5c^53 
 53-55 
 55-56 
 56-57 
 57 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 Arrangement of Planting 
 
 58-67 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 How TO Plant . 
 
 Planting medium-sized trees 
 Planting large trees 
 
 68-83 
 
 70-72 
 72-76 
 
vlii CONTENTS 
 
 Planting bushes and herbaceous subjects 
 Care of plant materials 
 
 PAGES 
 
 76-78 
 
 78-83 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 Water 
 
 . 84-117 
 
 Marshes .... 
 
 84-86 
 
 Springs 
 
 86-88 
 
 Streams .... 
 
 88-104 
 
 Lakes 
 
 . 104-117 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 Home Grounds 1 18-169 
 
 Walks and drives 124-138 
 
 Garages ......... 138-140 
 
 Service yards . . . . . . . . 1 40-1 41 
 
 Front yards 141-153 
 
 Flower-gardens ........ 153-157 
 
 Vegetable-gardens ....... 157-158 
 
 Terraces ......... 159-161 
 
 Hedges .......... 161 
 
 House surroundings ....... 161-162 
 
 Woods 162-169 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 Farms 
 
 The farm forest .... 
 The farm orchard and other features 
 
 170-184 
 176-182 
 182-184 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 Landscape-Gardening for Arid and Semi-arid Regions 185-191 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 Public Thoroughfares , . 192-223 
 
 The hillside road ........ 199-206 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 IX 
 
 PAGES 
 
 The river road 206-211 
 
 The prairie road ........ 211-217 
 
 City streets ......... 217-222 
 
 Bill-boards 223 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 The Grounds of Railway Stations and Rights of Way 
 
 224-231 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 Parks, Forest Preserves, City Squares 
 
 
 
 
 232-262 
 
 Planning a park 
 
 
 
 237-242 
 
 Grounds for games or recreation 
 
 
 
 
 
 242-246 
 
 Other purposes of a park 
 
 
 
 
 
 247-248 
 
 The park commission . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 248-250 
 
 Forest preserves 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 250-253 
 
 City squares and triangles 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 253-256 
 
 Country parks 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 256-257 
 
 Township parks . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 257-258 
 
 County parks 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 258-260 
 
 State parks . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 260-261 
 
 National parks 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 261-262 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 Golf Grounds 263-272 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 School Grounds 273-280 
 
 In the country ........ 273-278 
 
 In cities 278-280 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 Arboretums and Botanic Gardens .... 281-289 
 
 Botanic gardens 286-289 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 Cemeteries .... 
 
 Subdivisions, walks and drives 
 Buildings and planting . 
 Rules for maintaining cemeteries 
 Country cemeteries 
 
 PAGES 
 290-309 
 293-296 
 297-299 
 301-307 
 307-309 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 City and Regional Planning . 
 
 3io-320_ 
 
 APPENDIX 
 A Plea for Landscape-Gardening . 
 Parks and Landscape-Gardening . 
 
 321-325 
 325-331 
 
LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 The Aims of Landscape-Gardening 
 
 The purpose of this book is to help make our 
 country more beautiful. " Our country " refers es- 
 pecially to the United States, although in prepar- 
 ing the text the author has also had in mind all 
 those parts of Canada in which climatic conditions, 
 general appearance, and habits of thought are simi- 
 lar to our own, and he further acknowledges a sym- 
 pathy with Thomas Paine's statement, " The world 
 is my country." One's country includes all indi- 
 vidual homes and the thoroughfares that make 
 them accessible, all public grounds such as city 
 squares, school and church yards, parks, ceme- 
 teries, railroad rights of way, golf courses, national 
 monuments, parks and forests, all streams and 
 lakes, all shores and all land upon which one 
 may walk without feeling that he is trespassing. It 
 includes the atmosphere, with its rain and sunshine, 
 
2 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 its fogs and clouds, its hail and snow, its storms and 
 calms. It comprises night and day and all the 
 seasons. It includes the rocks, and all material and 
 living things within its boundaries. 
 
 Why seek to make the country beautiful ? To 
 many persons this question and its answer may seem 
 unnecessary, the love of the beautiful is so nearly 
 universal. To say that anything looks well usually 
 secures its adoption or approval. Still, there are 
 some persons who seem to be indifferent to appear- 
 ances, and for them a few thoughts may be helpful. 
 
 Nature, from the greatest snow-covered mountains 
 and broadest seas to the tiniest pollen-grain or 
 smallest of spores, is beautiful and perfect. Happi- 
 ness comes in largest measure to those who live in 
 closest harmony with nature. It has been said that 
 beauty pays, and this is undoubtedly true. A farm 
 that looks well, other conditions being equal, will 
 sell for more than one that appears bare and ugly 
 or slovenly. A beautiful horse or cow, or an at- 
 tractive dish or tool, will bring the highest price. 
 But if one thinks of dollars and cents only, one does 
 not get the full meaning of the word "pays." 
 Beauty pays by giving pleasure to those who see 
 it. One can help to make one's country more 
 
THE AIMS OF LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 3 
 
 beautiful by making its home grounds, its road- 
 sides, its river banks, its parks, intrinsically better 
 in appearance and by opening the eyes of those 
 who fail to see such beauty as already exists. 
 
 The art that accomplishes this has usually been 
 called landscape-gardening, and is the youngest of 
 the arts. It was given a special impetus in the 
 latter part of the eighteenth and the first part 
 of the nineteenth centuries. To be sure, beautiful 
 gardens and landscapes have existed since the time 
 of the Garden of Eden, but the desire to create 
 beautiful scenery and to treat its creation in a pro- 
 fessional way first appeared in Europe at a com- 
 paratively recent date. It was the result of the 
 effort to improve and organize the landscape. Rep- 
 ton, in the introduction to his "Sketches and Hints 
 on Landscape Gardening," published in 1795, said, 
 "I have adopted the term Landscape Gardening, 
 as most proper, because the art can only be advanced 
 and perfected by the united powers of the land- 
 scape painter and the practical gardener." 
 
 The powers of the practical gardener are such as 
 are common in all agricultural pursuits, and presup- 
 pose some knowledge of soils, fertilizers, tillage, 
 planting, spraying, and the care of plants in general. 
 
4 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 The power of the landscape painter as applied to 
 pictures formed by real objects, to the creation of 
 landscapes, to the study, appreciation, and develop- 
 ment of beautiful scenery is the distinguishing feature 
 of the art now under consideration. What power 
 has the landscape painter ? He depicts scenery 
 upon canvas. One looks at his productions and 
 realizes the warmth of spring sunshine in a valley, 
 the majesty of a mountain, the force of the ocean, 
 the beauty of the pink glow of evening on the snow, 
 the charm of woods, running streams, water margins, 
 and open glades. One almost feels the wind, the 
 warmth of a summer evening, the cool atmosphere 
 of the morning, the dampness of a rainy day, or the 
 cold but delightful beauty of winter. How does the 
 painter get this power ? He learns how to draw and 
 how to use pencils, charcoal, crayons, water-colors, 
 oils, and pigments in the schools, but his chief in- 
 spiration, the source of his real power, comes from the 
 out-of-doors. He looks abroad over the land, his 
 range of vision stretching away on nearly horizontal 
 lines to distant points. His canvas rests upon the 
 easel in a nearly vertical position so that he can 
 glance easily from the object he is depicting to the 
 representation of that object (Fig. i). 
 
THE AIMS OF LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 5 
 
6 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 The landscape-gardener works in the same way. 
 He studies the out-of-doors. He looks at nature 
 on lines usually varying but a few degrees from the 
 horizontal. He notes the sky lines, the masses of foli- 
 age, the lights and shadows, the varying colors and 
 shapes of leaves and flowers, the lay of the land, the 
 reflections in water. He learns the things that make 
 a view pleasing, and then when he grades lands, 
 plants trees, shrubs, and flowers, introduces water, 
 rocks, or other objects, he makes use of the pleasing 
 effects he has learned to produce pleasing scenery 
 appropriate to the situation and the locality. His 
 canvas, the background for his work, is the sky. 
 Against this he may see the earth itself, the ocean, 
 mountains, hills, prairies, or forests. Against this 
 canvas he plants trees and other objects to form a 
 pleasing composition, a picture if you will, and if 
 he is wise and has the opportunity he will leave a 
 generous open space on his canvas for nature to fill in 
 with clouds and sunshine, with stars and moonlight. 
 
 Nature indeed is a most helpful and willing partner 
 in all the real work of a landscape-gardener, and also 
 his best teacher. She teaches other artists as well, 
 but for the one who tries to help her in beautifying 
 the earth or in keeping it beautiful, she produces 
 
THE AIMS OF LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 7 
 
 an Infinite variety of plant growth and plant-food ; 
 she brings rain and warmth and sunshine ; she 
 provides air to breathe and a stimulating compan- 
 ionship to encourage growth and beauty ; and she 
 spreads a protecting blanket in winter. 
 
 The painter completes his painting in a few hours 
 or days. It may then remain for years just as left 
 by his finishing touches. The landscape-gardener, 
 on the other hand, must wait years for the picture 
 he conceives to develop fully. His conception of the 
 eflfect he wishes to produce may be the result of min- 
 utes or days of study. It is gained as quickly as 
 the painter's idea of his composition, and the time 
 required for recording his conception on paper is 
 comparatively brief. Sometimes the scheme he has 
 in mind will be worked out directly on the ground 
 without the use of drawings. The result he is 
 after is out-doors, and as it is usually produced by 
 living things — trees, shrubs, flowers, grass, and 
 various ground-covering plants — which necessarily 
 change, it becomes a moving picture. In other 
 words, his efforts result in a series of pictures or 
 effects resembling each other but gradually ap- 
 proaching his ideal. His skill will depend first on 
 this ideal, on his ability to form a satisfactory 
 
8 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 composition, to imagine a view with lights and 
 shades in proper relations to each other, with har- 
 monious outlines and colors — in short, on his appre- 
 ciation of beauty ; and next on his success in grading, 
 selecting materials, planting, outlining open areas, 
 lakes, woods, groups of trees and shrubs, the selec- 
 tion and placing of herbaceous plants, and in his 
 treatment of water, rocks, buildings, and other 
 objects that may appear against his canvas. 
 
 Certain rules should govern his work. There 
 should be unity. This means that from a given 
 point looking in one direction there should be one 
 picture and in this picture some special feature 
 should predominate. The rule of unity is violated 
 when, in looking out of a window, one sees two 
 vistas, two or more dominating trees, two lakes, two 
 valleys, two hills or two mountains of equal impor- 
 tance. It is violated when a garden with bright 
 colored flowers, pergolas and seats is made to com- 
 pete with a view of the ocean. There may indeed 
 be flowers in the ocean view, but they should be 
 incidental, like clover blossoms in a meadow, the 
 blossoms of apple trees, lilacs or locusts. Green 
 foliage, rocks and trees may enhance the ocean view, 
 helping to frame it or at least not competing with 
 
THE AIMS OF LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 9 
 
 what should be the main feature of the picture. 
 What is true of an ocean view would be true of a 
 mountain view (Fig. 2) or of a picture in which a 
 valley or lake, a lawn, a house, the prairie, a distant 
 city, or a church spire formed the dominating feature 
 
 Fig. 2. — Sufficient unto Itself. It would be unwise to have an artificial 
 flower-garden or any other artificial feature compete with a view like 
 this. 
 
 (Fig. 3). There may be several pictures seen from 
 one point, if they are in different directions, but 
 they should usually be separated from each other by 
 some object such as a tree, a bit of woods, or a mass 
 of shrubs. 
 
 In landscape work the fact that the point of view 
 
lO 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 can easily be changed must be constantly borne in 
 mind. It may be a window, a veranda, a seat under 
 a tree or in a boat, any point along a walk or drive, 
 
 Fig. 3. — The Point of Interest. What is true of an ucean view 
 in regard to unity would be true of a picture in whicli ... a 
 church spire formed the dominating feature. 
 
 or any position one may be in while strolling about 
 the grounds. The landscape-gardener, therefore, 
 designs a great number of landscapes in one piece of 
 
THE AIMS OF LANDSCAPE-GARDENING ii 
 
 work, in all of which the rule of unity as well as the 
 other rules to be mentioned will have a guiding in- 
 fluence. These rules also govern in pictures that 
 are painted, in music, architecture, sculpture, and 
 
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 Fig. 4. — A Lake Scene in Scotland. The island and the mountain are too 
 nearly equal in value. If the island were shown much smaller in relation 
 to the mountain the composition would be better. 
 
 literature. There should be balance (Fig. 5), but 
 this does not mean that one side of a view should be 
 just like the other. A tree may be balanced by a 
 shrub, a rock by a building, a mass of flowers by a 
 single blossom. A judicious arrangement of light 
 
12 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 Fig. 5. — A Rocky Precipice Balanced by a Tree. A landscape-gardener 
 is indeed fortunate if he can appropriate a scene like this. 
 
THE AIMS OF LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 13 
 
 and shade is desirable. In a well-designed land- 
 scape there should be harmony of shapes, sizes and 
 colors. A plant with foliage like the yucca would 
 not be pleasing next to a maiden-hair fern. The 
 leaves of pieplant do not harmonize with those of 
 the rose. Magenta flowers do not go well with 
 scarlet. A certain amount of contrast and variety 
 give life to a landscape but if used to excess they 
 may deprive it of repose. Repetition in landscapes 
 as in painting tends to make a scene restful. 
 
 Thus all the rules of composition that are ap- 
 plicable to paintings apply also to landscapes de- 
 signed or appropriated by landscape-gardeners. 
 A painter sometimes speaks of the "heaven-born 
 ratio of three to two," meaning that the focal point, 
 the point to which the eye continually reverts, 
 should be three units from one side and two from 
 the other side of the canvas, and the same ratio 
 from the top and bottom, instead of being in the 
 center. The same ratio serves well in design- 
 ing an actual landscape, since a tree or other sub- 
 ject placed directly in the center usually looks badly 
 (Fig. 6). The interest in any view is increased by 
 an arrangement which piques one's curiosity. In 
 illustration of this, think of woods into which one 
 
H 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 gets glimpses leading to unknown depths, bays of 
 lakes disappearing behind islands or promontories, 
 
 Fig. 6. — A Glimpse Through the Woods. Compare 
 this with any picture in which a tree occupies the 
 center. 
 
 lawns partly hidden by projecting groups of shrubs. 
 These give possible opportunities for making dis- 
 
THE AIMS OF LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 15 
 
 coveries, and such opportunities compete with va- 
 riety in giving spice to Hfe. The shape of a tree, 
 the graceful or strong arrangement of its branches, 
 the outlines and texture of its leaves, the color and 
 forms of flowers, the curves of the earth's surface, 
 the reflections in water — are all objects of interest 
 and beauty, but beyond all these in making a view 
 interesting are the elements of curiosity and mys- 
 tery. 
 
 While landscape-gardening is more nearly al- 
 lied to painting than to any other fine art, in some 
 ways it more nearly resembles architecture. These 
 are the utilities. Architecture is concerned with 
 many matters not particularly connected with beauty. 
 These are for the comfort, safety and use of those 
 occupying buildings. In like manner, landscape- 
 gardening is concerned with walks, drives, gardens, 
 fences, location of buildings, and other features 
 having to do with the comfort, convenience, and 
 use of mankind. There Is a similarity also in the 
 professional methods of landscape-gardeners and 
 architects. 
 
 The grading of surfaces, which Is an important 
 part of the landscape-gardener's work, is not un- 
 like the work of sculptors, while the planting ma- 
 
i6 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 terial he uses makes an appeal to the senses of smell, 
 taste, and feeling not made by the other fine arts. 
 In illustration of this appeal, think of the smell of 
 the rose, the woods, the meadows, the sweetbriers, 
 the hundreds of flowers of the old-fashioned gar- 
 den, the taste of fruits, sassafras and all the prod- 
 ucts of vegetation, the feel of a mullein leaf, the 
 bark of trees, the velvety lawn, the polished sur- 
 faces of cherries, the breeze from the sea, the water 
 in the swimming pool, the snow and ice of winter. 
 
 Landscape-gardening, more than any other art, 
 makes use of the natural sciences. Geology, bot- 
 any, and chemistry are of special importance, and 
 there is hardly any line of study that will not make 
 the landscape-gardener better equipped for the 
 work he has in hand and better able to meet and 
 discuss with his clients the many subjects that go 
 with the development of land. Even if one should 
 not intend to take up landscape work as a pro- 
 fession, there are few subjects the study of which 
 will do more for one's general culture. An appre- 
 ciation of attractive scenery will add to the enjoy- 
 ment of life, the pleasure of reading and to one's 
 interest in the history of the world. The Japanese 
 have professors of the arrangement of flowers and 
 
THE AIMS OF LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 17 
 
 this subject is taught in their colleges. The study 
 of landscape, embracing, as it does, all that one sees 
 out-of-doors, is one of the broadest of subjects. 
 It is far more important as a fine art than paint- 
 ing, sculpture, architecture, flower arrangement 
 and gardening, since it includes in a general way 
 all of these, and its principles are those of all the 
 other arts. 
 
 It follows, therefore, that the landscape-gardener 
 works with his imagination. This is true in a 
 greater or less degree of other men, but, for the 
 landscape-gardener it is preeminently so. He 
 must be a dreamer, a designer, an inventor, a cre- 
 ator, — a dreamer more than most designers be- 
 cause it may take years for his designs to develop. 
 He not only dreams but he creates, working with 
 land, plants, water, rocks, buildings, roads, and 
 bridges. He puts two and two together, joining 
 the work of the architect or engineer with that of 
 nature. His aim is to produce beautiful outdoor 
 scenery, the scenery that includes all one sees 
 whenever he walks or rides through country or city. 
 He is often called a "landscape architect," but 
 architect implies building, working with lumber, 
 bricks, stone, mortar, glass, metals, in short, ma- 
 
1 8 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 terials that are for the most part rigid and fixed. 
 The work of the landscape-gardener is largely with 
 things that are alive, growing, changing. As Bryan 
 Lathrop has said, "It is not the name so much as 
 the idea behind it which is objectionable." To use 
 the word "architect" tends to take away that free- 
 dom and gracefulness that should go with the 
 development of beautiful landscapes. The term 
 "landscape engineer," which has also been used, 
 is even more objectionable than "landscape archi- 
 tect," since engineering is not a fine art, and, while 
 the products of engineering may and ought to be 
 beautiful, its aim is strength rather than beauty. 
 "Landscape designer" is not so objectionable, 
 since it indicates the character of the work under- 
 taken by the man to whom it is applied. 
 
 A "landscape-gardener" is one who may be 
 thought of as trying to produce a Garden of Eden, 
 a garden which is purely imaginary but is thought 
 of as the work of a Power greater than man and 
 more beautiful than anything the present genera- 
 tion has seen. The aim of the landscape-gar- 
 dener is high, and this term, while not free from ob- 
 jections, conveys the correct idea. 
 
 All of the various terms employed are objec- 
 
THE AIMS OF LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 19 
 
 tionablc because each contains two words. 
 "Landscape" Is common to all, and if but one word 
 were to be used, "landscaper" would seem to be 
 the most appropriate. It would be used just as 
 Is "painter." The "landscaper" would landscape 
 a tract of land, a park or a home. His work would 
 be "landscaping," and when finished, the tract of 
 land on which he had worked would be "land- 
 scaped." 
 
 The term used in this volume Is the one that has 
 been generally adopted by those who have written 
 on the subject of which It treats, among whom the 
 name of A. J. Downing stands prominently, be- 
 cause the wide influence of his writings entitles 
 him to the distinction of being considered the 
 father of landscape-gardening in this country. 
 
 In the following pages the materials employed 
 in this art and some of the general principles of 
 the art will first be considered ; and then the prin- 
 ciples will be applied to the treatment of special 
 cases. 
 
 THE ART EXPRESSION 
 
 The beginning of every fine art is hidden in ob- 
 scurity. It has been gradually developed until 
 
20 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 it attained a great degree of perfection. It may- 
 be surmised that there was a time when men and 
 women could not sing, and when there were no 
 musical instruments. Probably the earliest repre- 
 sentatives of the human race could utter pleas- 
 ing sounds, but it must have taken a long time to 
 develop tunes, to learn the harmony of music, 
 and ages to perfect such instruments as the violin, 
 the clarinet, the organ, and the piano. The de- 
 votion to music was such, however, that this fine 
 art became part of the life of every civilized nation. 
 Music is needed at most social gatherings and at 
 nearly all religious exercises. It Is necessary in 
 war and in peace. It is capable of exciting emo- 
 tions of patriotism, of joy, and of sadness. It forms 
 not only a part of the life of a nation, but domi- 
 nates, to some extent, the lives of many individuals 
 and families. 
 
 The development of sculpture doubtless began 
 in rude attempts, like those seen today among 
 some savage tribes, and continued with the progress 
 in civilization until it culminated in Greece more 
 than two thousand years ago. While this fine art 
 does not make so universal an appeal as does music, 
 it nevertheless exerts a powerful influence. 
 
THE AIMS OF LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 21 
 
 The different styles of architecture have cul- 
 minated at various periods, but each, during its 
 development, has been understood and appre- 
 ciated by all classes of persons and has really formed 
 part of the life of the nation or nations where it 
 came to its greatest perfection. 
 
 Poetry and the art of verbal expression kept pace 
 with music, sculpture, and architecture, and at 
 present no art exerts a greater influence. One 
 can scarcely imagine a civilization without books. 
 Literature, indeed, lies at the foundation of modern 
 life. 
 
 Painting and the graphic arts reached the high- 
 est development they have attained somewhat later 
 than the arts that have just been named. The 
 development of the fine art of making pictures, in 
 so far as they represent landscapes, is compara- 
 tively recent. Such pictures now form an impor- 
 tant part of the paintings seen in art galleries, 
 public buildings, and residences. They appear 
 abundantly among the illustrations of books and 
 periodicals. 
 
 Landscape-gardening Is now in the process of 
 development. One or two generations ago there 
 were less than a half dozen firms following this pro- 
 
22 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 fession in the United States. Even now, but a 
 small percentage of all the people know that there 
 is such a profession, and of those who have heard 
 of it only a few know what it really is. Before 
 it reaches its full development, it also must become 
 a part of the life of the people. 
 
 If, as stated above, this art of landscape-garden- 
 ing is growing, what will be its final attainment ? 
 What will it do for the people ? 
 
 If properly guided in its growth, it will teach them 
 to see the beauty of nature, the beauty of this world, 
 of which many are now as ignorant as the ten-year- 
 old boy was of the beauty of sunsets before his 
 attention was called to them. 
 
 It will bring about a different spirit with regard 
 to beauty wherever seen. There are many who 
 regard anything which is beyond or outside of 
 what is generally called "practical" as something 
 foolish, wasteful, and effeminate, not realizing 
 that it is the beautiful which makes life worth 
 living. 
 
 It will open the eyes of farmers and their families 
 to the beauty that is always around them in the 
 sky and in their fields, and, if they possess them, in 
 their wood-lots, their orchards, springs, streams, 
 
THE AIMS OF LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 23 
 
 and hedgerows, and in the birds that delight in 
 bushes and trees. It will enable those who live 
 in the country to get far greater pleasure from 
 life than many do at present, and will stimulate 
 them to beautify their homes and take pride in their 
 surroundings, their work, and their free health- 
 ful lives. It will prevent a farmer from renting 
 his field or his barn for a bill-board to advertise 
 someone's pills. It will teach him that he may 
 have, if he will, during each day of his life, that 
 enjoyment in the beauty of the country to which 
 business men of the city look forward as the crown- 
 ing pleasure of their declining years, those years 
 when rheumatism, deafness, and other infirmities 
 frequently prevent one from receiving the full meas- 
 ure of happiness that nature should give. 
 
 It will teach the city dweller, who, to a certain 
 extent, is fond of nature, that it is not the part of 
 wisdom to create beautiful parks and build beauti- 
 ful drives or parkways and then border them with 
 bill-boards. It will teach him to respect the wooded 
 bluffs and hillsides, the springs, streams, river banks 
 and lake shores within the city boundaries, and 
 preserve them with loving care. This apprecia- 
 tion and care will also extend to the suburbs and 
 
24 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 will bring about a friendly relation between the 
 people of the city and those of the country. 
 
 The full development of that fine art, of which 
 this book gives mere suggestions and glimpses, 
 should result in preserving the country's natural 
 beauty, and developing real outdoor pictures every- 
 where until the United States becomes the most 
 beautiful country in the world — more beauti- 
 ful than any now imagined, and fully worthy of the 
 affection and pride of all its people. 
 
 What of the landscape-gardener .^ What should 
 he have in the way of equipment, aims, and com- 
 pensation ? 
 
 As to equipment, "all is grist that comes to his 
 mill"; but he should have above all a love and 
 appreciation of natural beauty. It is of advan- 
 tage to him if he has been born in the country, 
 or at least has lived a portion of his life in inti- 
 mate relation with woods, streams, and open fields. 
 The history of the world, as revealed in astronomy, 
 geology, physiography, botany, zoology, chem- 
 istry, and the development of nations, is of value 
 to him. The skill of the artist in various forms 
 of expression is also of value — expression in words, 
 in drawings, and in actual construction. 
 
THE AIMS OF LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 25 
 
 His aims should include helping his fellow men 
 and women to live happier, richer, fuller lives ; 
 helping his country, his city, his neighborhood, 
 his own home to grow more beautiful; helping 
 everywhere in that material, artistic and ideal 
 development that comes from doing things in a 
 rational, thoughtful, common-sense way. 
 
 His compensation in a material way should 
 correspond with that received by men in other 
 professions ; but in the satisfaction that comes from 
 seeing and producing beauty, from breathing fresh 
 air, getting outdoor exercise and all the delights 
 that go with the country and the great outdoors 
 and in the pleasure and satisfaction of doing helpful 
 constructive work, no profession can vie with th^t 
 of this new art. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 The Saving of Natural Features and 
 Resources 
 
 There has been a tendency in the United States, 
 and perhaps in most countries, to use up or destroy 
 many things that would have been of value to fu- 
 ture generations. We have needlessly wasted, de- 
 stroyed and burned up large portions of the forests 
 that would have been of priceless value even to the 
 present generation. We have needlessly worn out 
 and destroyed much of the natural richness of 
 soil and have allowed large quantities of it to be 
 washed away. We have destroyed most of the 
 fur-bearing animals and the game that was once 
 so abundant. We have destroyed the fish in rivers 
 and lakes. All of these facts are quite generally 
 recognized and regretted, but we have not yet re- 
 formed. The destruction of forests goes on, and 
 scarcely any provision is made for the future supply 
 
 of lumber. The same is true regarding many 
 
 26 
 
NATURAL FEATURES AND RESOURCES 27 
 
 other natural products. Even coal and oil are not 
 conserved as they should be. 
 
 One feature of this country, however, which Is 
 being destroyed and which is seldom mentioned, 
 is its beauty. This loss is intimately connected 
 with the other losses named. A needless destruc- 
 tion of a forest often leaves a barren waste. Com- 
 pare the primeval forest with the "pine barrens" 
 that have taken its place. Compare a newly dis- 
 covered creek or river with banks well covered 
 by native growth with the same river a genera- 
 tion later when its banks are denuded of growth 
 and the river as if angry spends its energy in goug- 
 ing out the land on either side. Compare the shores 
 of a lake as first seen by white people with the 
 same shores after the trees have been cut away 
 and their places taken by ice-houses and other pro- 
 truding or obtrusive buildings. Compare the tree- 
 covered hills of some of the southern states with 
 neighboring hills that have been denuded of for- 
 est and have been eroded by storms until the vir- 
 gin soil has disappeared and the ground is worth- 
 less. 
 
 The history of what is taking place in this coun- 
 try is but a repetition of that in other lands. In 
 
28 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 France, for example, it has been necessary to spend 
 millions to reforest mountains and foothills that 
 had become worthless through erosion and to pre- 
 vent the destruction of land below. Such de- 
 struction would result from its becoming covered 
 with the material washed from above. The re- 
 foresting would bring back not only beauty but 
 safety. Many countries once prosperous have 
 become, through the destruction of their forests, 
 like deserts and almost uninhabitable. The 
 United States should avoid a catastrophe of this 
 kind. The loss of beauty always accompanies 
 the destruction of a forest. This is one of the 
 many cases where beauty and utility are closely 
 connected. The forest is valuable for the wood 
 and timber It produces and for the protection it 
 gives, but it is also valuable for its beauty ; and 
 this chapter would call especial attention to this 
 attribute which it possesses, and base on it a plea 
 for the preservation of woods. This plea would 
 be for the protection of the undergrowth as well 
 as of the larger trees. 
 
 In subsequent chapters attention will be called 
 to the various elements of natural beauty. In 
 this, chapter a general discussion of the subject 
 
NATURAL FEATURES AND RESOURCES 29 
 
 of landscape-gardening in its relation to the entire 
 country will be attempted. 
 
 EACH FOR ALL 
 
 A man with intelligence, good health, energy,* 
 and an appreciation of nature can build an at- 
 tractive home with pleasing surroundings, but un- 
 less his neighbors are of like mind with himself, 
 he will not get the enjoyment out of life that he 
 should. We are dependent on each other. Each 
 should do something for his neighbors, which means 
 that each should do something for his country as a 
 whole. He should constantly have that habit of 
 thought that favors economy, thrift, neatness, 
 prevention of waste and a creation of beauty, for 
 all of these go together. 
 
 We, the people who came from Europe, found 
 this country with a beautiful forest sheltering wild 
 life and protecting clear, clean streams and lakes. 
 It was at first necessary to destroy parts of the 
 forest to provide lumber, fuel, and land for culti- 
 vation. The destruction was carried far beyond 
 the needs, but some areas of original forest still 
 remain even in the older states. These areas should 
 be guarded and preserved zealously. Their utility 
 
30 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 has been discussed adequately by professors and 
 others interested in forestry, but more thought and 
 attention should be given to the part these areas of 
 woodland play in making the country attractive 
 and in providing healthful recreation. When this is 
 fully understood and appreciated, nothing will seem 
 more natural than to add to woods by planting trees 
 and shrubs along the margins of existing growth, 
 by preserving the young trees that start in the 
 interior of the forest and thus insure its perpetua- 
 tion, and by planting entirely new forests in those 
 regions not adapted to cultivation and the ordi- 
 nary forms of agriculture. 
 
 The streams, once so clear and pure, have been 
 polluted until they are often to be avoided. They 
 have become muddy and loaded with sewage. 
 Formerly, their banks were sought as places of 
 residence, where now, in some cases, these banks 
 would be the last places selected for homes. 
 
 To make the streams available as attractive 
 landscape features, — to say nothing of their effect 
 on health, — sewage and other impurities should be 
 kept out of them. Here the work of the physician, 
 sanitary engineer, forester and landscape-gardener 
 are closely related. 
 
NATURAL FEATURES AND RESOURCES 31 
 
 The margins of lakes, once so beautifully wooded, 
 in many cases have become bare and disfigured 
 with huge ice-houses and other buildings. This 
 is even true of the banks of many of our larger 
 rivers like those of the historic Hudson. 
 
 In the development of water power, large areas 
 of forest have sometimes been flooded and the 
 trees left standing to disfigure the landscape for 
 years to come with their skeleton-like trunks and 
 limbs. 
 
 We have gone from bad to worse in the matter 
 of bill-boards, frequently bordering with them the 
 main lines of travel. 
 
 We have disfigured the banks of small streams 
 and rivers and charming ravines with rubbish of 
 all kinds. We have gone along the country roads, 
 especially near cities and villages, and when we 
 have found the most charming spot, perhaps a 
 leafy slope leading down to a pleasant valley, we 
 have said "Aha ! here is a good place to dump 
 our loads," and have proceeded at once to smother 
 every vestige of vegetation with ashes and tin 
 cans ; then fearing criticism, we have stuck up a 
 sign "Dump no rubbish here" and have left the 
 ashes and the sign in full view for years and years, 
 
32 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 until perhaps Nature through her kindness has 
 covered them with grape or bittersweet vines. We 
 have done innumerable things to give the country 
 an ugly appearance and mar its beauty, blind alike 
 to both, and then have gone complacently on de- 
 claring that we are the salt of the earth and pity- 
 ing the people who live in other countries. 
 
 If a landscape-gardener were called on to prescribe 
 for the country as a whole, just as he is sometimes 
 called on to prescribe for the premises of individuals, 
 he would probably give his first attention to the 
 farms, because they form a larger part of the face 
 of the land. They are not only the foundation of 
 wealth, furnishing food and clothing, but they also 
 lie at the foundation of our national character, be- 
 cause many farmers' boys and girls graduate to 
 the cities, and the farmers constitute a large per- 
 centage of our population. The farms covering 
 such a large proportion of the area of the United 
 States form the greatest factor in the beauty of 
 the country as a whole. In treating the farms, the 
 group of farm buildings would first be embellished 
 with trees, shrubs, and flowers, and then attention 
 would be given to the wood-lots, springs, streams, 
 and other features of beauty. Incidentally, all 
 
NATURAL FEATURES AND RESOURCES 33 
 
 farm tools that have been left rusting scattered 
 about the fields would be brought to a place of 
 shelter. The farmer and the members of his family 
 would be taught to see the beauty of trees and 
 other vegetation, the beauty of rolling fields, sky- 
 lines, clouds and sunshine, for, strangely enough, 
 it is the farmers who live closest to nature who 
 stand in greatest need of an awakening. Then, 
 with one fell swoop, away would go all the bill- 
 boards that disfigure so many of the landscapes 
 and call loudly and impudently to each passer-by 
 and then stare him out of countenance. 
 
 Having landscaped the farms and destroyed the 
 bill-boards, the next task would be to improve the 
 appearance of the highways. The engineers would 
 make the roadways, but the landscape-gardener 
 would plant the margins, giving these margins as 
 much thoughtful study as a good painter would 
 bestow on his canvas. 
 
 The school-yards would also receive attention, 
 and when the rural districts as a whole were made 
 beautiful, cities and villages would next require 
 treatment. Each combination of city school and 
 neighborhood center would be given ample space 
 for buildings and grounds. The borders of the 
 
34 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 city streets would be planted attractively, and 
 ample spaces In the most suitable situations would 
 be devoted to parks. The beauties of nature — 
 the streams, hillsides, lakes, and rivers — when 
 they exist within or near a city, would be preserved 
 as indicated in subsequent chapters. 
 
 The individual homes of the cities and villages, 
 whether large or small, would become fully as at- 
 tractive as corresponding homes in other countries, 
 where even the smallest yard is usually charming. 
 
 The home of a laborer or mechanic may indeed 
 be as artistic as that of his employer. There is no 
 reason why a laborer should not have a hobby and 
 become an authority, at least in his neighborhood, 
 on some special subject. It might be some plant 
 or class of plants which he would raise and value 
 in his back yard, some plants grown for flowers, 
 or certain vegetables or small-fruits. A hobby 
 of this kind, having to do with life out-of-doors 
 and the good appearance of one's home, is con- 
 nected with landscape-gardening, but for fear that 
 some will say that a laborer has no time for hobbies, 
 the reader is asked to read the statement of an actual 
 example, although, in this case, the hobby had no 
 very close relation to landscape-gardening. 
 
NATURAL FEATURES AND RESOURCES 35 
 
 Years ago a Mr. Currier, living in a city in Michi- 
 gan, worked in a foundry for two dollars a day, a 
 day's work at that time requiring ten hours. At 
 night he would go home with his hands and face 
 blackened from his toil. But notwithstanding his 
 long day's work, he found time to go about the 
 country just outside of his city and make col- 
 lections of shells. He also found time to carry 
 on a correspondence and exchange the shells for 
 those collected by others in all parts of the world, 
 so that in time his collection equaled that of any 
 in the state with possibly one exception. If a 
 man working for two dollars a day with long hours 
 could accomplish so much, why could not the 
 laborers of the present time with far greater pay 
 and with short working days be able to make a 
 special study of botany, geology, or any natural 
 science, or a study of individual plants or classes 
 of plants, or birds, and by so doing make life more 
 interesting for himself and his family, for cer- 
 tainly if he had such a hobby his wife and children 
 would be interested in it with him. 
 
 With the beauty of the country restored, and that 
 of villages and cities properly developed, there 
 should still remain a large area, varying probably 
 
36 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 from ten to thirty per cent of the whole, in forest 
 and state, county, and township parks. 
 
 Although the forest has several times been men- 
 tioned in this chapter, it is a subject of so much 
 importance that quotations will here be made from 
 a little book entitled "The Forest Waters the 
 Farm," published in 1886 by the Forest and Stream 
 Publishing Company. This book should be read 
 by everyone interested in the welfare of the coun- 
 try. It is a translation from the French, and the 
 quotations are : 
 
 "One should cultivate his field according to its 
 slope and its nature ; on high ground forest, here some 
 grain, there turf-land for pasture, and above all, 
 should never sow more surface than he can manure." 
 
 "The woods keep the water, the water makes 
 the meadows, the flock the manure, and the ma- 
 nure the grain." 
 
 "A country without wood is a house without a 
 roof. No peace there ! Sun, wind, rain, and cold 
 keep everyone in a turmoil." 
 
 "The forest protects the sloping soil. Where 
 the earth is in danger from the waters, plant a 
 sapling." 
 
 "We should never sacrifice the woods to the sheep 
 
NATURAL FEATURES AND RESOURCES 37 
 
 unless we wish to be at our wits' end upon the 
 plains." 
 
 Bernard Palissy said in 1563, "When I consider 
 the value of the least clump of trees, or even of 
 thorns, I much marvel at the great ignorance of 
 men, who, as it seemeth, do nowadays study to 
 break down, fell and waste the fair forests which 
 their forefathers did guard so choicely. I would 
 think no evil of them for cutting down the woods, 
 did they but replant ag^in some part of them, but 
 they care naught for the time to come, neither 
 reck they of the great damage they do to their 
 children which shall come after them." 
 
 The above quotations emphasize the utility of 
 the forest, but its utility is so intimately connected 
 with its effect on the appearance of the country that 
 both of its attributes should be considered to- 
 gether. It is impossible to give too great emphasis 
 to the importance of either. 
 
 The landscape-gardener would not diminish the 
 development of water power. He would instead 
 encourage such development, because it would save 
 coal and decrease the amount of smoke. He 
 would, however, have some regard for the preser- 
 vation of beauty in developing this power. When 
 
38 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 necessary to flood land, he would have all the 
 trees and stumps removed before covering it with 
 water, so as to replace the river with a clear, 
 attractive lake without stumps or other objects 
 that would be ugly, and dangerous to boating. 
 He would either save suitable vegetation along 
 the margin of the lake to be formed, or plant so as 
 to give this lake the appearance of a natural body 
 of water. He would, of course, oppose the de- 
 struction of waterfalls so unusual in their appear- 
 ance as to have attained a world-wide reputation, 
 but there is so much undeveloped water power 
 that some of the scenic beauty of waterfalls can 
 always be retained. 
 
 The artist would not reduce the supply of timber. 
 On the contrary, he would increase areas of forests, 
 protect new growth, and prevent destruction by 
 fire. When trees are cut for timber, he would have 
 all branches removed and either utilized or burned 
 where they will not endanger the trees that are 
 left. He would cut trees low to prevent the unsight- 
 liness of tall stumps. While the removal of 
 branches and trimmings would help to preserve 
 the good appearance of the forest, it would also 
 be a precautionary measure of safety and would 
 
NATURAL FEATURES AND RESOURCES 39 
 
 probably save timber worth many times the cost 
 of its removal. 
 
 He would not prevent the cutting of ice, but he 
 would build the ice-houses in a location and manner 
 that would prevent their being obtrusive in the 
 landscape. This could usually be done without 
 additional cost. 
 
 He would not prevent advertising, but would 
 recommend it in a less offensive manner. 
 
 In short, the landscape-gardener would always 
 encourage production. He would encourage those 
 things that make for comfort, and while doing so 
 he would always give a thought for the beauty of 
 the country and encourage others to do so also, 
 hoping that by so doing the country as a whole, 
 the farming regions, the cities, the villages, the 
 parks, and the forests would continually grow in 
 beauty, and life become more and more worth while. 
 He would encourage a fuller, richer, more enjoy- 
 able and useful life for each individual, and nothing 
 would contribute more toward this result than the 
 existence of beauty fully appreciated. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 Land 
 
 Land is the basis of all landscape endeavor. It 
 supports vegetation and holds in its hollow places 
 bodies of water of all shapes and sizes (Fig. 7). 
 From its declivities issue springs and through its 
 valleys flow great rivers. 
 
 Land consists of decomposed or disintegrated 
 rock or decomposed organic matter, or both 
 combined. Rocks may be decomposed in place 
 and form soil on the surface, as in Kentucky and 
 Tennessee, or they may be torn to pieces through 
 the action of frost, ice, and water and moved long 
 distances, often hundreds of miles, as in large por- 
 tions of all the states north of the Ohio River. The 
 rock that has been crushed and ground by force of 
 glaciers may be separated by the action of water 
 into gravel, clay, and sand and the finer particles of 
 the latter may be blown into great hills by the wind. 
 
 The forces of nature have by their action gouged out 
 
 40 
 
LAND 
 
 41 
 
42 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 great ravines and valleys, produced hills and plains, 
 left high mountain peaks, made dry land and marshes, 
 filled up lakes with plant growth and formed the 
 earth's surface as it is seen today. 
 
 No sculptor can rival nature in producing beauti- 
 ful shapes, shapes that are marvelous in their grace- 
 ful lines and surfaces, that show by their wrinkles 
 the effect of struggle and resistance, that indicate 
 the passing of long periods of time. Man in his 
 efforts to grade land to fit the various needs can do 
 no better than imitate nature. If he wishes to 
 produce beautiful lawns, he may give the land the 
 graceful contour of the prairies and place that por- 
 tion of it which is richest in available plant-food near 
 the surface where it will obtain moisture, air, and 
 warmth and where it will be benefited by the action 
 of frost. ' 
 
 Since land varies so greatly in its origin, it must 
 vary also in its composition ; but all land contains 
 elements suited to some plants. Some lands are 
 rich in lime, and on this account are unsuited to the 
 growth of rhododendrons, mountain laurels, blue- 
 berries and all the beautiful plants belonging, like 
 these, to the heath family. These lands are, how- 
 ever, well adapted to the growth of certain grasses 
 
LAND 43 
 
 and clovers, and to the raising of many trees and 
 shrubs that are exceedingly valuable in landscape 
 work. Some land, on the other hand, is very de- 
 ficient in lime but rich in nitrogen and in elements 
 that give acidity. Such land will produce the beau- 
 tiful plants found in bogs. It is suited to some fruits, 
 to many of the heaths and to many mosses and 
 plants of the lower orders. Even the poorest land 
 will grow plants that make a beautiful ground cover- 
 ing, and any situation may be made attractive by 
 selecting the plants which fit it ; but if one wishes 
 a special kind of ground cover, like Kentucky blue- 
 grass, one must see that the soil is adapted to the 
 plant desired. Its adaptation will depend not alone 
 on the elementary substances it contains, but these 
 must exist in proper combinations, and the mechan- 
 ical condition of the soil must be such that air and 
 moisture will reach the roots. In illustration of 
 the different needs of special plants, a case in point 
 may be cited. In a certain nursery, the rows of 
 trees ran east and west. At the east end the soil 
 v/as low, black, and of a peaty nature, while at the 
 west end it was higher and decidedly sandy. A row 
 of elms grew with great rapidity and vigor at the east 
 end, but made scarcely any growth at the west end. 
 
44 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 Some Norway maples in a row next to these elms, 
 on the other hand, were very thrifty in the sand, but 
 stunted in the soil that would commonly be called 
 rich. 
 
 Another Important fact concerning land intended 
 for certain plants is the existence of microscopic 
 organisms, bacteria and protozoa, in the soil, which 
 obtain nitrogen directly from the air and supply it 
 to plants. It is not at all unlikely that these or- 
 ganisms may affect the growth of certain plants in 
 other ways, and that there is still much to be learned 
 about these minute organisms and their relation to 
 the growth of trees, bushes, and other vegetation. 
 
 The effect of the mechanical condition of land is 
 indicated by the rapidity in growth of trees and of 
 other forms of vegetation in newly filled ground. 
 Such ground may settle from ten to twenty per cent. 
 This percentage in the newly filled ground must, 
 therefore, be taken by air, and would indicate that 
 an abundance of air in the soil is of great advantage 
 to vegetation. The larger growth upon land that 
 has been shaken by the explosion of dynamite cor- 
 roborates this idea. When plants do not thrive, it 
 is often assumed that the land in which they grow 
 is too poor, and, therefore, rich black ground is added 
 
LAND 45 
 
 or plant-food may be applied in the shape of ferti- 
 lizers. Usually this is helpful, but, sometimes, it 
 is like giving additional food to a sick person when 
 he has already eaten too much. Sugar maples, 
 red oaks, cherry trees, beeches, pines, hemlocks, 
 dogwoods, wild grapes, and many other plants grow 
 luxuriously upon the sands of western and northern 
 Michigan, even on land so poor that it is thought 
 unfit for agriculture. This simply illustrates how 
 all land is adapted to the uses of the landscape- 
 gardener. He may improve it for certain purposes 
 and make it better adapted for the growth of par- 
 ticular plants, but often his best course will be to 
 select such plants as grow on land like that with 
 which he has to deal. 
 
 Land to be useful must be stationary; that is, 
 it must not be blown away by wind or washed away 
 by running water. To prevent light sandy land from 
 being blown away, it must be thickly planted, usually 
 with perennials having a woody growth, although 
 many herbaceous plants are also useful in holding 
 sand. Much can also be accomplished by planting 
 to prevent land from being washed away. The 
 damage to lands by erosion will be discussed further 
 under the heading of "streams." 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 Planting Materials 
 
 There is a remarkable variety of planting ma- 
 terial. Even to give a list of the various plants would 
 take more room than this volume can spare. Such 
 a list would include trees, shrubs, vines, herbaceous 
 flowering plants, ferns, mosses, lichens, and fungi. 
 With the gradual development of the art of landscape- 
 gardening, the number of available plants has largely 
 increased. This increase is due not alone to the dis- 
 covery of species before unknown or to the develop- 
 ment of new forms and colors through hybridization 
 and other means, but to the fact that new beauty 
 is discovered in well-known plants. Thus sumacs, 
 elderberries, hazel bushes, goldenrods and asters, 
 once considered so common as to command little 
 more respect than weeds, are found to be really 
 valuable in landscape-making. The introductions 
 from little-explored countries, as from China, have 
 also added to our stock of desirable plants, 
 
 46 
 
PLANTING MATERIALS 47 
 
 TREES 
 
 Of all available planting material, none is more 
 useful than trees. They have size, gracefulness, 
 strength, dignity, age (Fig. 8). They carry the 
 sky line to a great height. They provide shade. 
 Their leaves are objects of perpetual interest from 
 the variety they show in size, shape, margin, color 
 and texture. Their spring coloring may be quite 
 different from that of summer, and in autumn 
 they may fairly riot in their wealth of reds, 
 yellows, purples, and browns. When the leaves 
 finally drop to the ground, their beauty is not 
 all gone, for they still have pleasing shapes and 
 colors and might well serve as motives in designing 
 carpets and rugs. The leaves are useful as well as 
 beautiful, for they breathe and prepare the sap of 
 the trees for nourishment and then protect the roots, 
 preserve moisture and finally furnish food. This 
 is but one illustration of nature's combination of 
 beauty with utility, a combination that will be found 
 more and more prevalent with increased study and 
 observation, and may even extend to the landscape- 
 gardener's work of designing parks and home grounds. 
 
 Some trees are evergreen, holding their green 
 
48 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 Fig. 8. — Th^. l"'Kj\i\ii.\vuKK oi iiil Tkll^. 'IIk -.,.,;.^l,i.ig uf a hawthorn 
 an interesting example of strength and beauty. 
 
PLANTING MATERIALS 49 
 
 leaves or needles throughout one or more years, but 
 even in these the spring coloring of the new growth 
 may make a delightful contrast with the growth of 
 the preceding year. Such trees give warmth to 
 the winter landscape. The deciduous trees, how- 
 ever, do not lose their charm with the falling of their 
 leaves. Note the gracefulness of the branches of the 
 elm, distinguishing this tree even at a great distance, 
 the beautiful light bluish gray coloring of the bark 
 of beeches and the great strength of their branches 
 extending straight out from the trunk. Note also 
 the rough bark of the bur oak extending even to the 
 young branches, and the pleasing curved outline of 
 the top of the tree, especially in the spring, this out- 
 line being due to the light gray color of last year's 
 bark and later to the light yellow of the expanding 
 buds. The mere mention of the names of trees — 
 the sugar maples, lindens, cherries, sycamores, Ken- 
 tucky coffee trees, pepperidges, sassafras, birches, 
 hickories, walnuts, honey locusts, thorn and crab- 
 apples — will bring to mind some pleasing peculiar- 
 ity of branching, texture or color of bark, or even 
 the old leaves hanging to the branches of certain 
 trees, like the straw-colored leaves on young beeches 
 and the reddish-brown leaves on some of the oaks. 
 
50 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 No attempt will be made here to give a complete 
 list of available trees or to describe them, as that 
 work has been so well done in other books, but one 
 likes to recall the names of some of them as he would 
 the names and faces of friends. If a reader's favor- 
 ite tree does not appear among those mentioned 
 from time to time, it must not be construed as a 
 reflection on his tree, as there undoubtedly is a place 
 for every tree in some location, a place where it will 
 serve better than any other. Such a place may 
 even be found for a Lombardy poplar, a soft maple, 
 or a box elder. 
 
 SHRUBS 
 
 Shrubs are like trees in many respects. They 
 have similar leaves, blossoms, and fruits, and they 
 are interesting from the color of their branches or 
 their manner of growth, but they are comparatively 
 small and usually have many stems instead of one. 
 There are evergreen and deciduous shrubs, and they 
 may be planted for their beauty alone or to serve 
 as a hedge or screen. In landscape design, shrubs 
 are useful in many ways. Often they are employed 
 to grade down the higher outlines of trees to the sur- 
 face of a lawn or other low area. They form an 
 
PLANTING MATERIALS 51 
 
 attractive border for lawns and lakes. They help 
 to "tie" buildings to their sites and give an eflPect 
 of age. They may be used to separate bays so that 
 one part of a lawn or lake will be hidden from an- 
 other. They may screen fences, laundry yards, or 
 other objects that should be hidden, but primarily 
 they are planted for their own beauty or perfume. 
 This statement will be sufficiently illustrated by 
 the mere mention of certain common well-known 
 shrubs, such as lilacs, syringas, honeysuckles, and 
 roses. 
 
 When shrubs are used to form a border, or when 
 they stand out only as individuals, the lower limbs 
 should be allowed to remain and spread out over or 
 rest upon the adjacent ground. To trim off these 
 branches and expose the upright stems greatly mars 
 their beauty. It is not expected that grass will grow 
 under well developed healthy shrubs. When shrubs 
 or trees are first set out, the ground underneath should 
 be cultivated or pulverized with a rake or hoe until 
 August or September ; but after one or two seasons of 
 such care, when these plants become well established, 
 no further attention should be needed, especially 
 if the leaves which drop in the fall can be allowed 
 to remain on the ground as a permanent mulch. The 
 
52 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 
PLANTING MATERIALS 53 
 
 lower spreading branches of shrubs help to hold the 
 mulch of leaves and make a graceful border for the 
 lawn. Any one who appreciates the beauty of this 
 border will not allow these lower branches to be 
 cut, and he will consider the digging of a ditch about 
 a group of shrubs an unpardonable sin. 
 
 The value of shrubs in a landscape will be appre- 
 ciated if one thinks of the edge of woods (Fig. 9) 
 along an open field where the trunks of the trees 
 are for the most part hidden with a natural growth 
 of viburnums, dogwoods, hazels and elderberries, 
 with groups of wild roses tucked in here and 
 there, or when one looks at two buildings (Figs. 10 
 and 11) rising from open areas, one perfectly bare 
 and the other partially hidden with a growth of 
 shrubs, vines and flowers. 
 
 VINES 
 
 Vines are climbing plants, some woody, some 
 herbaceous. They climb by tendrils like the grape, 
 by rootlets like the poison ivy, or by twining like 
 the moonseed. The ends of rootlets are often spread 
 out into sucker-like disks. Vines are beautiful in 
 foliage, — note any well-known species ; in flowers, 
 as climbing roses, morning-glories and honeysuckles ; 
 
l''iG. 10. — Naked and Defenseless. Compare with Fig. ii, siiowing a 
 setting of shrubs. 
 
 
 Fig. II. — Clothed and Protected. Partially hidden with a growth of 
 shrubs, vines and flowers. 
 
 54 
 
PLANTING MATERIALS 55 
 
 and in fruit, as note especially bittersweet. Some 
 are very fragrant when in bloom, for example wild 
 grape and Hall's honeysuckle. Many vines, like 
 the wild grape, grow with great rapidity and often 
 smother the host that gives them support. It is 
 dangerous, therefore, to plant them about shrubs, 
 and caution should be exercised when they are near 
 trees, for a vigorous grapevine will soon reach the 
 top of the tallest growth in a forest. For covering 
 trellises, lattice-work and walls, however, vines are 
 exceedingly useful, and they often form most attrac- 
 tive ground covers. 
 
 HERBACEOUS FLOWERING PLANTS 
 
 Many books have been written about flowers and 
 flower-gardens, but no description can convey an 
 adequate idea of the beauty and perfume of a peony, 
 iris, or lily, to say nothing of the rose. To obtain 
 a knowledge of flowers, one must see them at close 
 hand and know them by smell as well as by sight. 
 They belong in every near-by landscape, where they 
 may enhance the general effect, and also in the gar- 
 den for cut-flowers, and in special gardens for the 
 display of one or more kinds of bloom. There 
 are hardy flowers, from the snowdrops of March 
 
56 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 to the asters and gentians of October or Novem- 
 ber. There are flowers of all colors, and one can 
 devote a lifetime to collecting flowers of one type, 
 as the peonies or the hardy chrysanthemums, 
 or to arranging a succession of harmonious com- 
 binations. 
 
 One can have wall-gardens, water-gardens, wild- 
 gardens, bog-gardens, and gardens of a particular 
 season or of specially selected colors. These are 
 intensely interesting. One can imagine how much 
 interest might be taken in a garden devoted to hya- 
 cinths, to the various kinds of narcissus, to orchids, 
 to peonies, to lupines, to columbines, to irises, to 
 gentians, or to dahlias. These, however, are special 
 interests and can hardly be entered into in detail 
 by one devoting his life to the general practice of 
 landscape-gardening. To do so would be like an 
 architect's decorating the rooms of his buildings and 
 painting the pictures for the walls. 
 
 FERNS 
 
 Ferns can be selected for nearly all positions, dry, 
 moist, sunny, or shady. They are beautiful and in- 
 teresting plants and should find a place in nearly 
 every scheme for the development of ground along 
 
PLANTING MATERIALS 57 
 
 artistic lines. Fortunately, many species are per- 
 fectly hardy even in northern climates. 
 
 MOSSES AND LICHENS 
 
 Mosses and lichens, using these terms with their 
 popular significance, are humble specimens of the 
 vegetable kingdom not usually considered as material 
 for planting. Mosses have, however, been trans- 
 planted successfully to many gardens. They are 
 beautiful and serve a useful purpose as a carpet or 
 as a setting for small fliowering plants. A professor 
 from a New England university said a moss garden 
 in Scotland was the most charming thing he saw 
 during his trip to Europe. Lichens may sometimes 
 be transplanted successfully with the bowlders on 
 which they grow. Since mosses and lichens are 
 sometimes the most attractive plants seen in woods, 
 it ought to be possible to utilize them to advantage 
 in parks and home grounds. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 Arrangement of Planting 
 
 The arrangement of trees, shrubs, and flowers is 
 often of more importance than the plant selected, 
 since it may make little difference whether a linden, 
 a maple, or a tulip tree is chosen to carry the sky- 
 line to the desired height, while the sky-line itself 
 may be of the greatest value. Sometimes a mass 
 of shrubs is needed in a certain place, a mass which 
 might be made satisfactorily of viburnums, dogwoods 
 or hazels, or a combination of these and similar 
 shrubs. The arrangement of plants will be discussed 
 in some detail under the headings of home grounds, 
 thoroughfares, parks, arboretums, cemeteries, and 
 school grounds, but certain general rules or principles 
 may advantageously be mentioned here. 
 
 Hills may be emphasized or accented by planting 
 tall-growing trees at the top, medium-sized trees 
 on the sides, and low ground-covering material at 
 the bottom. This is so evident that it requires no 
 
 s8 
 
ARRANGEMENT OF PLANTING 59 
 
 discussion, but, like many other well-known rules, is 
 often neglected, so that a ravine or valley becomes 
 filled with trees which are nearly level on top and 
 thus loses its value in a landscape. 
 
 In like manner, the broader-growing trees and 
 shrubs should be planted at the projections forming 
 the boundaries of bays of foliage, and relatively 
 narrow specimens In the deeper portions so that the 
 bays will not be filled up with years of growth and 
 thus lose their significance. 
 
 Excepting in the limited narrow strips for plant- 
 ing along the sides of roads and walks, the borders 
 of gardens, and other Inclosures and orchards need- 
 ing continued cultivation, trees and shrubs should 
 not be planted In rows. This rule may call for some 
 discussion. It will be acknowledged readily that 
 woods have a great charm for nearly every one who 
 has the privilege of visiting them. What gives this 
 charm ^ The wonderful variety for one thing, but 
 that Is not all ; the beauty of the individual leaves 
 and flowers, but this does not fully account for it. 
 
 The great size of the trees, the manner of branch- 
 ing, the bark, and the varying distances that one can 
 see Into the depths of the woods contribute to their 
 charm, and yet something more is needed in expla- 
 
6o LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 nation. This is the fact that no three or more plants 
 are in line. Each individual tree or shrub seems 
 to have selected its neighbors. Two may apparently 
 be talking together or enjoying each other's com- 
 panionship in one place, three in another, and then 
 there may be a whole town meeting of trees or bushes. 
 Perhaps a thousand pawpaws may be gathered to- 
 gether in one locality, a group of elderberries in an- 
 other, a grove of beeches in another, and choke- 
 cherries and sheep-berries in still another. One 
 old patriarch of a tree appears to have gathered his 
 children about him. This lack of regularity pro- 
 duces an air of freedom that is delightful. The truth 
 of the above statement may be shown by an example. 
 Some Americans were approaching a forest on one 
 of the great estates of England. They remarked 
 with enthusiasm before reaching it, "That looks 
 like real American woods." On passing through 
 the outer fringe of foliage, however, and finding that 
 the forest trees stood in rows like an apple orchard, 
 they were disappointed. To be sure, the fact that 
 forest trees, mostly beeches, had been planted and 
 had grown to be three or four feet in diameter was 
 very interesting, but the anticipated charm of the 
 woods as such was gone. It is certainly legitimate 
 
ARRANGEMENT OF PLANTING 6i 
 
 for a landscape-gardener to attempt to produce this 
 charm. He cannot succeed as well as nature, but 
 he can sometimes come very near to doing so, and 
 may really succeed in certain details. The artist's 
 saying, "It is the perfection of art to conceal art," 
 is applicable to landscape-gardening and is certainly 
 true. When rows and circles are discovered, art 
 Is not concealed. 
 
 What has been said in regard to rows for trees 
 and shrubs is equally applicable to herbaceous 
 plants. One should study a hillside or a rocky 
 ledge covered with columbines, a marsh dotted 
 with lady-slippers, a sandy ridge covered with 
 lupines and puccoons, the carpet of anemones 
 under a thorn-apple ; there are no rows In any of 
 these examples, yet where is the artificial flower-bed 
 that can compare with them in beauty of arrange- 
 ment ? 
 
 Although this rule not to plant in rows seems so 
 simple, it Is one of the most difficult to carry out. If 
 told to the man setting out trees or other plants, 
 nine times out of ten he will fail to observe It. He 
 will try, but his trees will be In zigzags (Fig. 12). 
 The lines are there just the same, only one line 
 has been moved half a space forward. It seems 
 
62 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 absolutely Impossible for some planters to escape 
 straight lines. To test for rows, one should look 
 at a plantation from every direction. Rows make 
 a composition look stiff and artificial. They are 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 • 
 
 1 
 ^ 
 
 "-/■»..» «. , 
 
 "^ 
 
 Fig. 12. — The Planting of Borders. Upper sketch shows irregular 
 arrangement of trees and shrubs in border. Lower sketch explains an 
 attempt at irregular planting which results in two rows. Page 6i. 
 
 at times admirable, as in a body of soldiers, but 
 they do not belong, or at least they should not 
 take a dominant part, in the productions of those 
 fine arts which have for their chief charm grace- 
 fulness and freedom. Arrangement does not depend 
 
ARRANGEMENT OF PLANTING 
 
 63 
 
 altogether on things that are planted. Often it de- 
 pends on things taken out. 
 
 "Plant thick and thin quick" is a good rule, since 
 it gives a good appearance from the beginning and 
 an opportunity for 
 preserving the 
 strongest individ- 
 ual plants. The 
 thinning, however, 
 may not be con- 
 fined to things 
 that have been 
 set out. Where 
 native woods exist, 
 the landscape-gar- 
 dener will surely ^"^' ^^'' — ^^^ Irregularity of Nature. 
 
 Usually dead trees should be removed, but 
 take advantage of occasionally one is so picturesque that it 
 
 should be retained. An old red cedar. 
 
 them in making 
 
 his plans, and he will do the same with any existing 
 trees or other growth standing in the open or ex- 
 tending along fences or old buildings (Fig. 13). 
 
 While nature is the best teacher and does some 
 things incomparably well, she does not always pro- 
 duce the most artistic eflfect, at least from man's 
 point of view. She will close the edge of a wood so 
 
 
 
 
 
 B^Q^rX^ 
 
 '■■^^ 
 
 
 ■^^^^ 
 
 s 
 
 •K, 
 
 
 
 m 
 
 
 
 
 " ■ 
 
64 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 tight with foliage that the eye cannot penetrate be- 
 yond the outer covering. She will soon grow a 
 thicket that will hide the most magnificent view. 
 She will grow a vine that will smother the most 
 rare and valuable tree. In such cases, the judicious 
 use of the ax will greatly help nature's own arrange- 
 ment. Usually the poorer of two or more trees can 
 be selected for cutting, but sometimes one's con- 
 science will require the removal of a really fine tree. 
 Usually a landscape-gardener is making pictures, 
 not a collection of fine specimens, or a museum, but 
 this will not preclude using the very best of trees 
 when they are in the right places. Indeed a design 
 may often be changed from that originally in mind 
 to insure that an existing tree, bush, or group shall 
 be in the proper place. 
 
 A view may be made to appear long by placing 
 at its farther end plants having light-colored foliage, 
 like that of the royal willow or the so-called Russian 
 olive, and placing near at hand plants with darker 
 leaves. This is only using the same device employed 
 by painters, engravers, and by nature herself. Look 
 at any photograph of scenery and note that the 
 distant parts are indicated by lighter tones. This 
 lighter tone of far-away objects is due largely to 
 
ARRANGEMENT OF PLANTING 65 
 
 particles in the air. These particles reflect light, and 
 the farther away an object is, the more particles 
 intervene so that more light comes from the air and 
 less from the given object. When air is very clear, 
 as in certain mountainous regions, far-away things 
 seem near at hand. On the other hand, fog makes 
 objects look farther away. Fog often gives delight- 
 ful effects by separating groups at various distances 
 from the observer. It places light curtains behind 
 near-by trees, thus bringing out their details of 
 branch and leaf, and it hides the distance, producing 
 a feeling of mystery like woods. This fact might 
 be borne in mind in working out a plan ; for the 
 planting should be so designed as to be attractive in 
 all kinds of weather. The arrangement of the plant- 
 ing and the selection of the material to be used should 
 also be with reference to the seasons of the year and 
 the hours of the day. The most telling effects may 
 be desired in spring, summer, autumn, or even in 
 winter. 
 
 Planting should be arranged with plenty of open 
 space so that the plants may be seen and so 
 they may be developed naturally and healthfully. 
 The sky-line and the various outlines below it should 
 be studied carefully and plants which harmonize 
 
66 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 should be grouped near each other. Usually a group 
 should be made up of plants which come into leaf at 
 the same time in the spring, as a shrub when growth 
 starts late may look dead in comparison with early 
 shrubs and one might feel tempted to cut it out. 
 
 One who aspires to arrange the planting for a 
 tract of land wisely should study the plan carefully 
 on the ground itself. He may find certain unattrac- 
 tive objects to be planted out, like barns, ugly build- 
 ings, railway yards, and scars caused by cuts in 
 hillsides or by white retaining walls. On the other 
 hand, he may observe that by cutting away some 
 growth, a lovely valley may be opened to view, or 
 a bit of the sea, a river, a distant village, or other 
 objects of real interest will suddenly appear. When 
 this is the case, the owner of a small tract may really 
 own all the land he can see in the sense that the 
 pleasure of looking at it cannot be taken away from 
 him. 
 
 To arrange plants properly one must know them, 
 know how they look, how large they will grow, when 
 they leaf out in the spring and drop their leaves 
 in the fall, the colors they put on at various times, 
 the date of blossoming and fruiting, and all. the facts 
 that have a bearing on their appearance. He must 
 
ARRANGEMENT OF PLANTING dy 
 
 know the soil each species likes to grow in and the 
 slope most favorable to its growth. Arrangement 
 is the very essence of landscape-gardening and may 
 fill a lifetime with observation and study and also 
 with pleasure. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 How TO Plant 
 
 One may plant seeds, seedlings or cuttings, nursery 
 stock of the usual sizes, or large trees with balls of 
 earth about their roots weighing in some cases 
 many tons. Doubtless the reader knows how to 
 plant seeds : drop a seed, cover it with a little earth, 
 sometimes very little, step on it and the planting is 
 done. Few, however, would think of planting seeds 
 to secure a grove of trees, not realizing how fast 
 trees really grow ; and yet there are oaks in the 
 Arnold Arboretum at Boston so large that a man 
 six feet tall can barely reach around the trunk of 
 one of them at the height of his arms and these oaks 
 were raised from acorns planted by Jackson Daw- 
 son within the memory of persons who are now of 
 middle age. But to attempt to raise a forest, a 
 grove, or even a group of trees near one's house from 
 seeds would be a wasteful process from man's view- 
 point (although not from that of squirrels, chip- 
 
 68 
 
HOW TO PLANT 69 
 
 munks, mice, and blue-jays that would eat the seeds) 
 because of the uncertainty of the result. 
 
 Seedling trees are raised in a nursery where they 
 can be protected and cultivated. It is often wise to 
 plant these seedlings in permanent plantings, although 
 it might be difficult to convince the man who wished 
 to "see a tree during his lifetime" of the truth of 
 this statement. A few facts in this, connection may 
 be of value. Small evergreens planted after a man 
 was fifty years old have grown to be seventy feet 
 high while he could still see them, that is during 
 a period of about thirty years. Willows, cotton- 
 woods, and soft maples have grown to three feet in 
 diameter in periods ranging from thirty to forty 
 years. Elms under favorable conditions will grow 
 from one-half to three-fourths of an inch in diameter 
 and several feet in height each year. Even oaks 
 grow with considerable rapidity. Seedlings cost 
 very little, often less than one cent apiece, and they 
 will grow into trees worth dollars in a very few years. 
 
 Seedlings can be planted by sticking a spade 
 into the ground to make an opening, placing the 
 root in this opening, and then sticking the spade 
 in the ground again and pressing the earth against 
 the roots of the young plant. It may be well to 
 
JO LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 carry the young seedlings with the roots immersed 
 in a pail of water, and it is advantageous to have two 
 persons work together in planting, one to use the 
 spade and the other to carry the plants and place 
 them in the earth. Sometimes it is best to cut the 
 stems of the seedlings just above the second or third 
 bud from the ground. The advisability of doing 
 this, however, would depend on the kind of tree. 
 
 Young trees as well as old deserve admiration, 
 and there is always pleasure in watching a grove 
 develop. 
 
 PLANTING MEDIUM-SIZED TREES 
 
 Trees of nursery size, ranging from one-half inch 
 to three or four inches in diameter, will of course 
 usually be planted. Such trees can be dug with a 
 good supply of roots and should grow, directly from 
 the time they are planted, into sturdy specimens. 
 
 In planting a tree, a hole should be made somewhat 
 wider than the spread of its roots and a little deeper 
 than these roots extended below the surface of the 
 ground in the nursery. Some of the soil will then 
 be put back into the hole in a finely pulverized con- 
 dition, and the roots placed upon this refilled earth 
 at a height with regard to the ground's surface a 
 
HOW TO PLANT 71 
 
 little above that which it had before being moved. 
 The roots will be spread out in a natural position 
 and finely pulverized earth sprinkled in among 
 them, the tree being given a gentle shaking as the 
 earth is filled back, so that all the intervals between 
 the roots will be well filled. When the filling is 
 complete, the earth should be packed by treading 
 around the newly planted tree. One reason for 
 placing the tree a little above its nursery height is 
 that the ground in its new position will settle, caus- 
 ing the tree also to settle, and when the tree is firmly 
 established and the ground about it compacted by 
 the settlement due to rains, frosts, and the passing 
 of the seasons, it should stand in the position it would 
 have occupied if grown from seed on the spot. No 
 mistake is more frequently made than that of plant- 
 ing trees too deep. Sometimes trees that have 
 died are found to be planted in a hole like a post with 
 the crown of the roots a foot or more below the sur- 
 face. Such trees are really smothered and have 
 little chance for life. 
 
 Just before planting, the roots and branches of a 
 deciduous tree should be trimmed ; the roots being 
 cut back to where they are fresh and full of life and 
 the branches trimmed to reduce the number of buds 
 
72 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 in proportion to the loss suffered by the roots. Large 
 branches ought not to be cut. Usually it is best to 
 confine the trimming to a part of the last year's 
 growth, so that the buds which start will be less than 
 a year old. It is sometimes best to lean a tree slightly 
 in the direction from which the prevailing winds 
 come. The soil in which a tree is planted should be 
 clean and the air which it contains should be sweet 
 and pure. The earth should, of course, contain 
 sufficient plant-food for the tree, but fresh manure, 
 street sweepings, and decaying matter of any kind 
 should be kept from contact with the roots. Leaky 
 gas mains are fatal to any plant. 
 
 PLANTING LARGE TREES 
 
 Large trees should be planted only when there is 
 some decided advantage in the immediate effect 
 which they will produce. There are many places, 
 however, where this advantage will exist. A new 
 building may be given an appearance of dignity and 
 age by the planting of a large tree, a tree one or 
 two feet in diameter or sometimes even larger. The 
 effect of a view in a park or a vista extending away 
 from a house may justify the use of some large trees, 
 which frame the picture that is to be developed. The 
 
HOW TO PLANT 73 
 
 planting of large trees or large bushes and vines is 
 almost a business by itself. Various wagons have 
 been devised for this work. 
 
 The important points to observe in large-tree 
 planting are : First, to obtain the largest possible 
 supply of roots. 
 
 Second, if the tree is trimmed at all only small 
 branches should be cut, those not larger than the 
 size of a pencil, usually a part only of the past year's 
 growth. If larger branches are cut, they should be 
 those in the interior of the tree which are unimpor- 
 tant and will not affect the general outline. When 
 two branches cross or rub against each other, one 
 of them should be removed. Any large branch 
 which is removed should be cut close to the trunk 
 or larger branch from which it springs. 
 
 Third, one should see that the tree is planted high, 
 much higher with reference to the surface than it 
 stood before being moved. This is important not 
 only for its healthy growth but also for its appear- 
 ance. If one looks at the trees which have grown 
 naturally in woods or in open fields, it will be seen 
 how the earth rises gently toward the trunk. This 
 comes about with the enlargement of the roots, which 
 raise the earth. A tree which meets the earth with 
 
74 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 spreading buttresses is far better in appearance 
 than one which stands like a post. When the drain- 
 age is away from the trunk, the water from rains 
 and snow settles in the ground where the fine roots 
 are feeding and where the moisture will do the most 
 good. 
 
 Fourth, to plant a tree is expensive. To pre- 
 vent the waste of this expense, the tree must live 
 and to insure its life it should receive care. The 
 transplanting of a large tree is like a major operation 
 at a hospital, where the patient must remain under 
 observation and skillful treatment for some time 
 after he is operated on. Necessarily, in transplant- 
 ing big trees, large portions of the roots will be cut 
 off, the fine feeding roots that are far from the trunks 
 — the roots which absorb moisture and furnish the 
 tree its life-giving sap. This supply of moisture of 
 which the tree has been deprived must be replaced 
 by artificial watering with a copious supply of water 
 so that it will penetrate the ground to the lowest 
 roots, not the watering which comes from a sprinkler, 
 which only penetrates a fraction of an inch. To 
 make sure that the water thus supplied reaches its 
 proper destination, pockets or basins should be made 
 in the surface of the ground above the roots to be 
 
HOW TO PLANT 75 
 
 fed. When a newly planted tree stands on level 
 ground, such a basin will be circular in form, the 
 deepest part of the basin being the circumference 
 of a circle just over the outer ends of the roots, the 
 ground about the tree forming a low, flat cone 
 within this circle. When the tree stands on a 
 hillside, the pockets must be so arranged as to 
 retain some water for the roots on the upper side of 
 the trunk. 
 
 Fifth, a large tree should be anchored against 
 strong winds. Usually the ball of earth about the 
 roots should be heavy enough to prevent the tree's 
 overthrow, but as a precaution against unusual winds 
 or tornadoes strong wires or cables should hold the 
 tree in place by being attached to iron bolts or eyes 
 screwed into the trunk high above the ground and 
 anchored to heavy posts or other stable objects. 
 Sometimes anchors like those employed by telegraph 
 or telephone companies may be used. In this con- 
 nection, planters should be cautioned against putting 
 wires around the trunks of trees. Even when the 
 bark is protected by strips of wood or rubber hose, 
 damage is liable to result to the tree from an attempt 
 to hold it in this manner (Fig. 14). 
 
 Sixth, when the newly planted tree is well es- 
 
76 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 tablished, the ridges that have formed the basins 
 for irrigation should be removed and also the wires 
 or cables that have been holding the tree in place. 
 
 It is not necessary always 
 to remove the bolts, as these 
 will do no harm in the in- 
 terior of the trunk. The 
 growth of the tree will soon 
 reach beyond the bolts. The 
 surface of the ground about 
 the tree where the ridges 
 have been removed should 
 be brought to a natural 
 grade and then clothed with 
 grass or other suitable ground- 
 FiG. 14. -Guying Trees, covering. The change to a 
 
 "A" shows best method. 1 r i_ J 
 
 «B" and "C" are objection- natural surfacc may be made 
 ^^'^" gradually so that the tree 
 
 may by slow degrees become accustomed to its 
 
 new conditions. 
 
 PLANTING BUSHES AND HERBACEOUS SUBJECTS 
 
 The remarks with regard to the moving of large 
 trees are applicable also to the moving of large bushes 
 and vines. The transplanting of all plants of woody 
 
HOW TO PLANT yy 
 
 growth should be during the dormant period, that 
 is, when the leaves have fallen, in temperate climates 
 usually from the beginning or middle of October until 
 the following April or May. The expense of moving 
 plants with frozen balls is, of course, much greater 
 than when the ground is unfrozen, but occasionally 
 this extra expense is justified. 
 
 Evergreens which grow in sand are more likely to 
 succeed if transplanted with a frozen ball, but de- 
 ciduous trees even of the largest size are successfully 
 transplanted in fall or spring. The relative advan- 
 tages of fall and spring planting vary in different 
 localities. In some places, fall planting seems to 
 succeed better than spring, even with such tender 
 plants as Hall's honeysuckle ; while in severe climates 
 certain roses and other shrubs not altogether hardy 
 should only be planted out in spring. Herbaceous 
 plants should also be transplanted during their dor- 
 mant period, but with them this period varies from 
 June through July and August and around the year 
 until March, April, or even May. The early spring 
 flowers which utilize the sunshine of March, April 
 and May before this sunshine is cut off by the leaves 
 of trees and shrubs, often ripen by June or July and 
 remain dormant until the following spring. These 
 
78 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 include blood-roots, trilliums, adder' s-tongue and 
 others which can be planted from July until the 
 end of the season. Other plants which occupy open 
 spaces and bloom later ripen and become dormant 
 at various dates until the ground freezes. 
 
 CARE OF PLANT MATERIALS 
 
 Valuable directions for the preparation and treat- 
 ment of the soil and the care which different plants 
 require are usually given in nursery and seed cata- 
 logues, but some additional suggestions may be 
 given here. 
 
 When one goes to unpastured woods or looks at 
 the native growth along roadsides or old rail fences 
 or stone walls, he sees plants that have no care and 
 are generally healthy and vigorous. This condition 
 should prevail and often does exist in tree and shrub- 
 bery borders. Groups of lilacs may easily be found 
 which have received no attention for thirty or forty 
 years, and they are vigorous and each year have good- 
 sized leaves and an abundance of flowers (Fig. 15). 
 This is true also of many honeysuckles, syringas, 
 viburnums, and other shrubs, and is the ideal con- 
 dition ; but when trees and shrubs are first planted 
 they need care until they become well established. 
 
HOW TO PLANT 
 
 79 
 
80 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 The best care which can be given is to keep the soil 
 well cultivated like that of a newly planted corn- 
 field, or a well tilled orchard. With such care, young 
 nursery stock will rarely require watering. If for 
 any reason this cultivation cannot be given, a thor- 
 ough mulching would come next in value. Culti- 
 vating and mulching are primarily for the purpose 
 of keeping the soil beneath moist, and incidentally to 
 kill the weeds which would rob the newly planted 
 shrubs of food and water. 
 
 After trees and shrubs are well established, trim- 
 ming is likely to disfigure them. The lower branches 
 of shrubs are really the most important. They 
 spread out over the ground, upon which they often 
 rest. They help to hold the mulching of leaves 
 which should cover the ground underneath them. 
 To trim the outer branches, allowing only the central 
 stems to remain, gives a shrub an unattractive ap- 
 pearance, making it look "stemmy." It is also bad 
 for the health of the shrub, since It allows the wind 
 to blow away the mulching and dry out the ground. 
 Trees growing in the open seldom need any trimming 
 to improve their outlines or appearance. Dead 
 branches should be removed and trees should be 
 trimmed for convenience. If they border a drive. 
 
HOW TO PLANT 8i 
 
 the lower branches must not interfere with auto- 
 mobiles or other vehicles. If their branches spread 
 over a walk, they should be out of the way of um- 
 brellas, but a tree out upon a lawn, placed there 
 primarily as a thing of beauty, should be allowed to 
 grow in its own way, with its lower branches touching 
 the ground if it is its nature to do so. 
 
 A very common mistake is to "top" a tree. To 
 cut off all of the upper part of the tree not only dis- 
 figures it but often leads to its death. Thousands 
 of maples, cottonwoods and other trees have been 
 killed by this treatment because decay has set in 
 where the trunks have been cut and gradually ex- 
 tended to the bottom of the tree. The trunk has 
 thus been weakened, so that it has been easily broken 
 and destroyed by storms. 
 
 Another exasperating treatment when it is neces- 
 sary to remove trees is to girdle them and allow them 
 to stand dead and naked for an indefinite period. 
 Such trees excite pity for the tree and indignation 
 for the girdler. 
 
 With thrifty plants and good preparation of the 
 soil, the cultivation which has been recommended 
 for new plantations will be unnecessary after one 
 or two years. In orchards in which large fruit is 
 
82 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 desired and In which a tree is forced to do its utmost, 
 thorough cultivation may be required year after year, 
 but with other trees and shrubs which are for orna- 
 ment continual cultivation and spading of the ground 
 defeats the object in planting them. Spading and 
 forking up the ground breaks many of the roots, 
 requires much labor, and the result is not beautiful. 
 A mulching of leaves is not offensive even in winter 
 when stems are bare, and the decay of this mulch 
 will usually produce sufficient plant-food. Even 
 when additional food is required, there are ways of 
 administering it without disfiguring the surface of 
 the land. 
 
 The roots of nearly all woody plants extend very 
 deep, frequently to permanent moisture. When 
 one looks at a hillside w^hich is brown from dry wea- 
 ther, the trees, bushes and vines are usually green 
 and fresh looking. Occasionally, however, the trees 
 even in a natural forest suffer from drought. When 
 trees in home grounds, parks or other planted areas 
 suffer from an unusual or protracted drought, water- 
 ing may be necessary. In such cases, sprinkling 
 will not answer the purpose. A thorough soaking 
 of the ground down to the lowest roots is needed. 
 After such a watering, a week or ten days should 
 
HOW TO PLANT 83 
 
 elapse before another is given. Large trees and 
 bushes that are newly planted must have thor- 
 ough watering if they are to flourish. Such water- 
 ing, however, should not extend late in the season. 
 Woody plants should not be made to grow in tem- 
 perate climates after the first of September. The 
 wood must be given a chance to ripen in order to 
 go through the winter without harm. Peach orchards 
 have sometimes been killed by cultivation which 
 produced a late growth. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 Water 
 
 The land thus far considered in connection with 
 planting and the development of landscape has 
 been the ordinary well-drained land that is suscep- 
 tible of cultivation. When there is an excess of 
 water, various conditions may develop which will 
 require special treatment. 
 
 MARSHES 
 
 When land is level or spongy, water may be re- 
 tained, producing a swampy condition. Swamps 
 are not unfrequently found at watersheds, so that 
 water may flow from a swamp in two or more direc- 
 tions. Swamps in such locations are very useful in 
 retaining water for supplying springs issuing from 
 hillsides below and for keeping up a continuous 
 flow in streams. Swamps are not only useful in 
 this way, but they are often beautiful features in a 
 landscape. They insure open space, across which 
 
 84 
 
WATER 85 
 
 one often sees a beautiful fringe of foliage. In the 
 swamp itself many beautiful plants are likely to 
 find a congenial home, among these being iris, cat- 
 tails, many kinds of sedges, arrowleaf, cardinal 
 flowers, marsh marigolds, pitcher-plants, sundews, 
 swamp honeysuckle, ferns, astilbes, clethra,. Joe- 
 Pye weed and other eupatoriums, various grasses, 
 and sometimes such showy plants as lady's-slippers 
 and other orchids. 
 
 Marshes are often especially beautiful in autumn 
 when their abundant vegetation and the leaves of 
 surrounding trees and bushes are rich in color. 
 There Is hardly any better place than the edge of 
 a marsh for the study of marginal planting. Here 
 one sees Interesting bays, delightful grading of ver- 
 dure from the sedges to swamp roses, winterberries, 
 poison sumacs, larches, red maples and giant oaks. 
 A marsh is indeed often a second stage of a lake and 
 sometimes conceals a lake underneath, when it is 
 known as a quaking bog. To a landscape-gardener, 
 the value of marshes, as of all other natural landscape 
 features, lies in the hints and the suggestions they 
 give for the treatment of similar situations. 
 
 If there Is a piece of wet land on the area to be 
 studied and planned, there are three obvious treat- 
 
86 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 ments to be considered. The wet land can be ex- 
 cavated, thus forming a lake, or it can be filled up, 
 forming ordinary ground, or it can be retained as 
 a marsh and developed by introducing the beauti- 
 ful plants found growing in such situations. It 
 would naturally be suitable for a bog-garden which 
 can be made a beautiful part of a landscape. 
 
 SPRINGS 
 
 The waters from rains and melting snow which 
 enter the ground at relatively high levels may 
 descend until some impervious stratum is reached, 
 and then flow out as springs where the impervious 
 stratum meets a ravine, a valley, or the bank of a 
 stream. Springs vary in size from a tiny trickling 
 rlU that will merely moisten the earth to a large 
 river which issues from its source in such volume 
 as to be navigable from its beginning ; but whatever 
 Its size, a spring may be an interesting feature in a 
 landscape. The smallest one may moisten the earth 
 enough for marsh marigolds, forget-me-nots and iris, 
 those somewhat larger may spread out Into clear 
 pools, reflecting jewel-weeds and gentians, or may 
 tumble over bowlders and make cheerful sounds. A 
 spring is an acquisition to be prized. Its treatment 
 
WATER 87 
 
 calls for some skill. It should either appear as na- 
 ture's own production, as though man had done 
 nothing to it, or, if some visible work of man's is 
 necessary, this should seem to serve the spring and 
 be subordinate to it. Springs that have sufficient 
 fall and volume may be valuable as sources of water 
 supply, either through gravity when at a sufficiently 
 high elevation, or when lower by means of hydraulic 
 rams or other pumping devices. 
 
 Some shade goes well with a spring, the two to- 
 gether producing a grateful effect of coolness on a 
 hot summer day. Overhanging lindens, birches, hem- 
 locks, alders, red maples and red-branched dogwoods 
 seem appropriate for producing shade, but any tree 
 or shrub leaning out from a bank immediately above 
 a spring makes an eifect which an artist would like 
 to sketch. A spring may give individuality to a 
 home, a park, a city square, a country road or a city 
 street. 
 
 When the water supply is artificial and the water 
 is forced from manifestly artificial forms, the spring 
 becomes a fountain. Fountains of many different 
 forms have been used from time immemorial and 
 often make delightful features of buildings and ter- 
 races. The beauty of a spring, however, would seem 
 
88 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 to justify its introduction into scenery even when 
 the water must be supplied by some prosaic pump. 
 The pump, however, should be located in the city 
 waterworks or some distant building or hidden 
 underground, and the water come from an unseen 
 source and be given the appearance of a natural 
 flow. 
 
 STREAMS 
 
 The water from springs unites with surface water 
 from rains and snow to form at first small streams, 
 which in turn unite to form larger ones, and these 
 again unite to form rivers. Small streams, known 
 as rivulets, brooks, creeks, and runs, are very inter- 
 esting features when they exist as nature made them. 
 They are not only interesting in a landscape, but 
 they frequently have waterfalls and rapids that make 
 sounds pleasing to the ear. When first discovered, 
 they are supplied with clear water as a rule and are 
 bordered with vegetation which includes mosses, 
 liverworts, many kinds of herbaceous plants, vines, 
 and overhanging bushes. Sometimes they spread 
 out to form placid pools, and again they are crowded 
 in narrow gorges through which they rush with great 
 energy. Such clear limpid streams usually are found 
 in the country, seldom in a village or a city, but they 
 
WATER 89 
 
 might be kept clear, sparkling, and most attractive 
 even in a thickly settled community. 
 
 Cities support large parks for the recreation and 
 pleasure of their inhabitants. They have costly 
 parkways or boulevards. Why should they not 
 also have delightful walks ^ Walking is said to be 
 the most healthful of exercises. It is certainly the 
 least expensive, and the border of a small stream ex- 
 tending through a parkway would be a most inter- 
 esting place for a walk. The bordering vegetation 
 might be retained. The parkway might fit the topog- 
 raphy, being narrow where the land on either side 
 was useful for buildings or home grounds, and wider 
 where the stream ran through a ravine or a valley 
 unfitted without great expense for buildings or homes. 
 In many cases, such a parkway might be accessible 
 only by means of the path just proposed. In other 
 cases, when width and direction warranted, a drive 
 might be made in addition to the path. Speaking 
 from a practical standpoint, a development of this 
 kind might add many dollars to the value of real 
 estate on either side, instead of depreciating these 
 values by having the banks of the stream serve as a 
 dumping place for ashes, tin cans and other refuse. 
 
 The writer can recall streams, usually known by 
 
90 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 such names as "Cold Brook," and "Silver Creek," 
 which once were as beautiful as nature could 
 make. They were in the country near a growing 
 city. Gradually the native growth along their 
 borders was all destroyed. Then the areas of 
 bordering land became pastures and the streams 
 during high water began to wash away the land 
 on either side, so that they grew more and more 
 crooked and the bare earth exposed gave them 
 an unsightly appearance. Then streets were de- 
 veloped near them, and their banks were further 
 disfigured by the dumping of refuse of all kinds. 
 This was often done clandestinely in spite of 
 warning signs, the refuse including not only ashes 
 and tin cans mentioned above, but old bed springs, 
 broken dishes, furniture and dead animals. Finally 
 the streams were replaced with large sewers and so 
 the beauty of the original charming features of the 
 native landscape was lost, save in memory, to the 
 present generation, and lost completely to all fu- 
 ture inhabitants. 
 
 Cities are willing to spend liberally, even medium- 
 sized cities spending hundreds of thousands of dollars 
 and larger cities not hesitating at millions, for the 
 purpose of developing great parks. Such expendi- 
 
WATER 91 
 
 tures are in accordance with good judgment and 
 wise foresight, but the retention of open running 
 streams with all the beauty originally found 
 along -their margins would be just as wise. Walks 
 along the borders of such streams in going to 
 and from one's work would give a daily pleasure 
 (Fig. 16). Seats arranged within sound of a water- 
 fall or commanding a view along a stretch of 
 running water fringed with overhanging willows 
 would make ideal resting places. Occasionally 
 such streams are found within the boundaries of 
 great parks, and although these parks are developed 
 for the production and preservation of beautiful 
 scenery, they contain no features more attractive 
 than these lively brooks. Why not keep such fea- 
 tures (active running streams) in intimate relation 
 with the homes of a great city ^ They require but 
 little land, scarcely more than the parkway along 
 the side of a broad street. If properly treated, the 
 care would be inexpensive and the appreciation thus 
 shown for nature would make a valuable reputation 
 for any community (Fig. 17). 
 
 What has been stated about small streams can 
 be said with even greater force of larger ones. They 
 may have been innocent, harmless and beautiful 
 
92 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 Fig. i6. — The Water in the Landscape. One of the streams as beautiful 
 as nature can make. Small streams when first discovered are supplied 
 with clear water and bordered with vegetation. 
 
WATER 
 
 93 
 
 when the country was new, but with its development, 
 with the cutting away of woods and the denuding 
 of their banks, they become destructive and danger- 
 ous. Often the bottom lands of medium-sized streams 
 become waste land after the destruction of the forest. 
 
 . ' -^ ''-r^ \ \ J'«^. WtG-k ^t;.fl,. /?;.„' "/ r ■> 
 
 ^J^^ 
 
 
 ^^\ 
 
 Fig. 17. — The Utilizing of a Stream. Sketch showing parkway in city 
 following course of brook. 
 
 The freshets gouge out the banks and hillsides con- 
 fining the stream, and distribute the material, sand, 
 gravel, and clay, upon the flooded land, making it use- 
 less for agriculture. The swollen creeks and rivers tear 
 out bridges, causing great loss and inconvenience. 
 The bottom land is really rich in plant-food, and usu- 
 ally has abundant moisture. The valleys are warm 
 
94 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 in summer, so that trees grow to great size. If it 
 was merely a question of dollars, a forest growth 
 covering the bottom lands and steep hillsides along 
 our smaller rivers would have paid well, since the 
 value of the yearly growth would be more than an 
 ordinary farm crop. But one should also con- 
 sider the beauty which such a growth would 
 insure. 
 
 As seen from a balloon or flying machine, the 
 courses of streams would be shown by the irregular 
 growth of forest. As observed from adjoining farms? 
 there would be bays and promontories of foliage, 
 giving pleasing lights and shadows. There would 
 be a beautiful sky-line. 
 
 The bordering growth would show at the extreme 
 height the tops of oaks, tulip trees, elms, maples, 
 ash trees of various kinds, sycamores, beeches, lin- 
 dens, which, in any of the middle states, might reach 
 a height of over one hundred feet and have trunks 
 with diameters ranging from three to five feet. The 
 lower growth would include ironwoods, blue beeches, 
 thorn-apples, crab-apples, red-buds, dogwoods, vi- 
 burnums, hazel bushes, elderberries, roses, wild crabs, 
 Virginia creepers, bittersweet, goldenrod, asters, and 
 other plants, producing a growth so beautiful that 
 
WATER 
 
 95 
 
 it would be the envy of the designers and frequenters 
 of public parks. 
 
 If forest belts of this kind, extending along all the 
 streams, could be public property under the control 
 of an able man, with the help of intelligent and en- 
 thusiastic assistants, it would be a great asset for 
 
 ^^i^^ 
 
 
 ^^^ W 
 
 "?S:-^i2i^ 
 
 
 fe^" 
 
 :£££a£S^^i:3 
 
 Fig. i8. — The Saving of the Waterway. Sketch showing bird's-eye view 
 of wooded growth along borders of a stream. 
 
 a country (Fig. i8). The gain to adjoining farms 
 would be greater than the loss. All neighborhoods 
 would have comparatively near at hand beautiful 
 park-like areas to visit for a holiday. There would 
 be picnic places, swimming holes, canoe courses, fish- 
 ing, and a chance to study wild growth. Such areas 
 
96 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 would be refuges for birds and wild flowers. They 
 would furnish places for studying many things that 
 would add interest to life. They would perpetuate 
 for future generations the many natural charms which 
 have delighted the boys and girls of the past gener- 
 ation, charms which are now lost in many places, 
 but which might be restored with advantage. 
 
 The assistants who would have charge of definite 
 stretches of the river forests just described would be 
 equipped for their work by being especially trained 
 as landscape-gardeners and foresters. The two pro- 
 fessions can well be combined in one for work of this 
 kind. An assistant with this training might have 
 charge of a stretch of many miles of forest border- 
 ing our waterways. He would direct laborers who 
 would grow to love their work. This work would 
 consist in cutting certain trees and shrubs, the re- 
 moval of which would improve the general effect or 
 benefit the better trees and shrubs which remained. 
 The material cut would in many cases produce fire- 
 wood, which would have some value, and at times 
 trees which had reached maturity would be cut for 
 saw logs which would produce good lumber. The 
 small branches and refuse could be burned on adjoin- 
 ing farms, where the ashes would make a good fer- 
 
WATER 97 
 
 tilizer. It is hardly to be expected that such forests 
 would be self-supporting, but they would cost so 
 little that the pleasure they would give would be 
 obtained at a very low price. The forest growth 
 would protect the river banks and hillsides and also 
 the bridges and roads, probably saving each town- 
 ship far more than the cost of maintenance. 
 
 Larger rivers, where they pass through cities, 
 should be bordered with streets. Their banks would 
 then be controlled by the city authorities and might 
 be placed underthe supervision of park commissioners. 
 The buildings fronting such streets would have the 
 advantage of beautiful scenery. Many instances 
 might be given of the added value to real estate com- 
 manding views of attractive landscapes. For office 
 buildings, the better class of shops, and many public 
 buildings, locations on these river streets might be 
 decidedly advantageous. Strangers visiting cities, 
 as well as the inhabitants, often seek the bridges to 
 look up and down the river. The arrangement just 
 described with well planted river banks furnishing 
 a setting for good buildings would be a great improve- 
 ment over what is frequently seen. Too often the 
 banks are entirely denuded of vegetation and strewn 
 with pieces of tin, broken crockery, ashes and cinders 
 
98 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 and other refuse dumped from the rear end of stores, 
 factories and other buildings which face away from 
 the river (Figs. 19 and 20). 
 
 For certain kinds of business, it is true that some 
 concentration of traffic is desirable ; that streets 
 
 Fig. 19. — The Spoiling of the Rivers. Large rivers where they pass 
 through cities should be bordered with streets. Their banks would then 
 be controlled by the city authorities and might be placed under the super- 
 vision of park commissioners. 
 
 should not be too wide ; that one-sided streets are 
 objectionable and that city squares which make such 
 streets really depreciate values. Nevertheless, there 
 is a value in broad open spaces, a value not always 
 appreciated. An occupant of an office takes delight 
 in a view to the country, to the ocean or other large 
 body of water, or to any clear extensive space. 
 
 It is one of the attributes of a river that it preserves 
 an unobstructed stretch of opening. This space 
 should count as one of the assets of a city. How 
 
WATER 99 
 
 can it be made most eflfective ? If a street extends 
 along each side of the river, all the persons using 
 these streets will have long views up and down its 
 course, views whose interest may be enhanced by 
 well-designed bridges or by beautiful buildings with 
 groups of trees, belts of shrubs, vines and herbaceous 
 plants so arranged as to frame in or make a setting 
 
 Fig. 20. — The Violation of Beauty. A large river which passes through 
 the center of a flourishing city with a large population. The refuse- 
 covered bank is typical of many American cities. 
 
 for the objects and spaces one wishes to see. These 
 river streets might extend into the country as river 
 roads and have the advantage of attractive scenery, 
 easy grades and directness. Such locations are fre- 
 quently selected by engineers for railroads, and they 
 would be equally advantageous for pleasure driving 
 and ordinary traffic (Fig. 21). Streets are like 
 rivers in preserving long stretches of open space. 
 When the street spaces are separated from the 
 
lOO 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 Fig. 21. — Utilizing the River-Side. The bank of a river is as suitable for 
 a road as for a railway. 
 
WATER loi 
 
 river space, they add nothing to the effectiveness 
 of the latter. This is the case where buildings 
 intervene. On the other hand, where the street 
 spaces join that of the river, they add materially 
 to its value in the landscape. 
 
 The arrangement recommended need not interfere 
 with using the river as a source of power, since the 
 power can easily be carried on a wire to any suitable 
 place for a factory. The construction of dams, 
 while interfering with the effect of running water, 
 may sometimes substitute for this the reflections of 
 still water and a desirable place for boating. When 
 a dam is placed above a city and the water of the 
 river is carried in a canal to some lower point for the 
 development of power, the normal flow of water 
 through the river channel below the dam is, of course, 
 reduced. Some compensation for this loss of river 
 beauty due to lack of water might be obtained by 
 separating the river-bed into deeper channels and 
 islands, the latter to be planted with low-growing 
 willows or other forms of vegetation that would not 
 be injured by occasional freshets. The river-bed 
 would thus become a kind of water park on which 
 one would look from the bordering streets and from 
 the bridges. If a dam is placed below a city, the 
 
I02 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 river, where crossed by bridges and bordered by 
 streets, becomes like a lake in having comparatively 
 still water which will reflect the arches and the foliage 
 flanking the abutments and covering the earth em- 
 bankments or hanging over the walls that stretch 
 from bridge to bridge. 
 
 In some ways, a dam below a city is preferable 
 to one above. It saves the expense of a canal and 
 the bridges that span it. It allows the bordering 
 streets to lie close to the embankment where they 
 will command the best views. It provides boating 
 close at hand where employees and others could get 
 delightful exercise even during the brief hour or so 
 allowed for luncheon. It would also furnish a place 
 for swimming. Since the level of the water would 
 be reasonably stationary, the effect of the overhanging 
 branches of groups of trees and the bordering foliage 
 of shrubs and vines would be most satisfactory. 
 
 There are, to be sure, waterfalls, sometimes near 
 cities, where scenic value far outweighs that of any 
 power that may be developed. Such value should 
 be preserved, a thing most diflicult to accomplish, 
 because scenic value does not put dollars into the 
 pockets of those who most appreciate it. 
 
 The urgent plea which this book would make is 
 
WATER 103 
 
 for the recognition and preservation of the beauty 
 of all streams both large and small, In the country 
 and In the cities as well. In cities, watercourses 
 and their borders should become a part of the park 
 systems, usually the most Interesting and. useful as 
 well as the least expensive In maintenance. Such 
 recognition of beauty and the preservation of river 
 scenery would show that all men and women do not 
 live for dollars, but that they love beauty, the most 
 satisfactory and all-pervading attribute of this world. 
 The development of water power Is to be com- 
 mended. When a ton of coal Is burned, there Is 
 one ton less In the world's reserve, but when the 
 power of falling water Is utilized, nothing Is taken 
 from the future because the supply of water is con- 
 tinually replenished. When coal Is burned, the at- 
 mosphere Is usually polluted with smoke and the 
 beauty of the scenery injured or destroyed. The 
 development of water power does not affect air, but 
 it does often Injure scenery by flooding and killing 
 trees along the banks of the rivers that are utilized by 
 the construction of dams. The engineer who is skill- 
 ful In the construction of dams and the installation 
 of turbines and generators Is not always appreciative 
 of the beauty of running water and tree-covered 
 
104 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 banks. His work should always be undertaken with 
 the advice and assistance of an able landscape-de- 
 signer. River scenery has real value and should 
 not be destroyed without substituting in its place 
 scenery of equal or greater value. Rivers are not 
 only attractive features in a landscape but they 
 serve for recreation in many ways. Their use as 
 sources of power should not destroy their other 
 possibilities. There are cases in which the recrea- 
 tional value is far greater than any utilitarian one, 
 and the destruction of the former for the sake of the 
 latter is a loss. 
 
 LAKES 
 
 Like rivers, lakes are naturally beautiful. Their 
 shores are so shaped as to withstand the action of 
 water and ice. The vegetation along their margins 
 is generally pleasing when they are first discovered. 
 The outlines given them by nature are nearly always 
 satisfactory. The natural beauty of lakes, however, 
 like that of rivers, is subject to dangers on account 
 of the utilitarian possibilities of these bodies of still 
 water. Perhaps the greatest injury to their general 
 appearance is due to the construction of ice-houses. 
 These are often unnecessarily obtrusive. If they 
 
WATER 105 
 
 were placed some distance back from the water and 
 subordinated in the landscape by planting willows 
 or other suitable trees on each side, they would not 
 be so objectionable. 
 
 The next feature most destructive of lake scen- 
 ery is the construction of boat-houses extending 
 out into the water; and hardly less injurious to 
 the appearance of water margins are the concrete 
 and masonry walls which give a light-colored scar 
 to the otherwise peaceful and quiet margins. The 
 summer cottages also frequently destroy the at- 
 traction which has drawn their owners to lake 
 borders. The most obvious remedy for the un- 
 sightliness caused by the structures mentioned is 
 to place such as are necessary back from the shore. 
 A boat-house set back in a bank or inlet need not 
 be ugly. An ice-house is difficult to manage in a 
 landscape on account of its large size, but much 
 can be done to mitigate its usual ugliness by se- 
 lecting a proper location and subordinating it by 
 planting near it trees that attain great breadth 
 and height. The walls along the shore are usually 
 unnecessary and should be omitted. A summer 
 cottage can be so placed that with proper staining 
 or painting and suitable planting, it will be quite 
 
io6 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 unobtrusive and still allow its occupants to enjoy 
 the most delightful views over the water. When 
 walls along the shore are really necessary, they 
 often can be constructed with bowlders placed ir- 
 regularly upon a slanting surface. When the ac- 
 tion of the waves is so strong as to make the use 
 of cement necessary, this material can frequently 
 be employed so it will not be seen by placing upon 
 it bowlders and gravel and planting shrubs or vines 
 just above it. 
 
 The study of natural lakes will help in the con- 
 struction of artificial lakes and ponds. Natural 
 lakes have been formed by glaciers which gouge 
 out basins and then recede and leave glacial lakes, 
 or by rivers which change their course and leave 
 bodies of water in their former channels, or by the 
 obstruction of streams, or by any hollow land sur- 
 face which catches and holds water. The natural 
 water supply may be springs, streams, or merely 
 rain and melting snow. The features to be studied 
 are the general outlines, the shores and the border 
 growth. A lake becomes interesting when one por- 
 tion is hidden from another. The object which 
 separates the two portions may be a hill, a rise of 
 ground, or a growth of trees and bushes. The 
 
WATER 107 
 
 effect desired may sometimes be obtained even when 
 the water's edge is nearly straight by variation in a 
 marginal growth. A tree or a group of trees may 
 send branches out over the water to a distance of 
 twenty to thirty feet, and next to such a group the 
 ground may be covered merely with small bushes 
 and vines. Thus the bank of a lake which fills 
 an abandoned river-bed and is somewhat canal- 
 like in outline, may become by suitable planting 
 extremely interesting. 
 
 Natural lakes have usually been in existence a 
 long time. Their shores have, therefore, become 
 fixed and the slopes of these shores indicate the shape 
 best adapted to resisting wave action. Rocky 
 banks show the best form for an artificial barrier 
 of this kind. The distribution of bowlders along 
 natural shores should be studied to learn how to 
 make the best use of such material in artificial 
 lakes. 
 
 A border growth of trees and bushes often occurs 
 where banks are steep, showing how to protect 
 hillsides or abrupt banks from being washed away 
 or undermined by water. Cat-tails, pickerel-weed, 
 sedges and other growth along water margins indi- 
 cate the conditions favorable to such growth. One 
 
io8 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 goes to natural lakes to study the treatment of 
 such water, just as one would consult a man of long 
 experience in any given line for information gained 
 by such experience. 
 
 Artificial lakes. — In the development of home 
 grounds, parks and other open spaces, it may be 
 taken for granted that still bodies of water will 
 be introduced when conditions are favorable. The 
 mirror-like surfaces of lakes and ponds give new 
 beauty to their surroundings (Fig. 22). They show 
 the light of the sun and moon and on still nights 
 even that of the stars. They reflect the hills and 
 clouds, the overhanging trees and vine-covered 
 banks. They beautify the landscape and may serve 
 as places for swimming, fishing, boating, and skating. 
 
 When are conditions favorable ? The first req- 
 uisite is a supply of water, and the second a suit- 
 able location. The water may come from springs, 
 streams, or wells. In the latter case, objection 
 may be made to the cost of pumping, but when 
 there is an abundant supply of ground water, the 
 amount spent in securing it to supply a lake will usu- 
 ally give more pleasure than that expended in any 
 other way. Spring water is most satisfactory since 
 it costs nothing and is free from sediment. The 
 
WATER 
 
 109 
 
I lo LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 water from streams may bring large quantities of 
 sediment, especially during storms and thawing 
 weather, and so gradually fill up a lake and 
 cause a muddy appearance. Several remedies 
 for this difficulty may be suggested. A border of 
 perennial vegetation along the route of any stream 
 before it reaches a proposed lake may keep its water 
 clear. (See page 88.) The water of a stream 
 may be diverted during freshets into a channel ex- 
 tending around the lake. When a deposit of sedi- 
 ment cannot be prevented, it can be cleaned out 
 by various methods. It is usually rich in plant- 
 food and might be useful in improving poor land or 
 in preparation for planting trees. For this pur- 
 pose, the deposit can be obtained by using a suc- 
 tion pump, or if the water can be drained off, by 
 hauling the sediment away in carts or cars. If not 
 needed, the sediment can be washed into the stream 
 below by opening a gate in the dam. 
 
 For good appearance and for economy in con- 
 struction, lakes should be located in ravines, val- 
 leys or depressions. One advantage in forming a 
 lake by damming a stream and filling its valley 
 with water is that the shores of such a lake, es- 
 pecially along its sides where the water is confined 
 
WATER III 
 
 by natural slopes of the valley, will usually be 
 satisfactory in outline. The dam will be the diffi- 
 cult part to manage. The site for this should be 
 chosen where the valley is narrow. Ample pro- 
 vision must be made in the overflow for the larg- 
 est freshet that can come. The water in falling 
 over the dam would gouge out any yielding material. 
 A durable cement apron must, therefore, be con- 
 structed with protection at the sides, and this must 
 be carried to a point where the flow of the stream 
 below the dam is comparatively level. It is well 
 to subordinate this cement apron by inserting 
 bowlders while the cement is soft and by making 
 use also of cobblestones, gravel and overhanging 
 bushes. If the overflow can be prolonged into a 
 series of falls and rapids with intervening pools, 
 it will add interest to the lake's outlet and aid in 
 producing a natural effect. No masonry or cement 
 work should rest on filled ground. If the overflow 
 is carried along the side of the valley instead of 
 the center for a short distance it may help in getting 
 a solid foundation, and in giving an interesting vari- 
 ation to the line of the channel. When the valley 
 in which the dam is constructed is broader than the 
 space required for the greatest overflow, a portion 
 
1 1 2 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 of the dam may be an earth embankment which 
 should be carried well above high-water mark. 
 In the center of this embankment a core wall should 
 be constructed — not for strength, but to keep 
 muskrats and other water animals from burrow- 
 ing through. A thin wall will answer the purpose, 
 but it should be carried well into the bank on either 
 side. It need not extend above high water in the 
 lake. If the earth embankment is broadened where 
 it joins the natural bank, and planted in harmony 
 with the growth along the sides of the lake, it will 
 aid in giving a natural appearance. Earth em- 
 bankments, even when built of sand and gravel, 
 may be made water-tight by mixing clay in the 
 stream which they obstruct, the sand filtering out 
 the clay from the water flowing through the em- 
 bankment until all interstices are closed. The 
 bottom of artificial lakes may be made tight by a 
 layer of puddled clay. If a sand or gravel bottom 
 is desired, these materials can be placed on top of 
 this waterproof layer. 
 
 There are advantages and disadvantages in stock- 
 ing a lake with fish. If the water is cold enough, 
 trout and bass would be unobjectionable. Carp, 
 while keeping the water free from certain objec- 
 
WATER 113 
 
 tlonable weeds, usually stir up the bottom so that 
 the water becomes muddy. This is also true of 
 goldfish. Mosquitoes in the larva state (wig- 
 glers) are eaten by fish. A lake which is large enough 
 to be stirred by the wind will be free from wigglers 
 except where the water is kept stationary by cat- 
 tails or other water-loving plants. Mosquitoes are 
 sometimes killed by the application of kerosene 
 or other oils to the surface of the water. A lake 
 has so many attractions that one can afford to take 
 some trouble to keep it free from weeds and mos- 
 quitoes.* 
 
 To insure a lake's appearing at its best, the banks 
 should be low at those points of the shore over 
 which the water is most frequently observed (Fig. 23). 
 Thus, borders nearest a veranda or the windows of a 
 house from which the lake is seen should be low so 
 that the surface of the water will be visible its en- 
 tire length in the line of view. On the other hand, 
 banks which are seen meeting the water each side 
 of a view may be steep and high and covered with 
 a high growth. A list of plants suitable for cov- 
 ering the low borders would include Virginia creepers 
 and other vines, violets, marsh marigolds, certain 
 kinds of iris, grass of Parnassus, bluets, forget- 
 
114 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 me-nots, white clover, ground ivy, and many 
 others. 
 
 The high banks which are glimpsed across the 
 water, but which do not lie between any principal 
 point of view and the lake, offer good opportunities 
 
 '*?'" 
 
 
 
 ■■>•^,\->v■t^;^^ 
 
 
 f/:: 
 
 
 
 '■■^ 
 
 
 m 
 
 \ \ '■■'■, j|i) <[[{i|/.7;.vr^ ^:;P'' / \-"' 
 
 . . , ■3f.:;':!(-'4;.;'5'.-' ,-■■ 
 
 #i- 
 
 c/^l 
 
 B 
 
 
 Fig. 23. — A Landscape Lake. Showing plan and sections of artificial lake 
 and its surroundings. Section yi B shows point of site A. With grade as 
 shown by full line A E F, the entire length of the lake is seen. With 
 grade shown by dotted line A G F, a. large portion of the lake is hidden. 
 
WATER 115 
 
 for attractive groupings of trees and shrubs. On a 
 south bank, a mixture of hemlocks and birches would 
 be pleasing, with a ground covering of yews and ferns 
 in certain places. On the sunny north slopes, 
 if one desired rich autumn coloring, one could not 
 do better than to select sugar maples anywhere 
 in the northern portion of the eastern half of the 
 United States. Other trees noted for their fall 
 coloring, but found in a more restricted area, in- 
 clude sassafras, tulip trees, birches, white ash, sweet 
 gum, flowering dogwood, pepperidge, blue beech, 
 pin cherries, and some of the oaks. The stag- 
 horn sumac, which often grows to the size of a 
 small tree, is rich in color and so are all the other 
 sumacs. The shrubby dogwoods turn purple, red, 
 and yellow. The common hazel is often wonder- 
 ful in color. Other maples help to make Ameri- 
 can autumns glorious, the red maple being es- 
 pecially brilliant in certain portions of New Eng- 
 land, where it is frequently accompanied by the 
 equally brilliant blueberry. All of the above na- 
 tive trees are suitable for planting about artificial 
 lakes when these are extensive enough to provide 
 space along their borders for both openings and 
 woods. 
 
1 16 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 Islands may furnish additional space for plant- 
 ing. When these are introduced, they should be 
 so placed as not to diminish the apparent size of 
 the lake. They would naturally be located rela- 
 tively near one of the shores. They hide a portion 
 of the lake and thus help to make it interesting. 
 They also furnish an excellent opportunity to show 
 marginal planting to advantage. 
 
 When one thinks of New England, certain por- 
 tions of the middle states, and the region traversed 
 by the Alleghany mountains, other plants come to 
 mind which should certainly be mentioned in the 
 abbreviated list given here as suitable for plant- 
 ing about lakes. These are the rhododendrons, 
 azaleas, mountain laurels, sweet pepper bushes, 
 bayberries, andromedas, wild roses and hollies, in- 
 cluding the inkberry and the winterberry. The 
 spring-flowering plants of woody growth would 
 include, besides many of those already mentioned, 
 the juneberry, red-bud, crab-apples and thorn- 
 apples, elderberries, and many others. If there 
 are open areas stretching away from a lake, one 
 can imagine them covered with herbaceous plants 
 which may flower from spring until fall. If the 
 ground in such an area is quite moist, the sequence 
 
WATER 117 
 
 of bloom might include marsh marigolds, iris, marsh- 
 mallows, lilies, various eupatoriums, including Joe- 
 Pye weed, some species of helianthus, ironweed, 
 lobelias, snakeheads, ladies' tresses, gentians, asters, 
 and grass of Parnassus. If the banks of a lake are 
 steep and somewhat gravelly or rocky, columbines, 
 saxifrages, harebells, butterfly-weeds, goldenrods, 
 and some of the asters would be at home. On steep 
 banks that are moist and shady, one would expect 
 to find trilliums, hepaticas, wild ginger, adder- 
 tongues, bloodroots, squirrel-corn, maidenhair ferns, 
 mosses and liverworts. 
 
 If a lake is near a house or in a city square, it 
 would be allowable to plant the more usual forms 
 of cultivated plants about its borders, but when 
 the graceful wild beauty of a natural lake is desired, 
 one would not expect to see such subjects as lilacs 
 and peonies. 
 
 The designing of artificial lakes, embracing, as 
 it should, some knowledge of engineering, a study 
 of outlines, ability in grading and a wide acquaint- 
 ance with plants, requires great skill in the art of 
 landscape-gardening and furnishes a good test of the 
 designer's proficiency. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 Home Grounds 
 
 Thus far, this book has taken up mainly gen- 
 eral principles and a study of those features that 
 might be introduced into any ornamental grounds. 
 It will now discuss the application of those prin- 
 ciples to the development of grounds for special 
 purposes. The devotion of land to home grounds 
 may very properly be considered first, since such 
 grounds are so widely distributed, have existed 
 for such a long time, and are so intimately con- 
 nected with all lives ; for even if a man lives in an 
 apartment building or a hotel, he has friends whose 
 home grounds he enjoys, or he hopes to have 
 grounds of his own sometime. 
 
 When one considers the development of grounds 
 for special purposes, one must first have clearly 
 in mind what these objects are. What purposes 
 are served by home grounds ^ They are often 
 called private grounds, and this indicates one serv- 
 ice they may render. There are many others. 
 
 ii8 
 
HOME GROUNDS 119 
 
 The house gives protection from weather, a place 
 where one may regulate the temperature, read, 
 play, eat, and sleep. Its windows also provide views 
 of the outside world and allow sunshine and air to 
 enter. It is largely through them that the work 
 of the architect is connected with that of the land- 
 scape-gardener. The latter must realize : first, that 
 the persons who live in the house and their guests 
 need sunlight, air, and an attractive outlook when 
 they are in the house; second, that the approach 
 to the house should be easy and natural; third, 
 that impressions of the house and grounds from 
 the usual outside points of view and especially 
 from points along the approach drive or walk should 
 be pleasing; fourth, that a reasonable degree of 
 privacy should be enjoyed in the grounds as well 
 as in and about the house; fifth, that special fea- 
 tures like front lawns, flower-gardens, swimming- 
 pools, vegetable-gardens, service yards, bird baths, 
 summer-houses, seats, garages, stables and chicken- 
 houses should be so placed as to be arranged con- 
 veniently with regard to each other and the pur- 
 poses they are to serve and also appear well in the 
 landscape or general composition of the home. 
 
 In making a home, the first proceeding after 
 
1 20 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 choosing a lot is to select a site for the house. Re- 
 membering the value of sunshine in the living-rooms, 
 the house will advisedly be well supplied with win- 
 dows on the east, south, and west sides. It is from 
 these windows that the grounds will be seen, and 
 as these grounds should have an appearance of 
 freedom and seem as extensive as conditions will 
 allow, the house should usually be placed near the 
 north line of the lot. Exceptions to this rule may 
 be made, however, when there is a permanent open 
 space adjoining the south line of the lot like that 
 insured by a river, lake, park, valley or stretch 
 of relatively low land. If the lot itself is low near 
 the north boundary, and high along the south side, 
 or if it has marked variations of level, or commands 
 exceptionally fine views in any direction, these 
 facts may lead to a modification of the rule given 
 above. The site selected should be one that can 
 be well drained, in fact, as well as have the appear- 
 ance of being so. A house placed with reference 
 to the conditions so far stated will usually but not 
 always have the benefit of the most needed breezes 
 (Fig. 24). 
 
 The direction of the prevailing winds should have 
 due consideration. With a small lot, the main 
 
HOME GROUNDS 
 
 121 
 
 jL*g'3"H I, g 
 
 fi. 
 
 
 
 ^■-> 
 
 (^■;;■.c^.;: "I ^ 
 
 ^./"'■'■"'li .(»•'•*> I •1"' 
 
 c/3 
 
 
 u:^,i^y. 
 
 
 Fig. 24. — Plan for Home Grounds. The house is placed at angle with 
 streets, enabling the living-rooms and porch to command best views and 
 receive southwest breeze. Plan shows complete turnaround for automo- 
 biles, part of this turnaround being formed by street pavements. 
 
122 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 lines of the house will preferably parallel the lot 
 boundaries, but with ample room it may be wise to 
 face the house with reference to topography, view, 
 or breeze, instead of placing it with regard to the 
 lines of the lot or street. Protection from the cold 
 north or northwest winds may sometimes be sought 
 and be secured partially by placing the house on a 
 south or southeast slope, or by having a protecting 
 belt of planting. 
 
 In most cases, the site for a house can be easily 
 reached from the highway, and so the choice of 
 its location is made with reference to other con- 
 siderations. Occasionally, however, difficulty or ease 
 of access may have more weight in determining 
 the place for a house than even the view or some of 
 the other factors which have been mentioned. If a 
 drive is required, the house usually should be placed 
 so there will be room for this drive between the 
 house and north lot boundary, or between the 
 house and the nearest boundary. If the drive and 
 the entrance to which it leads can be on the side of 
 the house not devoted to living-rooms and verandas 
 or terraces, the latter will be free from intrusion 
 (Fig. 25). This fact may also have a bearing on the 
 house's location. Finally, existing trees or other 
 
HOME GROUNDS 
 
 123 
 
 growth may influence the location of the house. 
 A great oak that has been growing a hundred years 
 
 
 Fig. 25. — Another Example. Sketch for home grounds in Winnetka, HI. 
 
 may help to make a beautiful picture if it stands 
 in proper relation to the dwelling. It is worth while 
 
1 24 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 to make such a picture by selecting a house loca- 
 tion with reference to such a tree. This would be 
 true if in place of the oak there were any other 
 desirable tree or group of trees, or a group of shrubs 
 that could not easily be moved. 
 
 WALKS AND DRIVES 
 
 The method of reaching a house is the next step 
 after the determination of its site. Three cases 
 will be considered : (a) when only a walk is re- 
 quired ; (b) when a drive answers also for a walk ; 
 (c) when the situation calls for both a walk and 
 a drive. 
 
 (a) Walks should lead in an easy natural way 
 from a point of beginning to a destination. When 
 a walk is an approach to a house, its point of be- 
 ginning is either the place where one leaves the 
 street sidewalk or where one alights from an auto- 
 mobile. The destination will be the entrance door 
 of the house or the steps leading to it. If this door 
 faces the street and the distance is short, the walk 
 may with propriety be straight. If the distance 
 to be traveled is considerable and the lot large, a 
 curved walk will usually fit the situation better, 
 especially if the street approach is mostly from one 
 
HOME GROUNDS 125 
 
 direction. To determine the location of the curved 
 walk, one should think of the lot as being graded 
 and covered with a turf, but without any definite 
 walk. The path that one would then naturally 
 follow in going from office to entrance door would 
 usually indicate the proper location for the perma- 
 nent walk. This location, which would ordinarily 
 be a graceful curve without reverses, might be 
 modified to avoid a tree or cutting into the lawn 
 in a disagreeable way. If the surface of the lot is 
 varied, if there are hills, valleys, or ravines, the 
 walk may wind back and forth to a limited extent 
 to secure an easy grade, but a serpentine line should 
 be used as little as possible. The most satisfactory 
 curve is one in which the rate of curvature con- 
 tinually changes in one direction, that is, from a 
 gentle curve to one more pronounced, or the reverse, 
 instead of being uniform as in a circle. 
 
 The grade of a walk should be easy, preferably 
 not more than one-half inch rise in one foot, al- 
 though it is better to have a rise of one inch In a foot 
 than to provide steps. The use of steps may lead 
 to an uncomfortable jolt, or even a dangerous fall 
 at night unless they are well lighted. Sometimes, 
 however, steps are necessary, and then the rule of 
 
126 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 two risers and one tread equaling twenty-five 
 inches is a good one when the riser is not less than 
 three or four inches. If the grade is just in excess 
 of that permitted for a walk, a riser of four to six 
 inches with a tread requiring three footsteps from 
 one step to the next is allowable, the odd number of 
 footsteps being used to insure the lifting from one 
 tread to the next being done alternately by the 
 muscles of each leg (Fig. 26). 
 
 A width of five feet is suitable for most walks 
 to private houses. A cross-section with a slight 
 crown gives a better appearance than a flat sur- 
 face. The material used may be concrete, bricl^, 
 asphalt, or stone. Concrete is smooth and dur- 
 able, but its light color is objectionable. This, 
 however, may be modified by the introduction of 
 coloring matter or by giving the surface a granular 
 appearance with fine gravel. A brick walk is good 
 in color, and if moss or other fine vegetation grows 
 in the joints, it may be unusually pleasing. 
 
 Before the walk is laid, the ground should be 
 drained. If the land is high on one side and low 
 on the other, surface water from the former should 
 be carried to the latter underneath the walk through 
 a pipe or culvert with a good fall to some outlet. 
 
HOME GROUNDS 
 
 127 
 
 
 Fig. 26. — Showing Steps. A, C, Concrete steps illustrating the rule of 
 2 risers and i tread equaling 25 inches. B, Steps formed by using logs 
 and backing with earth. D, Stone steps. E, Step with long tread. 
 
 which should be ample so that water will not stand 
 in the pipe and freeze. 
 
128 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 A good method of staking a walk is to carry on 
 one arm a bundle of small stakes from one to three 
 feet long and drop these one at a time along the 
 route to be followed, spacing the stakes at uniform 
 distances by pacing. An assistant will drive these 
 stakes where they are dropped but only deep enough 
 to secure them in a vertical position until they are 
 lined to a satisfactory curve. To secure such a 
 curve, one should look along the line of stakes, start- 
 ing at one end, and direct the assistant to move 
 each stake to the right or left until it is in the proper 
 place. The entire line should be gone over in this 
 way from each direction, repeating the lining if 
 necessary, until the curve is satisfactory from any 
 point of view. The uniform spacing of the stakes 
 is advisable. Where a reverse is necessary, the 
 stakes should gradually approach a straight line 
 until the point of reverse is reached and then as 
 gradually leave the straight line, the curve becom- 
 ing more pronounced as one proceeds. While the 
 curve approaches a straight line, it should never 
 reach it ; that is, the curve should be continuous 
 from one end to the other without any "tangents" 
 (Fig. 27). 
 
 Hardly any work is more interesting than stak- 
 
HOME GROUNDS 129 
 
 ing a beautiful line. The line of stakes may be in 
 the center or at one side of the proposed walk, and 
 measurements can be taken from each stake at right 
 angles to the line to determine the location of the 
 "form" at the edge of the walk. The profile or 
 line determining the grade or vertical position of 
 
 B____ C__...._:,^.._-_::_'^^^r^_ 
 
 /A 
 
 Fig. 27. — The Walk. Dots show stakes for center line of road. This curve 
 gradually approaches a straight line at point of reverse C. The continuous 
 curve is better than arcs of circles with straight lines. 
 
 the walk may be fixed in much the same way by 
 driving the stakes to a pleasing vertical curve. 
 Instead of sighting over the tops of the stakes, it 
 is more convenient to have three T's or rods of 
 equal length, say four feet, and sight over the tops 
 of these when they are held vertically resting on 
 the tops of three consecutive stakes. Two as- 
 sistants will be needed to hold these rods, the one 
 
I30 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 at the third stake being directed to drive it until 
 the line over the tops of the rods is satisfactory. 
 When the stake is driven to the proper grade, each 
 assistant and the observer move forward along the 
 line to the next stake and thus continue until all 
 the stakes in the line are driven to the desired grade. 
 When the profile of the grade is straight, the tops 
 of the three T's will be in line. When it is con- 
 vex upward, the third stake will be driven until 
 the top of the T resting upon it is below the line 
 over the tops of the other two, the distance below 
 the line depending on the rate of vertical curvature. 
 When the grade is concave upward, the third stake 
 will be driven so that the T resting upon it will 
 show above the line over the tops of the other two 
 T's. By repeating the trials for grade in a way 
 similar to that used in determining horizontal curves, 
 a satisfactory profile can be found quickly. With 
 a hand level, it is easy to determine when the grade 
 Is within proper limits. 
 
 It has been stated that when a walk Is curved, 
 the curve should continue from end to end. It is 
 a mistake to introduce a complete circular walk 
 Inclosing a flower-bed, fountain, or statue, with the 
 center of this circle in the center of the direct walk 
 
HOME GROUNDS 
 
 131 
 
 to the house (Fig. 28). If a tree or shrub which is 
 good enough to be saved stands in the natural line 
 of the walk, one should not make an abrupt detour 
 around it, but shift the line for a long distance 
 so that the curve will be good and leave the tree 
 at one side. 
 
 The surface of the walk should meet at Its edge 
 the surface of the ground, the latter continuing for 
 
 Fig. 28. — An Arrangement not Recommended. 
 
 a short distance the slope of the former and then 
 joining by a graceful curve the general grade of the 
 land. This not only gives a good appearance, but 
 it allows the water to run off from the walk. Some 
 gardeners and janitors have a penchant for mak- 
 ing a ditch along each edge of a walk. Such ditches 
 are ugly In themselves even before they catch the 
 papers and other refuse that will be swept into them. 
 
132 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 With a little care, the lawn will meet the walk in 
 a neat, sharp line, but it is far better to have a few 
 blades of grass lie on the walk than to disfigure it 
 with ditches. 
 
 (b) Much of what has been said regarding walks 
 will apply to drives. If a lot is narrow, a straight 
 drive from the street along the side of the house is 
 proper. This may be used as a walk if it leads to 
 the entrance door. If this door is in the front of 
 the house facing the street, it may be reached by a 
 short walk branching from the drive (Fig. 29). This 
 arrangement saves expense and, what is more im- 
 portant, it provides an unbroken area between the 
 street and the house to be developed into a thing 
 of beauty. If the house is quite far from the high- 
 way, it is allowable to divert the entrance drive from 
 a direct route somewhat for the sake of following 
 the edge of a ravine or valley, passing a pond, tree, 
 or other object of special interest, or bringing into 
 notice one or more pleasing views, but the best 
 view of all should be seen after entering the house 
 and passing to the windows on the other side from 
 the entrance. The immediate approach to the 
 house on a slightly ascending grade is usually better 
 than on either a level or descending grade. 
 
HOME GROUNDS 
 
 133 
 
 c^ 
 
 
134 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 It is desirable by the location of the drive and 
 the arrangement of the planting to bring the house 
 into view at a point where its appearance is most 
 pleasing. From this point one will usually see two 
 sides of the house and it will appear to be of the 
 proper size. 
 
 With automobiles, a drive having a reasonably 
 hard, even surface is required. Such a drive is well 
 adapted for a walk, and on a private approach 
 the number of vehicles passing will not be great 
 enough materially to interfere with the comfort 
 of walking. A combined walk and drive, or rather 
 a drive which is also used for a walk, appears better 
 than two passageways through the lawn and 
 planting. Moreover, its cost for construction and 
 maintenance will be less. This method of reach- 
 ing the house will, therefore, be advisable in many, 
 perha|Ds iin most cases. 
 
 (c) Sometimes, however, to insure greater 
 privacy or safety, to secure more varied effects, 
 or to allow the approach to the house from differ- 
 ent directions, one or more walks may be needed 
 in addition to the drive (Fig. 30). The location and 
 construction of each would be in accordance with 
 principles and directions given under (a) and (b). 
 
HOME GROUNDS 
 
 135 
 
 ^ •'bi?'^''^' CLOTHE >V.ap : :-KaJ t>4.^ •■■>;f-5 
 
 
 Fig. 30. — Another Example. Sketch for home grounds, 
 Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 
 
136 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 Complete directions for the construction of drives 
 are not included in this book, since these are easily 
 found in treatises on engineering or government 
 bulletins. It is the desire here to emphasize the 
 importance of their location for convenience, com- 
 fort, and good appearance. The laying out of a 
 walk or drive on any desired grade is, however, so 
 simple and generally useful that every one who has a 
 farm or a large "place" in city or country should 
 know how to do it. A hand level costing about 
 six dollars is the only instrument required. With 
 this, by merely sighting through, one can look in 
 any direction and determine a horizontal line ex- 
 tending from the eye. To illustrate how a line 
 on any desired grade is located, suppose the 
 observer's eye, when he is standing, to be five feet 
 from the ground, and the desired grade five per 
 cent. Stand at a low point on the proposed line. 
 With the level select a point that is of the same 
 height as the eye on the higher ground ahead and 
 about one hundred feet away. Have an assistant 
 pace one hundred feet toward this point and then 
 direct him to move to the right or left until the 
 spot upon which he stands is just on a level with 
 the cross wire of the instrument. He will mark 
 
HOME GROUNDS 137 
 
 this spot and then pace forward to another spot 
 one hundred feet further on and five feet above the 
 first spot determined, while the observer moves 
 in Hke manner to the spot the assistant has just 
 marked. By repeating this process, a Hne can be 
 marked rising at the rate of five per cent. If the 
 line along the desired route should descend, the 
 observer will go ahead and sight back. If the line 
 goes around a rise of the land which hides the point 
 one hundred feet away, fifty feet can be paced in- 
 stead of one hundred, and the observer will sight 
 to a point on the assistant's clothing two and one- 
 half feet above the ground on which he stands. 
 For greater accuracy, the assistant can use a rod 
 on which feet and fractions of a foot are plainly 
 marked, and the distance can be measured with a 
 tape, but for preliminary work, the method out- 
 lined is rapid and sufficiently accurate to deter- 
 mine whether the proposed line for a walk or drive 
 is feasible or not. If conditions are favorable, that 
 is, if the ground is open and reasonably smooth 
 so that pacing will show rather closely the actual 
 distance, the method outlined may answer for the 
 final determination of the proposed line. It will 
 also determine whether the grade must be changed. 
 
138 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 If a six per cent grade is required, the assistant for 
 the observer, whose eye is five feet above the 
 ground, would pace eighty-three and one-third 
 feet instead of one hundred. For an easier grade, 
 the assistant would pace farther when on an ascend- 
 ing grade and the observer would do the pacing on 
 a descending grade. If the observer's eye was more 
 than five feet above the ground, the distance paced 
 would be correspondingly greater. 
 
 For a large place, there will be many walks or 
 drives in addition to those approaching the house 
 from the highway, especially if there is uneven 
 ground or forest, and the location of such walks 
 and drives will be determined by methods similar 
 to those just described. 
 
 Having selected the site for the house and the lo- 
 cation of the approaches to it from the highway, 
 the landscape-gardener will proceed to choose sites 
 for the other features desired by his client. These 
 sites will be discussed briefly, approximately in the 
 order of their importance. 
 
 GARAGES 
 
 Nearly everyone who builds a house will require 
 a garage. There are many positions which it may 
 
HOME GROUNDS 139 
 
 occupy. It should be subordinated to the house. 
 It is well, although not absolutely essential, for 
 it not to be visible at all on the approach to the 
 house. Sometimes it is even advisable to place it 
 on the street or between the street and the house 
 at one side of the drive. It may form a part of 
 the house. Occasionally, when the topography is 
 favorable, it may be placed in the basement. Some- 
 times it may be in an extension of the kitchen wing, 
 or separated from the kitchen by a service yard. 
 Again it will be at a distance, hidden from the 
 house, where all noise connected with cleaning and 
 repairing cars will be out of hearing, or it may be 
 on an entirely different lot and perhaps a block 
 or more away from the residence. The wishes of 
 the owner will be the determining factor in its lo- 
 cation, but the landscape-gardener should be able 
 to suggest the most favorable positions, and when 
 the site is chosen, arrange planting so as to give the 
 best possible effect. Usually in front of the garage 
 there must be space for turning. This space should 
 be bounded at least partially by curved lines with 
 radii of not less than twenty feet. It is assumed 
 that a car will need a circle sixty feet in diameter 
 in which to turn, but since it can turn by backing 
 
I40 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 and then going ahead, a full circle is not always 
 required. It is important to have room enough 
 for comfort, also to make the garage as unobtrusive 
 as possible. 
 
 SERVICE YARDS 
 
 Service yards naturally will be placed where 
 they will be easily accessible from the kitchen and 
 laundry. Like garages, they should be unobtru- 
 sive. A service yard furnishes a place for drying 
 clothes, for storing temporarily supplies for the 
 kitchen, and sometimes as a place of recreation for 
 the servants. It should be at the end or back of 
 the kitchen wing and may be inclosed by a wall, a 
 fence, or a hedge of shrubbery. There would be 
 no objection to planting trees north of a service 
 yard, but they should not be placed where they will 
 shade the yard during drying hours. When shrubs 
 are used to give the desirable seclusion, they may 
 appear as a natural group on the outside, and be 
 trimmed for convenience along the boundaries of 
 the service yard. Two shrubs most suitable for 
 use in this connection are lilac and syringa (Phila- 
 delphus), as they have many branches and make 
 a screen even in winter. . Evergreens, when hardy. 
 
HOME GROUNDS 141 
 
 will perhaps make a better screen than any de- 
 ciduous shrub, but, in most cities, they are unre- 
 liable on account of the smoke. If evergreens can 
 be used, arbor-vitae and hemlocks are good be- 
 cause they can be kept from growing too high. 
 Broad-leaved evergreens are suitable wherever they 
 are hardy and attain sufficient size. When walls 
 or fences are used, they furnish a suitable place 
 for vines. The south side of an inclosing wall is 
 suitable for raising grapes, climbing roses, Vir- 
 ginia creepers and clematis. Nearly all vines are 
 satisfactory, provided a wire netting is placed for 
 those not self-attaching. 
 
 FRONT YARDS 
 
 While garages and service yards are a necessity, 
 from one point of view they are less important 
 than the front yard. Their relation to the latter 
 is much like that of the kitchen to the living- 
 room or library. The front yard, meaning the 
 open space on which may face the living-room, 
 library, dining-room and veranda or terrace, should 
 be the most artistic part of the home grounds. 
 From every viewpoint, it should appear beautiful 
 enough to photograph or paint. A front yard 
 
142 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 should have open space to show sky, clouds and 
 sunshine. The sky space is bounded preferably 
 by the outlines of trees and bushes. Such out- 
 lines, if the growth is allowed to be natural, are 
 sure to be graceful and pleasing. They will be high 
 at one spot and low in another. They will be near 
 at hand at one point and may be miles away in 
 another direction. Sometimes a sky-line may de- 
 scend to the ground., perhaps touching a hill, a 
 prairie, or a range of mountains. If the hill is far 
 aw^ay, no jarring effect may be produced, but, if 
 close at hand, it is usually best to soften even the 
 outline of the hill with some foliage. Sometimes 
 the sky-line descends to a body of water which 
 stretches away to the horizon. In such cases, after 
 meeting its surface, the sky-line continues below the 
 water, which may occupy a position in the real 
 picture similar to that of the sky. This water, 
 which may be a lake, a sea, or an ocean, should 
 have its outline softened. If one looks out over a 
 closely shaven lawn at a body of water, the effect 
 is not as pleasing as when the edge of the lawn is 
 modified by an indefinite growth like that of vines, 
 bushes, or the graceful forms of certain herbaceous 
 plants. 
 
HOME GROUNDS 143 
 
 The ground of the front yard may be covered 
 with grass or creeping plants. Between it and the 
 sky-line there will appear a bank of foliage. This 
 bank may be steep, may even overhang, giving a 
 deep shade, or it may have a very gradual slope 
 tapering off toward a distant view. It may be 
 formed entirely of one kind of growth, yet appear 
 varied because of the different amounts of light 
 received in various parts. The foliage in itself 
 may be varied, the leaves of certain trees or shrubs 
 being glossy, while that of others is dull. The 
 leaves may show a thousand different shapes. The 
 bank of foliage may be sprinkled with ffowers or 
 with fruits. The branches of trees or shrubs may 
 spread far out over the ground in one place and 
 recede in another out of sight. The boundary of 
 trees and shrubs may be deciduous or evergreen. 
 In the former case, a curtain or bank of trunks and 
 branches will take the place of leaves In winter. 
 
 The winter effect may be exceedingly Interesting, 
 due to the various shades of color shown by the 
 bark of twigs and trunks of trees, to the forms and 
 colors of buds, and to the method of branching. 
 With the leaves gone, the sky-line drops to a lower 
 level, the space between its summer and winter 
 
144 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 positions being filled with an open, lace-like tracery 
 against a light background. At times this back- 
 ground is white, and the network of branches against 
 it is more beautiful than the finest etching. Again, 
 the lace-work of branches may be seen against a 
 brilliant evening sky of red or yellow and give the 
 impression of far deeper coloring than when such a 
 sky is observed entirely in the open. 
 
 Occasionally, it may be interesting to have an 
 opening through the bank of foliage or boughs, 
 this opening being entirely surrounded with growth 
 and framing a distant landscape. Such an open- 
 ing, however, must be studied with care and placed 
 so it will not lessen the charm of the front yard it- 
 self. Perhaps it would be best to keep the open- 
 ing through the trees invisible from the house and 
 let it come as a pleasant surprise from some bay 
 or path where a seat might be placed. 
 
 The kinds of trees and shrubs that should be 
 selected to form the front yard boundary will de- 
 pend on the size of the yard, the lie of the land, 
 the views to be kept open, the soil and the climate. 
 Preference usually should be given to existing growth. 
 An oak tree that has been growing for a large part 
 of a century is very likely to fit the local conditions, 
 
HOME GROUNDS 145 
 
 and if these are not changed by the removal of a 
 natural mulch of leaves, the lowering of the water- 
 table, or in some other way, the tree should live 
 for another hundred years. A study of the native 
 woods in the vicinity will help materially in solv- 
 ing the problem of what to plant. As it is im- 
 portant not to cut off sunshine from the house, a 
 small place should not have tall-growing trees, 
 especially toward the east, south and west, when 
 the lines of the rooms are parallel to the cardinal 
 points of the compass. Sometimes a large tree 
 may be placed diagonally out from the corner of 
 the house and do no harm, because the sun can 
 shine directly Into all the rooms at some time dur- 
 ing the day. A personal fondness for certain plants 
 will play a large part in the selection. Some per- 
 sons like lilacs and others do not. Some have an 
 aversion to evergreens, and others wish them in 
 abundance. In making the choice, one Is deter- 
 mining what to place against the sky canvas. One 
 is selecting the forms and colors that harmonize 
 with each other at all seasons of the year and es- 
 pecially during the time the house is to be occupied. 
 The choice of plants may be influenced by one's 
 preference for etchings or paintings. 
 
146 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 The joining of the boundary growth with the lawn 
 or ground cover calls for the exercise of skill. Satis- 
 factory eflfects may result from allowing the lower 
 branches of trees to spread out in their search for 
 light and rest upon the lawn. Certain shrubs, 
 like aromatic sumac, are well adapted for the border 
 of an open space, as their lower branches spread 
 horizontally, thus giving a graceful receding out- 
 line. In a shadowy bay with more upright growth, 
 a bed of ferns may find a congenial home. There 
 are many flowering plants which like some shade 
 and will help to make the front yard beautiful when 
 they are planted near its south boundary. For 
 the flowers which like sunshine, appropriate places 
 can be found along the north side of open areas. 
 A continuous uniform border of flowers, however, 
 along the margin of groups of shrubs does not look 
 well. One's aim should be to introduce trees, shrubs 
 and flowers that will give harmonious combinations 
 of color, effective contrasts of light and shade and 
 graceful pleasing outlines. 
 
 The floor of the front yard, the area about a 
 house usually covered with turf, may be treated 
 In various ways. Its grade must first be determined. 
 The house should appear to be on the highest land 
 
HOME GROUNDS 
 
 147 
 
 in Its immediate vicinity. Even when placed on a 
 hillside, there should be a narrow valley between 
 the foundation of the house and the hill for appear- 
 ance as well as for surface drainage. If the ground 
 selected for a house site Is level, its appearance 
 will be greatly Improved by even a slight varia- 
 tion from a flat surface. Usually the earth exca- 
 vated for foundations and basement or cellar can be 
 
 Orioi'x'i Grade 
 
 Fig. 31. — The Surface Lines. Showing grades about house. 
 
 employed to make a broad gentle mound where the 
 house is to stand (Fig. 31). Sometimes additional 
 emphasis may be given to the mound by depressing 
 the natural level surface beyond or outside of the 
 fill about the house. Sometimes, if the grounds are 
 extensive, it may even be wise to make a hill in 
 one place and a valley in another. In determining 
 the grade, there is a chance for the exercise of con- 
 siderable ingenuity, but the final result must appear 
 natural and dignified, not childish or artificial. 
 
 The first step In the actual building of a house, per- 
 haps after the construction of a road, should be the 
 
148 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 removal of all the good top soil from the site of the 
 house and those portions of its surroundings which 
 would be covered in the final grade. This soil 
 should be put in one or more piles out of the way of 
 building operations, yet conveniently near so that 
 it can be easily replaced about the house after its 
 completion. The lines of the finished grade should 
 flow naturally into each other in every direction 
 without sharp angles. Projecting rock ledges or 
 bowlders are unobjectionable. They often make 
 the grounds more beautiful and sometimes fur- 
 nish admirable places for ferns, vines, mosses, 
 lichens, or other plants. When the grading is done, 
 the usual procedure is to sow lawn seed. There 
 is hardly anything more beautiful than a well- 
 kept, gently rolling lawn. The dew upon it in the 
 morning, the play of sunlight on it, and its yield- 
 ing to the pressure of one's foot, are delightful. Yet 
 it is sometimes advisable to use other plants than 
 grass and white clover for a ground cover. To 
 mention but a few, one might list trailing juniper, 
 horizontal cotoneaster, bearberry, spurge, par- 
 tridge-berry, the low forms of yew, myrtle, violets, 
 Virginia creeper, wild grapes, lily-of-the-valley, vir- 
 gin's bower, wintergreen, wandering Jew, iris, and 
 
HOME GROUNDS 149 
 
 day lily. The opportunities for experimenting in 
 this direction are unlimited. 
 
 Having secured a satisfactory ground cover for 
 the open area, one must join this agreeably with 
 the walls of the house or terrace. Sometimes this 
 is done for two or three months with a certain meas- 
 ure of success by using such plants as cannas, ge- 
 raniums or begonias, but for the year round, plants 
 with a hardy woody growth must be chosen, usu- 
 ally shrubs or vines. The height of the plantation 
 about the house can be varied as is the sky-line 
 opposite. It can drop to the ground in places to 
 give light to low windows or show some archi- 
 tectural feature of the house, and climb to the roof 
 in others. The shrubs selected may spread out 
 away from the house or grow to a height sufficient 
 to screen a veranda from the street. They may 
 be chosen for beauty of leaves, blossoms, berries, 
 for perfume or for color of twigs. The features 
 of a front yard, the open space, the ground cover 
 below, and the border plantations, may be common 
 to all home grounds whether large or small. Even 
 with the smallest grounds, there Is opportunity for 
 endless enjoyment in planting Interesting and 
 beautiful things, In watching them grow, smell- 
 
I so LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 ing their perfume, guiding the growth of their gen- 
 eral effect by adding in one place or taking away in 
 another. 
 
 And what of the final result, the completed front 
 yard ? There never is any final result. The front 
 yard is a continual growth, which may be so beauti- 
 ful as to fill its owner with a constant desire to re- 
 turn to it whenever he is away ; a place not only 
 beautiful but restful because of its freedom from 
 intrusion and its quietness and also because it is 
 a part of its owner — is in fact his Garden of Eden. 
 It is the most perfect example of the landscape- 
 gardener's art, but while the landscape-gardener 
 may make the original design, in its most perfect 
 form it must be developed, adopted and loved by 
 its owner. Into it will come birds with song, beau- 
 tiful in shape and color and graceful in movement. 
 Into it will come snow, rain, and sunshine. Into it 
 will come the owner and his friends to enjoy their 
 hours of leisure and from it they will watch the sun, 
 moon, stars, the clear blue sky, clouds, and rain- 
 bows. 
 
 There are some persons, perhaps many, who will 
 not appreciate this expression of the landscape- 
 gardener's art. To them sky-lines, the winter with 
 
HOME GROUNDS 151 
 
 its bare branches, and the summer with its green 
 foliage, make no appeal. A similar statement might 
 be made with regard to the work of painters and 
 musicians, yet a knowledge and appreciation of 
 painting and music add greatly to one's comfort 
 and enjoyment in life, and so would a knowledge 
 of landscape-gardening and an appreciation of the 
 beauty of nature. The landscape-gardener can do 
 no more useful thing for his client than to teach 
 him to see this beauty, since, by so doing, he will 
 give him more pleasure in living during the entire 
 remaining portion of his life. The space which 
 has been called "the front yard" and which may 
 lie on at least three sides of a house is especially 
 adapted to show natural beauty because it is seen 
 so constantly. "Front yard" may not be the best 
 term to apply to this space. It has been called 
 the owner's Garden of Eden, and it is a garden in its 
 best sense, yet to use the term "garden" might 
 bring to mind a vegetable- or flower-garden, features 
 which should ordinarily be kept out of the front 
 yard. This yard may indeed have many flowers, 
 but these blossoms should come naturally like those 
 on a hawthorn, crab-apple, lilac, or in a peony or 
 iris bed. Such flowers do not interfere with the 
 
1 52 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 feeling of repose that should exist in the front 
 yard. To insure this feeling, the public street 
 should, in a large measure, be excluded from view, 
 especially that part nearest the house. It has 
 sometimes been said that a home owner should 
 not be selfish, that he should allow the public to see 
 his beautiful grounds. In answer to this, it may 
 be said that for the public a glimpse into such 
 grounds, a glimpse leading to the exercise of one's 
 imagination, is far more interesting than to have 
 the property entirely exposed to view. Such 
 glimpses can be provided without destroying privacy. 
 
 In many cases, the walk to the front door may 
 lie within the front yard and be bordered with 
 flowers. Another allowable feature is a bird bath, 
 provided this is unobtrusive and conveniently 
 placed beneath the branches of a tree, or near a 
 group of shrubs where birds can preen their feathers 
 after bathing, A sun-dial on the north side of a 
 front yard, or perhaps on a terrace, or the south 
 wall of the house, is unobjectionable, but it should 
 not stand in the middle of a lawn. 
 
 With smaller houses, the dining-room and living- 
 room may be united into one, and if a house is quite 
 small, even the kitchen may be included in this 
 
HOME GROUNDS 153 
 
 one room. In like manner, a small yard may com- 
 prise more features than should be contained in a 
 large one. For the sake of retaining the largest 
 available space about a house, a small yard may 
 even include the flower- and kitchen-gardens, and 
 occasionally the service yard as well. In describ- 
 ing the front yard, the aim has been to call to mind 
 what is ideal, an arrangement of grounds and plant- 
 ing that will give most pleasure to the intelligent 
 and appreciative. 
 
 FLOWER-GARDENS 
 
 When one thinks of the best, one often uses in 
 connection with it the word flower, as the flower 
 of manhood, the flower of the army, the flower of 
 youth. Perhaps something of the same idea is 
 present when one thinks of the most charming 
 part of a plant. Many delightful books have been 
 written about flower-gardens, and it would seem 
 that the designing of such gardens ought to be a 
 profession by itself. There might be designers for 
 different kinds of gardens, one making a specialty 
 of formal gardens, another of bog-gardens, and so 
 on through the list, including gardens of special 
 flowers like roses, peonies, chrysanthemums, and 
 
1 54 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 iris ; or special colors, as blue and white, or blue and 
 yellow ; or special localities, as alpine gardens and 
 rock-gardens ; or special positions, as wall-gardens 
 and terrace-gardens ; or of a special time of the year, 
 as a spring-garden or winter-garden. As there are 
 books treating of almost every kind of garden and 
 giving details of kinds of flowers and methods of 
 cultivation, the flower-garden here will be considered 
 only in its relations to other features of the home 
 grounds. 
 
 While there should be flowers in the front yard, 
 the flower-garden proper, devoted entirely to the 
 raising of plants which are conspicuous or note- 
 worthy for their bloom, should occupy a somewhat 
 less commanding position. It might perhaps be 
 seen with advantage from the end of a terrace or 
 veranda or from one of the rooms of the house, but 
 when the grounds have sufflcient size, the flower- 
 garden should be subordinate to the front yard. 
 Sometimes it might with advantage be separated 
 entirely from the house and reached only by a 
 path which could be made an interesting feature 
 by covering it with vines carried on suitable sup- 
 ports or bordering it with special plants. A flower- 
 garden may be planned as an attractive feature in 
 
HOME GROUNDS 155 
 
 itself to be seen out-doors, or it may be for the 
 purpose of raising cut-flowers for table or house 
 decoration. It is well if it can become the pet or 
 hobby of one of the members of the household. One 
 may make a specialty of hardy chrysanthemums, 
 of peonies, gladioli and dahlias or wild flowers. 
 Ordinarily a flower-garden will be near the vege- 
 table-garden for convenience in cultivation, the 
 two being taken care of by the same men. With 
 limited ground, the stable and chicken yard, if these 
 exist, will not be far away. There may be a separate 
 garden for roses. This should be reached con- 
 veniently from the house, but as it has 'much bare 
 ground and is for cut-flowers mainly, it should 
 not form a prominent feature of the landscape. Wild- 
 gardens, being usually a natural arrangement of 
 native flowers with graceful lines and cloud-like 
 shapes, may very properly appear here and there 
 in the front yard. They may Intermingle with the 
 shrubbery or cover the ground under trees or fill 
 a meadow-like area. If the home grounds are 
 large enough for woods, the wild flower-garden 
 may be in a natural opening In these woods or may 
 indeed pervade their whole extent, forming a beauti- 
 ful ground cover, especially In early spring. 
 
156 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 Happily, in designing flower-gardens and other 
 landscape work, there is more freedom than exists 
 in architecture, and one may take advantage of any 
 charming feature pertaining to the lands selected 
 for a home. Some persons believe that because 
 one builds an Italian house, there should be an 
 Italian garden, forgetting the dissimilarity of cli- 
 mate, soil, and topography, and the impossibility 
 of raising cypresses and other plants found in the 
 formal gardens of Italy, or even plants resembling 
 them. There is more reason for imitating a co- 
 lonial garden, because the climate and soil in this 
 country now are substantially the same that they 
 were one or two hundred years ago. There is a 
 fascination in the flowers that our grandmothers 
 raised, aside from their intrinsic beauty. Still there 
 have been changes which would naturally lead to 
 variation in gardens and home grounds. When the 
 country was new, it was nearly all covered with 
 woods, and an opening covered partly with a vel- 
 vety lawn and planted with the flowers that had 
 been brought from England, Holland, France, Ger- 
 many, and Sweden seemed the most attractive of 
 home surroundings. Now that the woods have 
 largely disappeared from those regions where there 
 
HOME GROUNDS 157 
 
 is most home building, the native growth is more 
 appreciated. Nothing in nature is more charm- 
 ing than woods, delightful for children to visit and 
 interesting even to older people. One should have 
 this charm in intimate relationship with one's home, 
 having woods when possible as a boundary of the 
 front yard, or a background for the flower-garden. 
 A copse or spur from the edge of woods might even 
 extend toward the house to separate the front yard 
 from the garden, and lengthwise through the center 
 of this copse a path might lead to the wood bound- 
 ary and with an opening to the flower-garden. 
 
 VEGETABLE-GARDENS 
 
 In city and suburban homes, vegetable-gardens 
 can very properly be introduced for two purposes : 
 one, to give pleasure to owners who might take de- 
 light in seeing lettuce, strawberries, peas, parsley, 
 onions, beets, carrots, and other vegetables growing, 
 just as they would in looking at a flower-garden ; 
 the other, the pleasure of having fresh vegetables 
 which are far better than those which have lain in a 
 grocery one or two days. Vegetables which are 
 purchased are usually far cheaper than those which 
 are raised, but they are not as good unless they can 
 
1 58 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 be bought directly from a gardener within an hour or 
 two of the time they are gathered. If one takes care 
 of his own garden, there would be compensation in 
 the exercise and good health. One would also have 
 the keen and justifiable satisfaction that comes from 
 producing or raising things with one's own hands. 
 
 There are advantages in having the vegetables 
 and flower-gardens near each other. The barn and 
 chicken-house may be close at hand, but preferably 
 not seen from the house. This will make it conven- 
 ient for supplying the gardens with manure and 
 other fertilizers, and tools can be kept in one of the 
 buildings. Fruit-trees and small-fruits can be raised 
 in connection with the garden. Fruit-trees and 
 nut-trees are beautiful and may sometimes be com- 
 bined with other trees to give a picturesque effect ; 
 or if the grounds are small, two or three apple or 
 nut-trees might be all that would be needed for 
 shade. Raspberries, on account of the color of the 
 bark, are sometimes used for winter decoration 
 the same as red-branched dogwoods or Carolina 
 roses. Even vegetables may sometimes be em- 
 ployed for decoration, especially in very small places 
 where the entire ground might be devoted to vege- 
 tables and flowers. 
 
HOME GROUNDS 
 
 TERR-ACES 
 
 159 
 
 It has sometimes been stated that the archi- 
 tectural lines of the house should be carried out a 
 certain distance by the straight lines of terraces, 
 balustrades, and trimmed hedges. A terrace is 
 really a part of a house and should be designed and 
 built by the architect. If, however, the landscape- 
 gardener is called into consultation with the owner 
 and architect, as he should be, there are several 
 questions to be considered : (a) Will the terrace 
 be useful and serve a purpose which would not be 
 cared for equally well by the ground ? (b) Will 
 the terrace cut off a view of a valley, hillside, or 
 other attractive feature of the landscape as seen 
 from the windows of the room or rooms facing the 
 proposed terrace ^ (c) Will a terrace improve the 
 appearance of the house as seen from the usual 
 viewpoints ^ 
 
 (a) The usefulness of a terrace will depend some- 
 what on the climate, the time of day it would be 
 frequented, the side of the house on which it is 
 placed, and the habits of the family. Normally a 
 terrace is a place to walk or sit in the open air. It 
 is an outdoor extension of the rooms facing on it, 
 
i6o LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 and so would be useful when there are large gather- 
 ings. It may serve also as a place on which to 
 exhibit special plants, generally those which are not 
 hardy and must be kept in a greenhouse or a con- 
 servatory during the winter. A terrace is usually 
 a favorable spot from which to observe the land- 
 scape and, if it were shaded from the afternoon 
 sun, might in summer serve all the purposes of a 
 living-room. If a house is located upon a side hill 
 a terrace may very properly be carried out from the 
 end of the building when its length is parallel to the 
 contours of the hill. In this situation a terrace 
 would give room for comfortable circulation which 
 would not be provided by the ground itself. When, 
 however, the ground is nearly level and the house 
 is set low, there may be no occasion for building 
 any terrace. 
 
 (b) If the house is on a side hill and located as 
 suggested in (a), a terrace at its side would very 
 likely cut off the view of the valley below, which 
 would be of far more interest than the terrace itself 
 to the persons looking from the windows. 
 
 (c) Occasionally a terrace may give to a house 
 better proportions. Care should be taken, however, 
 to avoid cutting off a view of the house as seen from 
 
HOME GROUNDS i6i 
 
 a point far below. When a terrace would obstruct 
 a view of the valley as seen from the dwelling, It 
 would also cut off a portion of the house when seen 
 from the valley. A broad terrace often gives to a 
 house the appearance of standing on depressed 
 land when the viewpoint is below the level of the 
 terrace. 
 
 HEDGES 
 
 Trimmed hedges are not as pleasing in appear- 
 ance as those having natural outlines, but sometimes 
 they are necessary, as an untrimmed hedge would 
 become too high. If the plants used for a hedge 
 have interesting blossoms or fruit, these are usu- 
 ally cut off or prevented from developing when the 
 hedge is trimmed. In some instances, it Is allow- 
 able for a trimmed hedge to take the place of a 
 balustrade. 
 
 HOUSE SURROUNDINGS 
 
 The fear that some persons have of bringing 
 natural beauty, that Is, the beauty of untrimmed 
 trees and bushes, of natural slopes, ravines, streams, 
 and lakes, near a house, would seem to be ground- 
 less, since there can be no more objection to having 
 a window-frame Inclose a beautiful picture which 
 
i62 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 the objects named would make, than there is to 
 having a similar picture hung on the wall of a room. 
 It is often possible to improve the appearance of a 
 house as it is seen from a distance by planting so 
 as to correct its proportions, soften its lines or hide 
 those parts which ought not to be seen. There is 
 hardly any building so beautiful that it cannot be 
 improved by planting so as to leave something to 
 the imagination. 
 
 WOODS 
 
 In what has already been said regarding home 
 grounds, some mention has been made of woods, 
 but this feature has not been emphasized suffi- 
 ciently. On city lots and grounds of moderate 
 size in any location, it will hardly be possible to 
 have a bit of forest, since the open sky with sun- 
 shine is more valuable than a collection of trees, 
 but even in such locations a thicket which has most 
 of the characteristics of woods on a small scale 
 might be introduced. 
 
 To illustrate, a lot having a width of one hundred 
 feet, or perhaps less, might have in one corner a 
 thicket with red-buds at the back, then hawthorns 
 and perhaps a black haw or an elderberry (Fig. 32). 
 
HOME GROUNDS 
 
 163 
 
 Underneath this the leaves might be allowed to 
 remain and protect wild flowers, like anemones, 
 erythronlums, trilliums, and bloodroots. A thicket 
 of this kind would, for the most part, take care of 
 
 
 Fig. 32. — The Winter Landscape. A view from a library window looking 
 into woods which might extend indefinitely, but in reality are not over one 
 hundred feet in depth. 
 
TA ■ barberry^ 
 
 f/iDarberry^ i _/r-i 
 
 Sarhem 
 
 Fig. 33. — The Layout of a Private Place. With Figs. 34 to 40, it illus- 
 trates the development of a place of medium size. Lot is 100 feet wide by 
 approximately 300 feet in length and lies between a street and Rock River 
 at Dixon, Illinois. 
 
HOME GROUNDS 
 
 165 
 
 itself, and with grounds of larger size the thicket 
 might be extended into a respectable forest through 
 which paths might lead to interesting objects. 
 America is rich in species of trees and shrubs and 
 
 Fig. 34. — In the Beginning. View from "D" on plan (Fig. 33), loolcing 
 toward river, 1909. 
 
 also in native flowers, and one who is developing an 
 American home ought certainly to make use of some 
 of the material close at hand, and thus develop a 
 restful retreat which might with propriety be called 
 "an American garden." (Figs. 33 to 40,) 
 
Fig. 35. — To Start with. View from "C" on plan shown in Fig. 33, look- 
 ing toward street at time lot was purchased, 1909. 
 
 Fig. 36. — Tiii; House in thl Landscape. View showing relation of house 
 
 to river. 
 
HOME GROUNDS 
 
 167 
 
 
 ■ i..^-:- t ■ : -ii 
 
 Fig. 37. — An Unimproved Part of the Landscape. Valley used for po- 
 tatoes in 191 1. Natural growth of trees and bushes on bank preserved. 
 
 Fig. 38. — The Building Stage. View of house just after completion in 
 Fall of 1914. Elm tree preserved. 
 
i68 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 YiG. 39. — The Effect of Planting. House as seen from island in river. 
 Note elm shown in second photograph. 
 
HOME GROUNDS 
 
 169 
 
 A retreat of this kind will give its owner and his 
 friends endless diversion and entertainment. It will 
 also increase his interest in all that vegetation which 
 comes of itself along roadsides, margins of woods and 
 
 Fig. 40. — The Offscape. View from house to Rock River. 
 
 Streams and other out-of-the-way places. It is this 
 awakening of our senses to the beauty that exists 
 wherever nature is given an opportunity to show her 
 charms that will add zest to life, give individuaHty 
 to one's home, and a value to grounds far beyond 
 that which they may have in money. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 Farms 
 
 The importance of farms in the life of the country 
 
 entitles them to a separate chapter, even though 
 
 they are usually but one variety of home grounds. 
 
 Farms might be thought of as the cradle of the 
 
 nation. The farms do more for the cities than to 
 
 furnish them food. They supply people for the cities 
 
 as well. Since the average city family does not last 
 
 through more than three or four generations, the 
 
 population of a city must be replenished continually 
 
 from the country. On this account, not only does 
 
 the food supply of the nation depend on the farms 
 
 but also its stability and character to a very large 
 
 degree. The most influential citizens usually live 
 
 in cities, but they or their antecedents came from 
 
 the country. Our strong men owe their strength and 
 
 ruggedness of character to the farms from which 
 
 they sprang, and to these farms they often wish to 
 
 return in their old age. 
 
 170 
 
FARMS 171 
 
 These facts have been mentioned to show the im- 
 portance of the farm life in that of the nation as a 
 whole, and the great benefit that may result from 
 any improvement in the appearance, comfort and 
 convenience of this feature of national life. It is 
 very important, therefore, to consider the farm 
 from a landscape-gardening point of view. With 
 the good roads that are developing and with auto- 
 mobiles, auto-trucks and telephones, the social status 
 of the farm will be greatly improved. Indeed the 
 farmer, living where he can have good air to breathe 
 and beautiful scenery to look at, may become the 
 aristocrat (using the word in its best sense) ^ of 
 the future. 
 
 Some of the questions to be considered on the farm 
 and matters that will bring about improved condi- 
 tions are here briefly discussed. 
 
 Where should the house be placed ? The answer 
 would be based on three considerations, namely, con- 
 venience, comfort, and appearance. For conven- 
 ience, a house should sometimes be situated near the 
 highway, but this is not always true. There are 
 cases in which a more central location is desirable 
 
 ^ " Aristocrats are everywhere, they may have titles or they may have none. 
 They are those who think they owe their best to God and men and they serve." 
 
 Price Collier. 
 
172 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 on account of the ease with which different parts 
 of the farm may be reached from it. This would 
 often be true of a dairy farm where the cows during 
 a series.of years would go from the barn, which would 
 be conveniently near the house, to every field for 
 pasture. A central location requires only short lanes 
 to different fields and would save time in hauling 
 hay and other crops to the storage place. The loca- 
 tion of the water supply would have a bearing on 
 the decision as to the building site. 
 
 The demands of comfort call for protection from 
 cold winds in winter, the benefit of cooling breezes 
 in summer, and sometimes more seclusion than ac- 
 companies a location near the highway. The shade 
 of trees is also desirable to mitigate the heat of July 
 and August. The site should have good drainage 
 for air as well as for water. 
 
 For appearance, the site of the house should usually 
 be on relatively high land. It should command 
 good views and be favorably situated with regard 
 to existing trees or other growth of value. On the 
 farm a house can usually be placed without much re- 
 gard to the street or boundary lines, that is, the im- 
 portant room or rooms can face a favorable breeze 
 or view. 
 
FARMS 173 
 
 What planting should be done ? If there are no 
 trees about the site which is otherwise favorable for 
 the house, trees can be planted. The list from which 
 to choose would include all native forest trees as well 
 as those introduced from other countries. Nut- 
 and fruit-trees as well as the usual ornamental sub- 
 jects are quite appropriate for planting about a group 
 of farm buildings. 
 
 Before considering the planting, a plan for the 
 various farm buildings should be made in which 
 these are placed conveniently and picturesquely 
 with regard to each other. The barn and other 
 structures should be near the house for convenience, 
 yet far enough away so that the noise of the animals 
 and fowls will not be disturbing. The house should 
 occupy a commanding position with regard to the 
 other buildings and the farm itself. Care should 
 be taken to place the barn, the chicken-house and 
 other equipment where they will not cut off from 
 the house a desirable breeze or view. When the 
 buildings have been planned with regard to each 
 other and also with due reference to farm operations, 
 a planting scheme can be made. The suggestions 
 in the preceding chapter are just as applicable to a 
 farmer's home as to a city or suburban home. The 
 
174 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 object in planting should always be to make the sur- 
 roundings beautiful. The farmer and his family 
 need a "front yard," a piece of ground covered with 
 restful turf and surrounded with trees far enough 
 apart to give views of the surrounding country. A 
 farmer's wife and daughters will receive as much 
 enjoyment from a rose-garden or an old-fashioned 
 flower-garden as would their city cousins. The 
 barn-yard, the flower-garden, the chicken yard, the 
 clothes yard, and other features may be separated 
 from each other by lilacs and other old-fashioned 
 shrubs. Evergreens also may be planted, perhaps 
 more than will ultimately be needed, the surplus 
 being either sold or used from time to time as 
 Christmas trees. 
 
 An up-to-date farm will have a good supply of 
 water under pressure and a little of this should be 
 used for a bird-bath, or preferably for several such 
 baths, which can be placed near trees or bushes 
 where the birds can preen their feathers. 
 
 The re-stating of a few rules for planting will be 
 in place here : 
 
 (i) Arrange the planting so that an ample 
 supply of sunshine will reach the windows of the 
 house. 
 
FARMS 175 
 
 (2) Plant so that the other buildings will be at 
 least partially hidden from the house. 
 
 (3) Arrange the trees so that the best views will 
 be preserved and framed. 
 
 (4) Plant trees and shrubs that are pleasing in 
 themselves on account of their branches, blossoms, 
 foliage or fruits and arrange them in irregular, grace- 
 ful, harmonious groups. 
 
 (5) Plant shrubs to make a setting for the house. 
 The shrubs selected will depend on the height of 
 the window sills, the exposure, — that is whether 
 on the east, west, north or south side of the house, 
 — and the personal taste of those responsible for 
 
 the plan. 
 
 (6) Introduce hardy perennials where they will 
 have a good background and will thrive, but do not 
 put flowers in the central part of the front yard. 
 
 (7) Do not plant deeper than plants stood in the 
 place from which they were moved. This applies 
 especially to' trees and shrubs. 
 
 (8) Cultivate newly planted material as one would 
 a vegetable-garden from May to the last of August. 
 
 (9) If water becomes necessary, use water copiously 
 so the ground will be soaked and then omit watering 
 for one or two weeks. Rake or hoe the surface of 
 
176 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 the ground that has been watered as soon as it 
 dries. 
 
 (10) Plant evergreens in cloudy or drizzly weather. 
 Evergreen roots should never be exposed to sunlight. 
 
 (11) Plants received from a nursery should be 
 put in the ground as soon as possible after they are 
 received. If they cannot be placed permanently 
 when they arrive, heel them in for a few days. 
 
 (12) Learn to see beauty during all seasons of 
 the year in the things that are planted. 
 
 (13) Mulching will protect fall planting and will 
 serve partially as a substitute for cultivation. 
 
 (14) After trees and shrubs become established, 
 do very little trimming, cutting only dead branches 
 and those which interfere with walks or drives. Cut 
 such branches at their junction with the trunk or 
 with a larger branch. 
 
 THE FARM FOREST 
 
 The question will arise as to whether the farm 
 should have a wood-lot and if so what it should con- 
 tain and where it should be located. Foresters will 
 reply that every farm should have a wood-lot for 
 the wood and lumber that it will furnish. They 
 will state that a wood-lot will often save a trip to 
 
FARMS 
 
 177 
 
 town for a stick of tim- 
 ber, and will often make 
 the farmer independent 
 of coal strikes. Even 
 though coal is obtain- 
 able, a fire-place for 
 wood makes a house 
 cheerful and every 
 farmer should have one 
 and cut a supply cf 
 wood for it from his 
 own land. In the re- 
 gions of hilly land, as 
 New York and New 
 England, the wood-lot 
 is a natural part of the 
 farm. 
 
 A wood-lot is a desir- 
 able feature for the 
 farm from the point of 
 view of a landscape- 
 gardener even more 
 than from that of a 
 forester (Fig. 41). An 
 area of woods helps to 
 
178 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 vary the sky-line and make it interesting and 
 beautiful. The woods themselves are charming 
 at all seasons of the year. The beauty of the 
 country usually includes that of many farms, and 
 the various wood-lots belonging to different owners 
 frame in the distant views to be seen from any house. 
 Study the effect of areas of woods from car windows 
 and think how monotonous would be the appearance 
 of the country if these woods were removed. Note 
 at the edge of a pasture a single great elm or a group 
 of oaks underneath whose branches cows are resting 
 during the heat of a summer day, a picture of com- 
 fort and utility as well as beauty. 
 
 That farmer is most fortunate who has a bit of 
 original forest on his land ; an area that has never 
 been cleared and contains a variety of growth. Com- 
 pare such an area in New York or Ohio with a prairie 
 tree-claim where the tree plantation is made up en- 
 tirely of soft maples or box elders. In the former, 
 there will be sugar maples, beeches, oaks, sycamores, 
 black walnuts, butternuts, lindens, ashes, tulip trees, 
 hickories, elms, hawthorns, crab-apples, red-buds, 
 dogwoods, sassafras and many others, a combination 
 that gives interest to life, while the latter area covered 
 with one short-lived tree has a deadly monotony. 
 
FARMS 179 
 
 In selecting trees for a wood-lot that must be 
 planted, one should use many kinds, endeavoring 
 to reproduce as far as possible all the interesting 
 features of the natural forest, not forgetting the 
 wild flowers. The entire lives of farmers' sons and 
 daughters will be enriched and made happier if 
 they have an acquaintance with the native growth 
 that has been suggested above and with the birds 
 and animals that would take refuge in this growth. 
 
 While called a "wood-lot," it need not be a square 
 or regular shaped area. It might stretch along a 
 highway to which it will add comfort and attractive- 
 ness as well as to that of the farm. It might cover 
 a hill-side or any irregular ground that is not espe- 
 cially adapted to cultivation, or it might extend 
 along the borders of a stream or lake. 
 
 A variety of trees has been recommended, but 
 this does not mean that in suitable places there should 
 not be groves of nut-trees or sugar maples for the 
 production of a valuable crop. One of the delights 
 of a farm should be the gathering of nuts or the 
 making of sugar. 
 
 Ordinarily a wood-lot should not be pastured. 
 Pasturing destroys the undergrowth and allows the 
 wind to dry out the ground so that the trees them- 
 
i8o LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 selves gradually die. An exception might be made 
 to this rule when there is low land along streams, 
 lands subject to frequent overflow and so unsuitable 
 for plowing. Such soil is usually rich and moist and 
 well adapted for pasture. To have scattering tall 
 trees upon this land with a few low-growing haw- 
 thorns would not diminish materially its value as a 
 pasture and would make it beautiful. The foliage 
 of hawthorns is eaten to some extent by cattle, but 
 these trees protect themselves sufficiently by their 
 thorns to enable them to increase gradually in size. 
 They not only protect themselves but they frequently 
 protect a bed of adder-tongues, bloodroots, trilliums, 
 hepaticas or anemones underneath their branches. 
 
 In situations like that described in the above para- 
 graph, care should be taken to protect the banks of 
 the stream from erosion and at the same time allow 
 the cattle to have a liberal and convenient supply 
 of water. The growth of trees and bushes along 
 concave banks should be protected by fencing. 
 There will usually be some low sloping borders of 
 the stream where cattle may enter it without 
 harm. 
 
 In starting a forest or wood-lot, small trees should 
 be chosen. Often it is best to plant year-old seed- 
 
FARMS 
 
 i8r 
 
 lings and sometimes acorns or nuts. Trees grow 
 faster than one thinks, and, with a multitude of 
 small trees placed not very far apart, a forest soon 
 develops. The advantages of this method are that 
 all the ground is occupied from the start and all is 
 covered with a mulching of leaves in the autumn 
 which will enrich the land. With such a plantation 
 of small trees, the strongest get the start so that the 
 future forest of large trees will be made up of healthy 
 strong individuals. Such a forest is also beautiful 
 from the beginning. The trees, to a large extent, 
 take care of each other so that the farmer need give 
 them but little attention. Squirrels and other ani- 
 mals would dig for acorns and nuts, so it is often an 
 advantage to plant year-old seedlings. 
 
 In addition to planting about the house and other 
 buildings and the wood-lot, the farm has other fea- 
 tures that will count in the landscape. Usually, 
 the more or less undulating fields are beautiful. 
 There is beauty in the bare ground, finely pulverized 
 and well prepared to receive the seed for the next 
 crop; in the young green blades, when first seen 
 against the dark earth, and later, when the grown 
 crop waves in the wind, it has something of the charm 
 of a large body of water. The mere mention of 
 
i82 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 wheat, rye, corn, clover, alfalfa and other crops 
 brings to mind something pleasing to look at. 
 
 THE FARM ORCHARD AND OTHER FEATURES 
 
 Orchards are noted for their beauty, and though 
 they are attractive at all seasons, they are especially 
 handsome when in bloom or when full of fruit. Small- 
 fruits, blackberries, raspberries, currants, goose- 
 berries and strawberries, are often most attractive 
 in appearance. ^ 
 
 Also, a farm may have springs surrounded by 
 charming wild growth, creeks, ponds, and lakes. 
 Here and there about a farm there may be individual 
 trees or groups of trees. Every farmer's boy and 
 girl should learn to swim, skate, row, and paddle, 
 either by taking advantage of some body of water 
 connected with their own farm or that of a neighbor, 
 or by going to a township or a county park. 
 
 Important though the beauty of the farm may be, 
 there is something of still greater importance, and 
 that is that the farmer and his family shall see and 
 appreciate this beauty. If they can do this, they 
 are of all persons the most fortunate. Other men 
 and women work in their offices, their shops, their 
 factories and their kitchens all their lives until their 
 
FARMS 183 
 
 declining years, when they are Hkely to seek a home 
 in the country so that they can spend the few remain- 
 ing years in enjoyment. The farmer can spend not 
 only his declining years but his entire life in enjoying 
 nature. He can always have the trees, bushes and 
 many of the other interesting features that have 
 been named. 
 
 When a farmer sees none of the beauty of the 
 country ; when he looks on his life as one of drudgery ; 
 when he seeks merely to earn dollars and compares 
 his often meager income with that of wealthy men in 
 the city ; his declining years are likely to arrive too 
 early in life. He may be old when he has reached 
 the age of forty or fifty. When he sees the beauty 
 of nature ; when he realizes the comfort that he en- 
 joys, the satisfaction of breathing pure air, of having 
 freedom beyond that of most men, the pleasure of 
 listening to the songs of birds, looking at the ex- 
 panse of sky, the beauty of woodlands, of sunrises 
 and sunsets ; when he takes a philosophical view 
 of life ; when he solves the various farm problems 
 with intelligence and wise foresight ; his declining 
 years may be postponed far beyond those of the 
 average man. With the ideal farmer's life, such 
 years may never be reached. 
 
i84 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 The beauty of the farm, the farm which is the 
 foundation of our prosperity and most of our happi- 
 ness, leads to that love of country which is true 
 patriotism. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 Landscape-Gardening for Arid and 
 Semi-Arid Regions 
 
 Since writing the previous chapters, the follow- 
 ing communication, which will serve as a text for 
 the present one, has been received from the Editor 
 of the Rural Science Series: 
 
 "I was standing in the ofBce of one of the educa- 
 tional institutions of a western state looking out 
 at the bare bald hills. A woman in the office who 
 had recently been East, remarked to me that in the 
 part of the country she visited all the hills were 
 spoiled by the forests. She said it was a relief to 
 get back to the West where the hills stood out by 
 themselves, and she could see all the outlines and 
 all the shadows and not have them covered by a mere 
 growth of trees. This raises a very important ques- 
 tion for half of the geographical area of our country. 
 What is to be the type of landscape-gardening in the 
 great treeless or semi-arid West where millions of 
 
 i8s 
 
1 86 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 people are going to live ? About their homes they 
 will have a little irrigated patch perhaps, but the 
 landscape must be a natural one in all the regions 
 beyond. In many parts of the country they will 
 not even have irrigation about their homes, as they 
 practice dry-farming, which is the process of getting 
 one crop in two years or two crops in three years by 
 such methods of tillage as will save all the rainfall 
 and make use of the moister parts of the year 
 for getting their crops started. From the point 
 of view of the old landscape-gardening these areas 
 seem to be hopeless ; yet, numbers of persons must 
 live in these regions and there ought to be some way 
 whereby the artist can develop for them a new type 
 of satisfaction. All our artistic conceptions of land- 
 scape-gardening seem to be drawn from humid coun- 
 tries, as, indeed, our common agriculture Is so drawn ; 
 but more than half of the land surface of the earth 
 receives a rainfall of less than twenty inches and has 
 a set of problems of its own. I often wonder what 
 would be the character of our landscape art if it had 
 been developed first in a semi-arid country." 
 
 What can a landscape-gardener do for a treeless 
 region ? While he can sometimes improve appear- 
 ances by grading or by using rocks in an artistic way, 
 
ARID AND SEMI-ARID REGIONS 187 
 
 his work, to a very large extent, is connected with 
 the growth of vegetation. Ordinarily, he needs trees 
 for shade, for sky-lines and for beauty of foliage, 
 branches, flowers and fruit. He needs shrubs and 
 herbaceous plants for their beauty and to cover the 
 ground, since it is his ideal to have all ground occupied 
 with growing plants excepting that taken by roads, 
 walks, bowlders, and protruding rock. Where plants 
 are lacking, what can be done to make a home com- 
 fortable and beautiful ? 
 
 There is hardly any locality that need be entirely 
 destitute of plants, even though these may be only 
 cacti, yuccas, and sage-brush. The outlines of build- 
 ings as silhouetted against the sky are always impor- 
 tant, but are of special significance in a treeless re- 
 gion. Usually, buildings in such a region should be 
 broad and low. In arranging buildings for comfort, 
 the prevailing winds and the climate should be stud- 
 ied in the western states just as in the East. In 
 arranging a home in New Mexico or Arizona, which 
 are typical arid states, the points to be considered 
 might be enumerated as follows : — 
 
 I. Views. 
 
 Large areas in New Mexico and Arizona com- 
 mand attractive mountain views. There are also 
 
1 88 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 beautifully colored rocks, of all shapes and sizes 
 and, apparently, of endless extent. There are often 
 rolling surfaces supporting at least a slight vege- 
 tation, although, to eastern eyes, large areas in 
 these western states seem to be worthless barren 
 wastes. There are persons who delight in the color 
 eflfects and the immense distances in this region. 
 Houses here, just as in wooded regions, would be 
 placed so that the rooms habitually occupied would 
 command the best views. 
 
 2. Breeze. 
 
 Advantage would be taken of prevailing winds 
 to secure the greatest amount of comfort by placing 
 homes so they will be protected from cold and disagree- 
 able winds, by hills, and also have the advantage of 
 the breezes that add to one's pleasure in summer. 
 
 3. Elevation. 
 
 Even though it may be unnecessary to take any 
 precautions with regard to drainage, high land would 
 naturally be chosen as a site for a house for the sake 
 of air and a commanding view of the surrounding 
 country. 
 
 4. Planting. 
 
 There should undoubtedly be some planting. 
 There must be water to drink and for cooking, to 
 
ARID AND SEMI-ARID REGIONS 189 
 
 say nothing of bathing, and with water for these 
 purposes enough could probably be obtained for 
 house plants and vines. There should also be a 
 vegetable-garden, and to conserve moisture for this 
 a surrounding growth of bushes would be advanta- 
 geous. Experiments have shown that even a slight 
 breeze doubles the evaporation from the ground and 
 a strong wind has a marked effect. Bushes, there- 
 fore, by checking the wind, help to keep the garden 
 moist so that vegetables, which are important for 
 food, can be grown. The surrounding bushes can 
 be varied in outline, especially along the outer mar- 
 gin, thus making an interesting detail in landscape. 
 It may not be feasible in an arid region to have many 
 trees, but a single specimen, perhaps a pine or a red 
 cedar like those one sees from trains in passing through 
 New Mexico, can usually be so placed with reference 
 to the house as to make a picture for one to look at 
 when approaching the home. Such a tree will also 
 give shade and make the view from a house more 
 interesting. 
 
 The problem for a landscape-gardener in any loca- 
 tion is to make the most of the available materials. 
 It is wise always to work in harmony with what 
 nature has done in the surrounding territory. In 
 
I90 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 any locality, whether dry or moist, planting material 
 should be used which is indigenous to the region or 
 which grows in some other locality having a similar 
 soil and climate. In dry sections, as has already 
 been suggested, use can be made of several species 
 of shrubs generally known as sage-brush, although 
 in many cases this is not a correct appellation. In 
 some dry localities, a cactus garden perhaps in com- 
 bination with rocks would be appropriate and in- 
 teresting. There are also numerous herbaceous 
 plants which come into bloom even in our so-called 
 desert at certain seasons of the year and which are 
 exceedingly interesting. These can be used about 
 one's home as a ground cover and are often attrac- 
 tive even when dry. They do not always make a 
 suitable carpet to walk on, but paths along the 
 routes usually traveled may be made with stepping 
 stones, gravel or any other suitable material that 
 may be available. 
 
 It is unwise to attempt to change Colorado or 
 Arizona to give them the appearance of Ohio or 
 Georgia, but much can be done to make the homes 
 in these and other western states attractive. The 
 writer has been to western towns when they were 
 entirely destitute of trees and seemed to him most 
 
ARID AND SEMI-ARID REGIONS 191 
 
 forlorn and ugly in appearance. After a lapse of 
 several years, he has again seen these towns con- 
 taining a growth of shade trees, bushes and flowers. 
 This is an indication of what can be done if there 
 is an inclination to improve appearances. Here as 
 elsewhere the important thing for the landscape- 
 gardener to do is to teach persons to see and ap- 
 preciate natural beauty. He should also point out 
 the attractive local features, designating how these 
 can be taken advantage of or improved, and stimulate 
 that action on the part of the inhabitants which 
 will give them a feeling of satisfaction and pride in 
 their surroundings. It is certainly a satisfactory 
 state of affairs when each one can think his own 
 locality the best one in the world in which to live. 
 Let the western woman continue to admire the 
 bare plains and mountains which to eastern eyes 
 often seem dreary and forbidding, but point out to 
 her how touches of growth here and there near her 
 house may enhance the mountain view and make 
 her immediate surroundings home-like and attractive. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 Public Thoroughfares 
 
 A STATEMENT was made at the beginning of this 
 book that its purpose is to help make the country 
 more beautiful. To accomplish this result, nothing 
 will contribute more than the improvement of the 
 Condition and appearance of public thoroughfares. 
 It is from these thoroughfares or highways that one 
 sees the beauty of cities, villages, farms, parks, lakes, 
 rivers and woods, as well as that of the highway 
 itself. With the improved physical condition of the 
 roads, the country itself will become more beauti- 
 ful, because farmers will be more prosperous and 
 so better able to have attractive homes and farms. 
 They will become more appreciative of their sur- 
 roundings, more reluctant to have disreputable- 
 looking barn-yards or slovenly house surroundings 
 and more anxious to own grounds and farms 
 which the increased number of passers-by will 
 
 admire. 
 
 192 
 
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES 193 
 
 It is unfortunate that in locating highways better 
 judgment was not exercised. While our system of 
 dividing land into sections one mile square and frac- 
 tions of sections is admirable for describing land 
 areas, the location of roads on the boundaries of 
 these sections Is often a mistake from a practical as 
 well as an aesthetic point of view. Many farmers, 
 on account of section line roads which often go up 
 hill and down, have had to lift all the produce hauled 
 to market many feet unnecessarily and travel many 
 miles farther than would have been the case had the 
 roads been laid out wisely. Some of the mistakes 
 can perhaps be corrected in the building of state 
 roads. ^ 
 
 Curved highways, while in most cases shorten- 
 ing the distance to be traveled, and allowing roads 
 on easy grades to be constructed -economically, have 
 the additional merit not only of looking better than 
 
 1 A. R. Hirst, State Highway Engineer of Wisconsin, in his Presidential 
 address at the fifth annual meeting of the American Association of State High- 
 way Officials at Louisville, Ky., December, 19 19, states, as reported in "Good 
 Roads," that the value of a mile in highway distance saved where there are 
 only one hundred vehicles a day would be ^3650.00, which, capitalized at five 
 per cent, would be $73,000.00. If there were two hundred and fifty vehicles, 
 the saving a mile on the same basis would be $182,500.00. It is not at all 
 uncommon for a thoroughfare entering one of our larger cities to accommodate 
 one thousand vehicles or more. For a mile saved on such a thoroughfare the 
 gain would be $730,000.00 or more. With this inducement for making "short 
 cuts," it seems probable that many roads will be changed. 
 O 
 
194 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 straight roads, but also of giving the country as a 
 whole a better appearance. In England, which is 
 usually considered the most beautiful country of its 
 size in the world, nearly all the roads are curved. 
 The beauty of New England is due largely to its 
 curved roads which were made before the United 
 States section laws were adopted. Look at any one 
 of the older roads which was used in advance of the 
 government survey and see how much better it fits 
 the ground and how much better looking it is than 
 the more modern straight highway. As a city 
 develops, some of these original thoroughfares, 
 mere trails at first, usually become its leading 
 arteries. 
 
 Even with straight highways laid out with the 
 customary width of sixty-six feet, there is a chance 
 for much variation from a straight line in the road 
 which usually requires only sixteen feet, and it is 
 interesting to see how the lines of travel in unpaved 
 roads are frequently on long graceful curves, per- 
 haps to avoid a valley, the steep part of a hill, or 
 a group of trees or bushes. In many cases it would 
 be wise for the highway commissioners, when they 
 put in concrete, macadam, or brick for a permanent 
 roadway, to follow the easy graceful lines of travel. 
 
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES 195 
 
 Often there would be a gain in economy as well as 
 in beauty by so doing. 
 
 The importance of having good drainage, easy 
 grades and solid road-beds is becoming well under- 
 stood by highway engineers, so no space will be given 
 to these matters here. Where grades change, how- 
 ever, some engineers are inclined to make this change 
 
 
 1 
 
 ,, I , „\ , „,,,,ll>l>IJ »lli»l»ill> 
 
 
 Fig. 42. — Profile of Road. The upper profile indicates the character of 
 grades not unusual In cities with long straight sections connected by compara- 
 tively short curves. The lower profile is a continuous curve which gives 
 a more satisfactory appearance. 
 
 too abruptly, so that the road profile appears angular 
 instead of curved as it should (Fig. 42). 
 
 At the road intersections, when for some reason 
 the center lines do not meet, there is an opportunity 
 frequently to use curves to advantage so that there 
 will be a continuous roadway without jogs (Fig. 43). 
 In cities with paved streets and curbs, the radius of 
 curvature of the curb at corners should be long enough 
 so that an automobile can follow the curb closely in 
 turning to the cross street. A radius of at least 
 
196 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 twenty feet would be required. This may seem to 
 be a matter connected with engineering rather than 
 landscape-gardening, but the landscape-gardener is 
 concerned with the appearance of the street as a 
 whole and if it does not fit its purpose, and is not 
 
 Fig. 43. — The Crossing. This shows in full lines an actual street inter- 
 section where roads do not meet, a dangerous arrangement causing conges- 
 tion. Dotted lines with curves having long radii of curvature show a better 
 arrangement. 
 
 comfortable to use, it will not have a good appear- 
 ance. 
 
 The walk or path along the side of a highway 
 should have the same freedom that is here advocated 
 for roadways. Sometimes, in the country, a path 
 
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES 197 
 
 will not be required along the highway, but when 
 it is needed, it should, in most places, be separated 
 from the road by a planted strip of land. The loca- 
 tion of the path may be anywhere between the land 
 required for vehicles and the property line. Its 
 grade may be above or below that of the road, pro- 
 vided it is well drained and that it is not crossed by 
 a private drive. For example, if the highway passes 
 along the side of a hill and the foot-path is on the 
 side toward the foot of the hill, its grade may with 
 comfort and safety be lower than that of the road- 
 bed upon which vehicles travel, while the path on 
 the opposite side could be above the road grade, pro- 
 vided always that these paths have profiles that are 
 not too steep. When roads and paths or walks have 
 been constructed with proper lines and grades, plant- 
 ing should be begun. By skilfully using for planting 
 that portion of highways not needed for vehicles 
 or pedestrians, all thoroughfares might be made 
 charming. 
 
 Such planting has usually been left to the 
 abutting property owners and, of course, has fre- 
 quently been omitted altogether. If the appear- 
 ance of country roads is to become what it should be, 
 the supervision of the planting must be a matter for 
 
198 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 the highway officials to attend to as well as the con- 
 struction of the road-bed itself, and these officials 
 should include among their number, or be advised 
 by, a competent landscape-gardener. In some states 
 no attention whatever is given to the planting here 
 advocated, while other states, like New York and 
 Massachusetts, are making intelligent progress. The 
 old idea of having a row of trees on each side of a 
 highway, the trees in the rows being spaced at uni- 
 form intervals, is giving way to the more artistic 
 arrangement of groups placed in a natural way. 
 These groups may contain both trees and shrubs. 
 The tree growth may be that of one species or of 
 several, and the same is true of the shrubs and also 
 of the herbaceous material that may contribute to 
 the general effect. With this freedom of arrangement, 
 a wide space between groups may be left where 
 there is a notable view, and again where there is no 
 view the groups may be close together or contin- 
 uous for a long stretch of highway. By adopting 
 this method, highways might become as attractive 
 as any natural road through the woods. The native 
 species, or those of similar type and character, are to 
 be preferred, both because they match the landscape 
 and because they are hardy and dependable. 
 
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES 
 
 199 
 
 THE HILLSIDE ROAD (FigS. 44 and 45) 
 
 A road leads from the city out into the country, 
 its general direction lying from south to southeast. 
 At first it traverses comparatively level land and 
 
 StjiU of Milts 
 9 H ' 
 
 Fig. 44. — A Hillside Road. Often difficult, but full of possibilities. 
 
200 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 then enters a valley, bounded on the east or left by 
 a ridge having gradually sloping sides, and on the 
 west by a rather steep bluff. The highway in ques- 
 tion follows along the east side of the valley, gradually 
 climbing the broad ridge. The valley is good farm- 
 ing land with pasture and cultivated fields. The 
 time is October. The bluff on the west side of the 
 valley is covered, for the most part, with sugar maples 
 which are brilliantly colored in the morning sun. 
 The broad ridge which the highway is following is 
 old pasture land, some of the fields being thickly 
 sprinkled with hawthorns which the cattle have 
 trimmed into characteristic shapes. Many of these 
 have grown above the browsing line and are covered 
 with red fruits. Little ravines cross the highway and 
 carry surface water underneath through pipes or 
 culverts. At the first point in this mind picture, 
 where the drive begins to follow the ridge, the road- 
 way curves slightly toward the left, and the sloping 
 roadside toward the ridge is covered with Virginia 
 creepers carrying red leaves and dark-bluish berries. 
 Then there is a roadside covering of wild roses with 
 red fruits and dark red stems. On the right, the 
 valley side, is first a group of elms which shade the 
 road and frame the landscape. Continuing toward 
 
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES 
 
 201 
 
 the south Is a spreading group of hawthorns. Be- 
 yond the hawthorns there is a long opening through 
 
 
 
 L., 
 
 
 .^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 >Qi 
 
 
 ^^ 
 
 /^ 
 
 (^ 
 
 'jI 
 
 
 ^<3 /Oa /i'O 
 
 V, 
 
 
 Fig. 45. — The Hillside Road. Sketch of detail of the road. 
 
202 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 which the valley is seen, at this point being about a 
 mile wide. In the valley are green wheat fields in 
 good condition for the coming winter. There are 
 other fields containing shocks of corn, farm buildings 
 nestling among groups of trees and shrubs, and pas- 
 ture land with scattering herds of cattle. The open- 
 ing through which these are seen is bounded along 
 the roadside by a growth of wild roses and elder- 
 berries, and is terminated at the south side with an 
 extended group of sugar maples. After passing the 
 maples, the road follows a nearly straight course 
 for some distance, and then turns to the right, but 
 gradually reverses, passing around a transverse ridge 
 which is covered with native woods. The growth 
 seen immediately in front, as one approaches this 
 turn to the right, is largely composed of hemlocks 
 and yellow birches. There are also touches here and 
 there of red-branched dogwoods, and shortly before 
 reaching the turn there is a ravine which is included 
 in the woodland and separated from the pasture by 
 a fence. Looking up this ravine, at the bottom of 
 which there is a running stream, one can see a large 
 sycamore with its white trunk. Around the base 
 of the sycamore and extending up and down the 
 stream are patches of Indian currants with their 
 
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES 203 
 
 wine-colored berries. One can see also along the 
 sides of the ravine areas of prickly ash, elderberries 
 and wild roses, and, in the distance, a winterberry 
 brilliant with its scarlet fruit. This ravine, extending 
 into the woods at the left, makes a delightful picture. 
 The road continues around the wooded hill in which 
 grow oaks, maples, birches and he^mlocks, and as it 
 turns back along the southwesterly slope it passes 
 an attractive farm-house occupying a commanding 
 position with regard to the valley (Fig. 46). This 
 house is framed by great elm trees like the noted elms 
 of New England. The house itself seems to have 
 every appearance of comfort. It not only commands 
 most attractive views, but it receives sunshine and 
 favorable breezes. The elm trees mentioned are 
 along the highway and are flanked by lilacs. Be- 
 yond the house, covering the foot of the hill, is an 
 apple orchard which partly screens a group of farm 
 buildings. After passing this scene of domestic 
 comfort and thrift, the road turns to the southeast, 
 skirting the southwest slope of the hill, and crosses 
 another transverse valley. It continues on until 
 the two sides of the valley come together, the charac- 
 ter of the country remaining much like that just 
 described. Here and there along the highway are 
 
204 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 groups of various trees, sometimes a great white oak 
 with an accompaniment of sumachs, sometimes a 
 collection of sugar maples, then a giant black walnut, 
 then a grove of bur oaks flanked with hawthorns, an 
 
 ;_ i_-,i'«^'<jW 
 
 ■' \ X r"-'') o:) f-o r.i) r."^ C') c.^'> 
 ■p^i,- *>-- c/ <— ^ Lv o'^ v^ 
 
 -^ <_/ ^^ ^-^ v.> O v^ 
 
 //'^^^/ V- >. ■.^' N^^ ^-' *-^ V^_^ ,^^ 
 
 ^MHj 60 O O O G> li' 
 
 Ptttvrt 
 
 </ FCCT 
 
 Fig. 46. — The Scenery en Route. Sketch of part of hillside road. 
 
 extensive thicket of choke cherries, black haws and 
 tooth-leaved viburnums. Here and there are mar- 
 gins of a bit of woods containing beeches and sugar 
 maples and so on until a distant village is reached. 
 
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES 205 
 
 Growing along the highway, which is often bounded 
 by stone walls, are frequent thickets of hazel bushes 
 Interspersed and bordered with goldenrods and asters. 
 Throughout the whole extent of this country road 
 there are beautiful things to look at, trees and shrubs 
 In great variety, often rich In autumn coloring. The 
 road-bed itself gradually ascends to the head of the 
 valley on a grade never exceeding five per cent. It 
 has a smooth hard surface bordered with a strip of 
 land which continues the slope of the road and is 
 covered with grass or other hardy low vegetation, 
 and this, In turn. Is bordered perhaps on a steep bank 
 by the growth described. The curves of the road 
 are so easy that an automobile can move safely on 
 high speed and still the beauty of the road Itself and 
 the country It traverses is such that it is tempting 
 to one who likes to walk and can take his time to 
 enjoy scenery. While the road is always curved 
 it changes its direction so gradually that approaching 
 vehicles can be seen at a long distance, so that the 
 element of danger is reduced to a minimum. 
 
 This imaginary road merely gives a hint of the 
 beauty of a highway which reaches out to a country 
 southeast of a large city, not only of the beauty of 
 the highway itself but also of the country on either 
 
2o6 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 side. It reaches the farming district along lines 
 which, though curved, are reasonably direct. The 
 distance along this highway to its destination is 
 much shorter than two straight sides of a right angle, 
 one side of which runs north and south, and the 
 other east and west, Aloreover, the cost of the 
 grading, construction and maintenance of the road 
 outlined above would be far less than that of roads 
 constructed through the same country on straight 
 lines. 
 
 THE RIVER ROAD (Fig. 47) 
 
 A broad deep river flows southwest from another 
 large city. Within the town the river is traversed 
 by bridges, but in other places it can only be crossed 
 by boats, so that it serves as a barrier for all vehicles 
 and pedestrians. Along the left bank of this river is 
 a ridge of land of which the highest part lies just 
 above high water mark. Back of this ridge the land 
 is relatively low so that during time of extremely high 
 water it is flooded. An indigenous forest growth 
 covers the ridge and its steep banks sloping toward 
 the river and also the low land. Upon the ridge a 
 roadway has been constructed. For a traveler along 
 this roadway the woods furnish constant entertain- 
 ment. From it, at frequent intervals, and occasion- 
 
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES 
 
 207 
 
 ally for long stretches, the interesting opposite bank 
 of the river is seen as well as the river itself. This 
 opposite bank is steep and high, reaching in places 
 
 Fig. 47. — A Riverside Drive. Utilizing neglected opportunities. 
 
 an elevation of one hundred feet above the ordinary 
 river level. It is likewise covered with a forest 
 growth mostly of oak, but in springtime one could 
 pick out here and there against the gray mass of stems 
 
2o8 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 the flowers of red-buds, juneberries, wild plums and 
 dogwoods, and near the river a slight yellowish tinge 
 from the blossoms of spice-bush. A little later there 
 will be light pink areas from the flowers of the wild 
 crab-apple and the leaves of the oaks will appear in 
 various delicate tints. Sometimes there will be boats 
 upon the river. The near-at-hand growth along the 
 margins of the river road just mentioned is largely 
 made up of lindens, elms, hackberries, soft maples, 
 sycamores and hawthorns, with here and there a 
 clump of willows. Underneath the hawthorns, the 
 ground is covered with anemone blossoms in the 
 spring and with little red apples in fall. Aside from 
 the trees mentioned, there is a growth of various 
 bushes including our red-branched dogwoods, elder- 
 berries, spice-bushes, Carolina roses, viburnums and 
 a shrub-like stand of pawpaws. In places, also, the 
 ground is covered with mandrakes, adder-tongues, 
 bloodroots, hepaticas, trilliums, bluebells, iris and 
 ferns. This area, mostly covered with original forest 
 extending for several miles along the river, has been 
 converted into a public park. It is not adapted to 
 ordinary cultivated crops because of the inundations 
 that occur at least once a year and sometimes oftener. 
 It can be imagined that this river road, with its 
 
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES 209 
 
 varied scenery, will be popular for those who wish to 
 take an after-dinner ride in their automobiles during 
 the long evenings of May, June and July. The words 
 "river road" suggest something interesting. Our 
 native forest growth is becoming every year more 
 and more precious and this forest if preserved for 
 one hundred years or more will be priceless in value. 
 
 The birds that frequent the river and the woods 
 will be objects of interest to those who watch for 
 them. The kingfishers will be sure to be on hand 
 and occasionally one will be fortunate enough to 
 see a blue heron, a few ducks or other water fowl. If 
 one goes into the woods and sits quietly in the eve- 
 ning, one may be rewarded with a song of a wood- 
 thrush and at other times in the day one may be 
 fortunate enough to see robins, catbirds, orioles, 
 tanagers, indigo birds, rose-breasted grosbeaks, blue- 
 jays and occasionally cardinal birds. During late 
 spring and early summer, whippoorwills, night hawks 
 and swallows may fill the evening with sound. 
 
 From this highway, roads branch toward the 
 south. At first it was thought best to restrict the 
 driving along the river road to pleasure vehicles, 
 but later it was concluded to allow all the farmers 
 who would use this road as the most direct route to 
 
2IO LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 the city to have the benefit of the river scenery. In 
 addition to the road, there is a path along the river 
 side for those who wish to walk, and seats have been 
 provided wherever there are favorable outlooks. At 
 two places creeks pass underneath the drive, carry- 
 ing their supply of water to the river, and the main 
 forest above described has spurs of forest growth 
 extending along the banks of these creeks far out 
 into the country. 
 
 There are situations where this imaginary drive 
 might become a reality, giving pleasure forever to 
 the inhabitants of the city who delight in the river 
 drive and also to the farmers who would continue 
 to use it for generations, and toward whose farms the 
 river road makes a direct line of communication 
 from the city. Perhaps, in some instances, a lake 
 might take the place of the river, or the main road 
 might follow the course of a comparatively narrow 
 stream with steep high banks. From such a road 
 branches leading to the farming country might 
 emerge through tributary valleys of smaller size. 
 The aim should be to preserve the natural beauty 
 of the country, while seeking at the same time direct- 
 ness and convenience in lines of travel. By planting 
 in certain places and preserving openings where there 
 
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES 
 
 211 
 
 are good views, 
 one picture after 
 another will be 
 presented to the 
 delighted eyes of 
 a traveler. 
 
 (Fig. 48) THE 
 PRAIRIE ROAD 
 
 The two im- 
 aginary roads al- 
 ready described 
 in outline had 
 special features 
 to make them 
 interesting. One 
 passed through a 
 rolling country 
 with hills and val- 
 leys and wooded 
 areas. The other 
 followed a river, 
 the banks of 
 which were also 
 wooded. The 
 
 
 
 Fig. 48. — The Prairie Road. 
 
212 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 third road extends directly north from a prairie town 
 through a country that is almost level, a treeless 
 region with very large farms. What can be done to 
 make such a road interesting ? The land stretches 
 in every direction to the sky excepting where the 
 farmers have built homes or planted wood-lots. It 
 may* be taken for granted, as one starts out on this 
 road, that it has been built for a long time and the 
 farmers are "old settlers." As this road emerges 
 from town, it leaves a street lined with elm trees 
 which frame in the more open spaces of the country 
 ahead. The roadway itself is a little higher than 
 the adjoining prairie land. It is sixteen feet in 
 width and has a nearly level shoulder on each side. 
 Beyond the shoulder is a depression for surface drain- 
 age and beyond the depression near the fence on each 
 side is a path worn by pedestrians. Before reaching 
 the large farms, there are cottages with truck-gar- 
 dens and a few fruit-trees. Beyond these, in the 
 region of the large farms, planting has added to the 
 beauty and comfort of the thoroughfare. There 
 is a continual growth of low vegetation between the 
 paths on either side and the edge of the roadway. 
 This includes grass, extensive areas of wild roses, 
 aromatic sumach, wild grapes, Virginia creepers, 
 
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES 213 
 
 virgin's bower, bittersweet, ironweed, goldenrod, 
 shooting-stars, strawberries, cinquefoils, Jerusalem 
 artichokes, asters and other herbaceous plants. 
 There are also shrubs of higher growth, but these 
 usually appear in a group with certain trees. Soon 
 after leaving town, the road is arched by groups of 
 giant cottonwoods growing on either side, and at 
 the base of these are elderberries. Beyond, near a 
 farm-house, one sees a group of bur oaks. These 
 are not as large as the cottonwoods. It would take 
 another hundred years to bring them to maturity, 
 but they are already beautiful trees, and in time no 
 tree will surpass them in rugged dignity. Some of 
 these trees stand in the highway and others in the 
 front yard of the farmer's house (Fig. 49). At the 
 corner of his yard is a thicket of wild crab-apples, and 
 then along his front line come prairie roses and haw- 
 thorns. Near by, along the highway, is an orchard 
 which helps to carry the sky-line up to the top of the 
 bur oaks, and the growth about the farm buildings is 
 balanced by a wood-lot which has been planted on 
 the opposite side of the road but far enough to the 
 north so that the morning sun will appear early at 
 the farmer's home. This wood-lot, planted by a 
 farmer who had moved from one of the middle 
 
214 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 IkI 
 
 —_-i.\y 
 
 
 ^m 
 
 
 
 
 ^N 
 
 ;i;^i.S^|0 O O ^ Q O CvOG;-'^' 
 
 ^i e o o <:; o o o' e C- C" 
 
 ^p^^ e o o <:; o o o' e C- C" f'^ ( 
 ' '^#^^|o e a e QOOOG ^- 
 
 rC5 m'-'i /=-. ,;*^ /r.-, .'''!\ O- C. O ,0) 
 
 I ^p^iO ■€ ©C GG O 
 
 ii'i! >i^ _ .<^ — . — - 
 
 ,r' 
 
 ^'i G C? O O e ■€) Q O C 
 
 e^ 
 
 Ph 
 
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES 215 
 
 states, was intended to reproduce the character of 
 the woods with which he had been familiar. Pass- 
 ing this farm-house and wood-lot, one reaches rela- 
 tively open areas and looks across fields to homes 
 on various cross roads. Then the road again be- 
 comes shaded, this time with sycamores which reach 
 their untrimmed spreading branches quite across 
 the roadway as though the trees on one side were 
 shaking hands with those on the other, and here 
 again is the same combination that was seen in the 
 ravine mentioned with the first road, a grouping of 
 sycamores with extensive stretches of Indian cur- 
 rants. 
 
 After passing the sycamores and again looking oflF 
 over the surrounding country, the road passes be- 
 tween thickets of hawthorns of perhaps a hundred 
 different varieties. It would pay one to travel out 
 from town in the spring to see these hawthorns when 
 they are in bloom, or again in the fall covered with 
 fruit and richly colored foliage. Some distance be- 
 yond the belts of thorns are thickets of wild plums 
 leading up to Kentucky coffee trees, and these, in 
 turn to honey locusts. Protected by one of the wild 
 plum thickets is a red-bud showing its pink blossoms 
 above the white flowers of its neighbors. Extending 
 
2i6 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 north from the honey locusts are other tree's forming 
 almost an arboretum. These include all the oaks 
 found growing along the rivers or in those wooded 
 areas which exist in nearly all the prairie states. 
 There are many species of oaks, several species of 
 maples, black walnuts, hickories, ash trees, butter- 
 nuts, lindens, elms, wild cherries, buckeyes and 
 hackberries. With these trees are scattering haw- 
 thorns, which appear to have strayed from the main 
 group. Thickets of prickly ash appear here and 
 there and also scattering areas of prairie, meadow 
 and Carolina roses. Many native and some intro- 
 duced flowers persist in growing along the roadside. 
 
 The planting along the highway is sometimes re- 
 inforced by wood-lots on either side similar to the 
 one already mentioned. The trees standing between 
 the path and the roadway, that is, occupying a strip 
 lying between six and eighteen feet from the fence, 
 will more than repay by their beauty, shade and 
 protection from wind any harm they may do to the 
 crops in the adjoining fields. These trees as well as 
 the lower growth will furnish places for birds' nests, 
 while the berries and other fruits will serve as dessert 
 for the birds, whose principal meal will be supplied 
 by the insects which the farmer would like to have 
 
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES 217 
 
 destroyed. Thus this road continues, extending 
 out from some town, perhaps in central Illinois, 
 and becomes more interesting with each year's added 
 growth. 
 
 To be sure, there are long stretches where the crops 
 come to the fences without any interference whatever 
 from the growth in the highway, having a ground- 
 cover along the sides of the roadway consisting of 
 the lower growth that has been mentioned often, 
 not more than two or three feet high. Where the 
 planted wood areas occur, the street planting joins 
 directly on to that of the forest, giving an effect 
 almost equal to natural woods if the planter has been 
 skilful in selecting and arranging the various trees 
 and shrubs. 
 
 CITY STREETS 
 
 If one enters the city from one of the above de- 
 scribed country roads, one will be fortunate to find 
 a condition so happily described by the late Charles 
 Mulford Robinson as "the country flowing into the 
 city." By this expression he meant the growth of 
 trees, bushes and grass which should extend along 
 the sides of all city or village streets devoted to 
 homes. There are also some factory districts where 
 one finds not only street planting, but park-like 
 
21 8 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 grounds for recreation between the factory and the 
 street. The appearance of a city would indeed 
 be greatly improved if there could be less crowding 
 of apartment houses and some more or less public 
 buildings upon the front property lines. Often it 
 would be of great advantage to the appearance of 
 a street if the fence protecting home grounds could 
 be set back so that shrubs could be planted in front 
 of it without encroaching on the sidewalk. This 
 arrangement could often be adopted without any 
 disadvantage to the home grounds. The fence 
 might even be of inexpensive wire entirely hidden by 
 the shrubs on either side, serving as a protection 
 both to the grounds and to the shrubs because it 
 would prevent passing through. 
 
 The argument in favor of grouping applies just 
 as well in the city as in the country. If the space 
 for planting is wide enough, varied groups may be 
 introduced. If the space between the curb and the 
 sidewalk is narrow, trees might be planted in rows, 
 but it is not essential that the spacing in this case 
 should be uniform. A wide space may be left to 
 provide a view from a house or from the street across 
 attractive grounds, and where there is no view and 
 no objection to continued shade, the trees may be 
 
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES 219 
 
 relatively closer together. Sometimes a space is 
 left in the middle of a street for planting and a road- 
 way constructed on either side. There are some ad- 
 vantages and some disadvantages in this arrange- 
 ment. The chief advantage is the ample room given 
 for the spread of tree branches and for having effec- 
 tive groupings of shrubs. The disadvantages are 
 the larger expense both for construction and main- 
 tenance and the narrowing effect in the appearance 
 of the street. For instance, if the street is narrow 
 with a parkway in the center, the road-bed on either 
 side should be not less than sixteen feet in width, 
 making a total width of pavement for the street of 
 thirty-two feet, while if the road-bed were in the 
 center, twenty-four feet would have as much ca- 
 pacity for traffic as the thirty-two feet in two roads. 
 The appearance of the roadway twenty-four feet 
 wide in the center with ample parkways on either 
 side would be more beautiful and give a more dignified 
 effect than two narrow roadways with the street 
 space divided into two lanes by the planting in the 
 center. With a broad parklike street, having a 
 width of one or two hundred feet, the two roadways 
 would be appropriate, and, with a still wider street, 
 even three roads would be advisable, the center one 
 
220 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 being for pleasure driving and the side roads for 
 traffic. ' 
 
 In any study of street arrangement for roads, 
 planting and sidewalks, the aim should be to preserve 
 the best effect of space. If possible, the road should 
 be given the appearance of having breadth and free- 
 dom. At the corners, the radius of curvature of the 
 edge of the pavement should be at least twenty feet. 
 Sometimes this may cause the sidewalk to meet the 
 pavement on a curved slanting line, but there is no 
 objection to this if the crossing is on a level with the 
 sidewalk as it should be with the surface water re- 
 moved by catch basins placed along the block in- 
 stead of at the street intersection. 
 
 When a city is on a hill with views out into the 
 country, or when it borders a lake or river, care should 
 be taken not to obstruct street ends (Fig. 50). The 
 city plan should always allow the greatest possible 
 freedom for views outside of the city itself. There 
 will, however, be many advantages in having angular 
 and curved streets within the city boundaries as these 
 will display the architecture or planting to better 
 advantage than long straight streets, and they may 
 fit the topography, reduce cost of construction, 
 and shorten distances. With such planning, there 
 
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES 
 
 221 
 
 will be effective positions 
 for prominent buildings, 
 such as churches, es- 
 pecially churches with 
 steeples, library build- 
 ings, courthouses, hotels, 
 schools and theaters, but 
 if a street commands a 
 beautiful view of a val- 
 ley, a distant hill, a lake 
 or a river, a school build- 
 ing or any other struc- 
 ture should not on any 
 account be placed where 
 it will cut off this view. 
 Frequently a most ex- 
 asperating bill-board is 
 put in just such a loca- 
 tion. 
 
 The discussion of the 
 proper width of streets, 
 the kind of pavement to 
 use, and many other 
 questions connected with 
 construction and main- 
 
 Jl.VrtH91H 
 
222 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 tenance is left to city planners and engineers, the 
 special domain of the landscape-gardener or land- 
 scape-designer being to protect the appearance of 
 the great out-of-doors. It is his mission to plan 
 the most effective arrangement of trees and other 
 growth, to protect views, hide unsightly objects, 
 preserve sunshine and everything that makes for 
 beauty. 
 
 In cities one great obstacle to the development 
 of beautiful streets which does not prevail in the 
 country is smoke. Trees make a city beautiful. 
 Even if the architecture is ugly, as it too often is, 
 large healthy trees would redeem the city. But 
 smoke kills the trees, and although attractive streets 
 and buildings are planned, it will be impossible to 
 have really beautiful cities as long as the atmos- 
 phere is polluted with smoke. There is a partial 
 remedy in smoke-preventive devices and in care in 
 feeding coal to furnaces, but probably the most effec- 
 tive prevention of smoke in cities will come with 
 the development of electricity at the coal mines and 
 the carrying of heat, light and power by means of 
 wires instead of on freight trains, trucks, wheel- 
 barrows, and shovels. 
 
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES " 223 
 
 BILL-BOARDS 
 
 The planting out of ugly features has been recom- 
 mended, but some are so big that they cannot be 
 obliterated, especially in the limited space available 
 for that purpose. These are the bill-boards which 
 have increased alarmingly in spite of legislation and 
 the efforts of various public-spirited bodies to 
 suppress them. Anything which offends the nose 
 or the ear is at once called a nuisance, but many 
 persons have not yet learned that things which offend 
 the eye are also nuisances. A big glaring sign insists 
 on passers-by spending their money for a certain 
 brand of cigar. If a man stood on the curb calling 
 the same words in a loud voice, he would at once 
 be arrested. The same sentiment ought to exist 
 with regard to bill-boards, that take advantage of 
 streets and parkways which have been built at great 
 expense for pleasant drives and walks. These in- 
 solent boards, often two stories in height, face many 
 roadways and public parks, and one cannot approach 
 any large city without having the feeling for beauti- 
 ful landscape continually offended. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 The Grounds of Railway Stations and 
 Rights of Way 
 
 Whether the grounds about a railway station 
 should be improved by the company or the com- 
 munity may be open to question, but there is no 
 doubt about the wisdom of making these areas at- 
 tractive. They form the main entrance to a city or 
 village. Strangers are likely to judge a town by its 
 appearance as seen from trains, or from the first 
 impression given by the surroundings of a station. 
 The eifect of these surroundings on one who is not 
 a stranger and who sees them continually is im- 
 portant. Their appearance should make him proud 
 of his city. 
 
 If the approach to a city from a station is satis- 
 factory, there must be ample room for the accommo- 
 dation of all vehicles and for a certain amount of 
 embellishment with trees, shrubs, vines, flowers or 
 lawn. There will usually be a combination of all 
 
 of these in grounds that are ideal. 
 
 224 
 
GROUNDS OF RAILWAY STATIONS 225 
 
 Some railways have already made a good start 
 in the right direction. Among these are the Bos- 
 ton and Albany Railway at its stations near Bos- 
 ton, the Pennsylvania Lines at many of their sub- 
 urban stations, the Michigan Central at a few of 
 its stations, and some others. Sometimes a rail- 
 way has made an attempt to have beautiful station 
 grounds without securing a satisfactory result. 
 Perhaps a circular bed of flowers has been planted 
 in the middle of a lawn near the platform, while 
 back of this there are ugly sheds, buildings or ob- 
 trusive bill-boards. The effect from the station 
 shoufd take into account all the surroundings, in- 
 cluding the buildings, the streets, and the planting. 
 If the buildings are ugly, they might be improved 
 by paint, or by planting trees so as at least par- 
 tially to hide them, or they might be torn down 
 and the ground they occupied included with the 
 station property so as to make the whole effect 
 attractive and dignified. A careful study of the 
 grounds, with plans made by some skilful designer, 
 should not only lead to a satisfactory welcome, 
 but to real economy in maintenance and to in- 
 creased valuation in adjoining property. 
 
 In designing station grounds, the first essential 
 
 Q 
 
226 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 is to plan for convenience, so that persons coming 
 to the station, whether in vehicles or on foot, will 
 reach it in an easy natural way. There should be 
 ample room to unload passengers along the plat- 
 form, or to receive them as they come from trains. 
 If there is any angle about the station building not 
 used, it can be occupied with vines, bushes, or per- 
 haps a tree. If a city street adjoins the grounds 
 of the station, perhaps the farther side can 
 be planted rather thickly, and the near side kept 
 relatively open, the resulting space being broad- 
 ened by the combination and giving a dignified 
 effect. If the station grounds adjoin private prop- 
 erty, any unsightly buildings or fences thereon 
 should be planted out (Fig. 51). A thick plantation 
 of shrubs such as lilacs, syringa bushes, viburnums 
 or thickly branched trees, like hawthorns, would 
 be suitable for this purpose, and such .growth would 
 make a desirable background for flowers. Often, 
 in planting flowers, it would be wise to select per- 
 ennials, since the cost of their maintenance would 
 be small and also they would be effective during a 
 greater part of the year. Goldenrods, for example, 
 are often attractive even when dead and brown. 
 Their graceful shapes, especially when partly cov- 
 
GROUNDS OF RAILWAY STATIONS 227 
 
 -r , 
 
 'I 
 
 0^-. 
 
 ^ 
 
 2 a, 
 
 Fig. 51. — The Railroad Landscape. Plan for small suburban station 
 
 grounds. "" 
 
228 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 ered with snow, would be tempting to any pho- 
 tographer. Many other perennial plants are at- 
 tractive even when their stems are dead, and the 
 seeds which they produce often furnish food for 
 birds in the winter. Evergreens would be suitable 
 for planting if the atmosphere were free from smoke. 
 Such would be the case about the stations along 
 electric lines if the towns where these stations are 
 located produced no smoke. Eventually, when 
 all lines become electrified, one may hope for ideal 
 conditions. 
 
 Sometimes stations adjoin small parks or are 
 near river banks or opposite lakes. Such loca- 
 tions are especially fortunate, and advantage should 
 be taken of the opportunity to secure interesting 
 views of natural scenery as seen from the station or 
 from cars. 
 
 Railway employees, ticket agents, freight agents, 
 train hands and others should be taught to see such 
 beauty as exists about the railway stations and along 
 the rights of way. This will add pleasure to their 
 lives and lead to greater contentment. An em- 
 ployee should regard the property of his com- 
 pany as partly his own. Its appearance is certainly 
 a matter of concern to him, and it is fortunate if 
 
GROUNDS OF RAILWAY STATIONS 229 
 
 he can obtain pleasure from looking at it during 
 his daily work and have a feeling of pride when he 
 mentions it to one of his friends. 
 
 The railway right of way, usually one hundred 
 feet or more in width, offers a great opportunity 
 for making the country beautiful. The entire right 
 of way should always be utilized. The central 
 part of it will be needed for road-beds, bridges, 
 and tracks. Certain areas along the sides of the 
 tracks will sometimes be used by employees for 
 gardens. Such use should be encouraged, but a 
 vast area of unoccupied land still remains which 
 should grow something attractive to look at. This 
 does not mean that railway companies should plant 
 all this area. Nature will generally take care of the 
 planting, but railway companies should keep their 
 men with scythes away from It. A few examples 
 will call to mind successful efforts on nature's part. 
 There are places in northern Wisconsin where 
 the ground along the side of the railways is covered 
 in spring with the white flowers of bunchberry, and, 
 in autumn, with the beautiful red berries of this 
 charming little dogwood. Similar areas are covered 
 with the pink and white blossoms of shooting-star. 
 Along various lines in Michigan and other north- 
 
230 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 ern states, In marshy places far below the tracks, 
 the ground will be covered very early in the season 
 with the yellow flowers of marsh marigold, and later 
 with the leaves and flowers of wild iris. Perhaps 
 a few of our native lilies will show their heads in 
 midsummer. Along certain lines near the sand 
 dunes of Indiana, the land is sometimes covered 
 with the white, blue, and purple flowers of lupine. 
 Wild roses, ironweed, wild asters, goldenrod, black- 
 eyed Susans, sunflowers, dewberries, and hundreds 
 of other attractive plants will decorate the land seen 
 from the window of a railway coach if they are 
 only given an opportunity. The railway right of 
 way might indeed become a great botanic garden 
 where plants take care of themselves and select the 
 situations best adapted to their growth. Often 
 they serve this purpose at the present time, but 
 they might do so to a greater extent if the matter 
 were given a little thoughtful consideration. 
 
 To be sure, one must consider the fact that sparks 
 will fly from locomotives and will sometimes start 
 fires. Much, however, can be done or left undone 
 to encourage the wild garden or botanic garden that 
 has been mentioned without increasing the fire 
 risk. The wild gardens should exist along all rights 
 
GROUNDS OF RAILWAY STATIONS 231 
 
 of way where the space is not needed for side-tracks 
 or other purposes. When all railway trains run by 
 electric power, the danger from fire will be neg- 
 ligible and then the list of allowable plants will 
 include many shrubs and small trees. Such some- 
 times grow along the lines of electric roads at the 
 present time and produce an effect that is charming 
 and gives pleasure to travelers. 
 
 When nature, with man's assistance, or, in cer- 
 tain cases, with his non-interference, can decorate 
 the banks of all streams, the borders of all high- 
 ways, and all vacant land included in railway rights 
 of way, the country will become so beautiful that 
 people from other lands will wish to see it and its 
 own citizens will derive pleasure each day from look- 
 ing at it and from that feeling of contentment that 
 comes with the ownership of beautiful objects and 
 with seeing things well done. 
 
 To bring about some of the results suggested, it 
 is necessary that some of the railway officials should 
 be imbued with a desire to have these results and 
 with that vision which is the first requisite of any 
 worthy undertaking. 
 
CHAPTER XIII , 
 Parks, Forest Preserves, City Squares 
 
 As in attempting any project, the one who es- 
 says to design a park should first have the main 
 purpose it is to serve clearly in mind. There are 
 many opinions as to what this purpose is. The 
 man who is fond of boating thinks the park is for 
 the purpose of giving him an opportunity to take 
 his favorite exercise. He wishes the golf course 
 excavated to enlarge the yacht harbor. The golfer, 
 on the other hand, desires the harbor filled up to 
 enlarge his golf course. The equestrian thinks 
 the park is a place for bridle paths, the horseman 
 for a race course, the gardener for flowers, the pub- 
 lic-spirited man, at others' expense, a place for a 
 statue of his friend or a public building in which 
 he is interested. The advertiser thinks the parks 
 and the boulevards are the most appropriate sites 
 for his bill-boards. A gardener argued that his 
 *'Gates Ajar," sundial, elephant, and roll of carpet 
 
 232 
 
PARKS 233 
 
 made out of alternantheras, echeverias, and other 
 bedding plants were the most interesting and valu- 
 able feature^ of a pafk because the most persons 
 came to see them. Frederick Law Olmsted, the 
 greatest authority on parks whom the United 
 States has produced, made the very apt reply, 
 "more people go to a circus than to an art gallery." 
 The number of persons who think that a park should 
 contribute to their special hobbies is most exasper- 
 ating. 
 
 Dwellers in cities grow tired and large numbers 
 to recuperate seek the country, the woods, the 
 ocean, lakes, rivers, mountains, in short, nature. 
 There are many, however, who cannot afford either 
 the time or the money to go to the country and so 
 the country should be brought to them. This 
 means that the parks, which every large city should 
 have, must partake as far as possible of the char- 
 acter of the country. Sometimes one wishes to 
 get away from people and have only trees, bushes, 
 and birds for companions. A park should give 
 this opportunity for quietness and rest. Again, 
 many persons will have a desire to leave brick walls, 
 paved streets, and the noises of a city and enjoy 
 natural scenery just as they might wish to look 
 
234 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 at pictures in an art gallery. A park should fur- 
 nish such scenery and be in restful contrast to busy 
 streets. 
 
 A few features that exist or have existed near 
 cities might here be noted. In the outskirts of 
 one city is a stream which has worn its way deep 
 into a bed of limestone rock. At the upper edge 
 of the often overhanging rock, thirty or forty feet 
 above the bed of the stream, the ground slopes 
 back and is covered with trees. This slope is very 
 steep and could not be used for crops or buildings. 
 The trees and vines spreading out over the irreg- 
 ular rocky cliff made with the stream below a 
 beautiful picture. Many admired this picture and 
 wished that the stream, the rocks and the trees 
 might belong to the city and be included in a park 
 so that they could be preserved for all time, but 
 the owner of the land thought the trees had value 
 as wood and cut them down. 
 
 A city is located in a valley a mile or two in width, 
 this valley being bounded by high bluffs or hills. 
 These hills were originally wooded. A portion of 
 one of the hills was purchased by a public-spirited 
 citizen and given to the city for a park. In other 
 parts the bluffs have been scarred by rectangular 
 
PARKS 235 
 
 streets, necessitating enormous cuts, the destruc- 
 tion of all the trees and, for a long series of years, a 
 barren, forlorn appearance. 
 
 The destruction of streams which were once 
 attractive and which might have been made the 
 most interesting features of parkways and parks 
 has already been referred to. 
 
 Innumerable other instances might be given of 
 the needless destruction of natural scenery, which 
 is always to be regretted, and especially so when this 
 scenery is within the boundaries of or near a large 
 city. 
 
 From the facts mentioned above and from others 
 that will come to the mind of any intelligent, 
 thoughtful person, it will probably be conceded 
 that the main purpose of a park is to preserve, re- 
 store, develop, and make accessible natural scen- 
 ery. In some ways a park may be an improvement 
 on nature, since, by skilful treatment, it may be 
 made more picturesque or more artistic than if 
 nature had been left untouched. A park is not 
 primarily a place for play, but rather to feed one's 
 soul. Its chief purpose may be illustrated by the 
 following incident. A man who had lived to middle 
 age in an inland town visited a city with parks 
 
236 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 located on the shores of a large body of water. He 
 had never seen water extending beyond the range 
 of vision. On going out to one of the parks and 
 walking along the shore, he was filled with awe as 
 he sat for a long time watching the big waves roll 
 in. He was charmed by what he saw and greatly 
 impressed by the power of the waves and the bound- 
 less expanse. Such an experience is not to be meas- 
 ured by dollars. It is priceless. A somewhat 
 similar feeling may be experienced by one who visits 
 a stretch of woods of apparently unlimited extent, 
 or by one who looks over a park scene contain- 
 ing a valley in the foreground, with hills or moun- 
 tains miles away far beyond the park boundaries. 
 Remembering that a park is a place to show 
 natural scenery, it will be granted that this scenery 
 will be observed from different points of view. One 
 will wish to stop at certain places where the views 
 are especially good, and there seats should be pro- 
 vided. In going about, one will either walk upon 
 paths or lawns, or ride in wheeled vehicles upon 
 drives, or on horseback upon bridle paths, or in boats 
 upon lakes or streams. Where one goes in boats 
 in summer one may skate in winter, and also coast 
 if there are hills. The walks and drives are pri- 
 
PARKS 237 
 
 marily for convenience, for use. The lawns and 
 water are primarily for beauty, but, incidentally, 
 the water may be used for boating or skating, or, if 
 conditions are favorable, for swimming, and the 
 lawns for tennis, croquet, and certain other games 
 or sports. • I 
 
 It will thus be realized that while parks exist, 
 as has been stated, primarily for beauty, they give 
 at the same time opportunities for delightful exer- 
 cise as well as rest and enjoyment. The trees 
 furnish shade, the flowers color and perfume, the 
 space freedom and grateful breezes. The lawns, 
 the trees, and shrubs also give interesting and 
 pleasing compositions in color and outline. 
 
 PLANNING A PARK 
 
 With parks fulfilling the purpose which has just 
 been named, it will be seen that they can be of 
 almost any size or shape. Their location will be In- 
 fluenced, first, by existing natural objects. Forests, 
 hills, especially if wooded, river banks, the shores 
 of lakes, ravines, springs, streams, and rocky ledges 
 are all desirable features, and a city where such 
 features exist Is indeed fortunate if it can secure 
 the land they occupy for public use as a park. 
 
23 8 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 Accessibility should also be taken into account in 
 selecting locations for parks, but the character of 
 the land is of greater importance, as one can easily 
 travel a long or short distance. 
 
 Assuming that a city, with the assistance of a 
 landscape-gardener, has secured one or more tracts 
 of land and placed this under the control of a park 
 commission, the next step would be the making 
 of suitable plans for park development. A park 
 might be planned directly on the ground it occupies 
 by a skilful landscape-gardener, but, usually, it 
 is advisable to have a topographical survey and 
 plat made so that one, by looking at this, can ob- 
 tain a comprehensive idea of the extent and lie of 
 the land, the area covered by forest and by any 
 existing water, marsh, cultivated ground or rock. 
 Even with such a plat, it Is advisable to study the 
 land itself, noting all the features of special interest, 
 the views outside of the park as well as those within 
 its limits, and the favorable locations for such 
 walks and drives as may be needed. The direc- 
 tions given with regard to walks and drives in home 
 grounds will usually be applicable in a public park. 
 The designer should always remember that drives 
 and walks are for use, that they should go where 
 
PARKS 239 
 
 persons wish to travel, and there should be as few of 
 them as possible while meeting these requirements. 
 Advantage will, of course, be taken of all existing 
 growth, and in selecting plants for such additional 
 growth as may be required, those varieties which 
 harmonize with existing vegetation and are suit- 
 able for the soil will be chosen. The designing 
 of the park will consist mostly in picturing to one's 
 mind attractive compositions that will fit the situa- 
 tion and take advantage of existing features. 
 
 Since parks may have a wide range of sizes, 
 shapes, and locations, there will be many kinds of 
 problems involved and at least as many solutions. 
 In general, a park should partake of the character 
 of the country in which it is located. The de- 
 signer should, therefore, study not only the site 
 of the park itself, but also any native woods that 
 may be in its vicinity, as well as the different soils 
 and the hills, valleys, rocks, and other topograph- 
 ical features of the surrounding region. Such a 
 survey will often disclose valuable planting material 
 that may be available for the park, and also give 
 useful hints as to what the character of the plant- 
 ing should be. Frequently a study of existing 
 woods will call attention to pleasing combinations of 
 
240 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 plants, satisfactory grades, beautiful sky-lines, in- 
 teresting boundaries for spaces, all of which will 
 give useful hints in designing the park. 
 
 If the tract selected for a park is covered or 
 partly so with native forest, it is fortunate. In 
 this case, the removal of some growth will doubt- 
 less be needed. Some trees and bushes must be 
 removed to open up views, others because they are 
 partially or wholly dead, others since they inter- 
 fere with the proper development of better growth, 
 and still others just to make a beautiful picture. 
 This work cannot be done or planned in an ofhce. 
 It requires the skill of a landscape-gardener on the 
 ground, and the selection of plants to be taken out 
 should never be left to the wood choppers. A 
 landscape-gardener should visit the land before it 
 is selected for a park if possible, but if he cannot 
 do that he should at least see it before any work 
 is done on it. The need of this may be illustrated 
 by an incident. A landscape-gardener was en- 
 gaged to design a park and on going out to see the 
 land with the park commissioners, he was told 
 that he had come just in time. "You can have 
 everything your own way," they said to him, "we 
 haven't done a thing," then, after a pause, "ex- 
 
PARKS 241 
 
 cepting to cut out the underbrush." The "under- 
 brush" was found to have been most beautiful 
 masses of prairie roses, elderberries, and paw- 
 paws. It is a fact that what is often called "under- 
 brush" is sometimes more valuable than the tree 
 growth from a designer's point of view. He should 
 pass on the relative value of different natural or 
 existing features of the land purchased. It is 
 wise to make use of existing plants or other material 
 of value on the land acquired instead of destroying 
 these and replacing them with something no better 
 or perhaps not as good. 
 
 Sometimes the problems connected . with a park 
 may relate only to the thinning out and planting, 
 as in those cases in which the park is small or oc- 
 cupies a long narrow hillside, perhaps between a 
 highway and a river, or a steep rocky bluif on the 
 opposite shore almost inaccessible, and seen only 
 by those who look across the river or from boats. 
 In such parks, if any artificial features are called 
 for, they will include only paths, seats, and per- 
 haps a shelter or lookout. No grass will be needed, 
 but the ground cover will be bushes, vines, her- 
 baceous plants and leaves. In places rocky ledges 
 and boulders may be exposed. 
 
242 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 With parks of somewhat larger area and greater 
 width but still of moderate size, lawns and walks 
 will be introduced, but if there is a street along at 
 least one side of the park, probably no drive into 
 or through it will be required. 
 
 With still larger areas, drives will be introduced 
 at first relatively near the boundary so as to leave 
 large, uninterrupted, open spaces centrally lo- 
 cated. These drives are for the purpose of helping 
 those who ride to see the scenery of the park. In 
 places, such drives will pass through wooded areas, 
 then emerge into the open, perhaps on an elevation 
 of land commanding a view of an extensive lawn 
 or lake within the park, or a range of hills or other 
 object of interest far beyond its boundary. Thus 
 a park drive will be given variety, making it inter- 
 esting in itself as well as placing it where it will 
 command views of the scenery for which the park 
 exists. 
 
 GROUNDS FOR GAMES OR RECREATION 
 
 As parks increase still further in size, there can be 
 no doubt as to the propriety of allowing such sports 
 as tennis, croquet, and the less strenuous games of 
 ball to be played on the more extensive lawns, but 
 
PARKS 243 
 
 football, excepting as played by small boys as a mere 
 pastime, belongs in an athletic field or playground, 
 and there may be some question as to baseball. 
 
 Park commissioners are justified in hesitating 
 to allow golf to be played in a park. They should 
 first consider the paramount object in having a park, 
 which is the development and preservation of scen- 
 ery that is nature-like in appearance for the recrea- 
 tion of all and especially those persons who cannot 
 go to the country. A park exists for everybody 
 without regard to the amount of taxes paid. It 
 resembles the schools in that respect. In the schools 
 a child of the poorest family has just as many 
 privileges as one of wealthy parents and it is right 
 that it should be so. The stability of the country 
 and the security in which we live depend on the 
 training and education of all the children to insure 
 their becoming good citizens. The parks also help 
 in the same direction. They are educational and 
 ought to be more instructive than they usually 
 are by having Intelligent employees who could 
 point out to visitors matters that are of educa- 
 tional value. It would be ideal to have every em- 
 ployee in the park able to give a questioner the name 
 of any tree, shrub or flower. Since a park Is pro- 
 
244 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 vided for all who wish to visit it, the commissioners 
 should not allow golf, when, by doing so, they de- 
 prive many persons of the privilege of using land 
 which is needed for picnics, for rest, or for indul- 
 gence in those quiet games which require little room 
 and which are accompanied by no element of dan- 
 ger such as being hit by a golf ball. On the other 
 hand, when a park is very large in extent, the com- 
 missioners would be justified in allowing golf, since 
 by so doing there would be no interference with 
 the usual recreation which the park affords. A 
 great stretch of lawn, perhaps half a mile or more 
 in extent, an expanse that is really needed for the 
 park scenery, may be even more interesting if 
 dotted with players. 
 
 The introduction of certain sports into parks has 
 sometimes been justified by the statement that 
 they would bring more persons to the park. Some 
 have even attempted to introduce race-tracks, which 
 are entirely out of harmony with the spirit that 
 should prevail in a park. For those who really 
 need a park, it Is an advantage not to have it 
 crowded. Horse racing, polo playing, football, cir- 
 cuses, gatherings to listen to public speaking, and 
 in general all features which tend to collect a crowd 
 
PARKS 245 
 
 having little or no interest in the park scenery 
 should be rigidly excluded. 
 
 In all parks of comparatively large size and in 
 those boulevards or parkways which have suffi- 
 cient breadth, bridle paths may be introduced with 
 propriety. Horseback riding is a pleasant and 
 healthful exercise and is a mode of travel which 
 gives the riders an advantageous outlook. They 
 usually go at a leisurely pace which gives them time 
 to see the combinations of open space and wooded 
 areas to advantage, and they may easily stop and 
 inspect any view or object which interests them. 
 Moreover, equestrians with their horses are usually 
 interesting to pedestrians and others who are tak- 
 ing their recreation in different ways. Bridle- 
 paths may with advantage be varied in width. 
 Where there is ample space the width may allow 
 several to ride abreast, and again where the room 
 is more limited, the width can be narrowed so that 
 only one line in single file can meet a similar line 
 going in the opposite direction. A path may even 
 be divided into two or more parts for the sake of 
 saving trees and bushes and giving an interesting 
 variety to the bridle-path itself. 
 
 The buildings introduced into a park should be 
 
246 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 strictly limited to those which minister to the 
 comfort of visitors. Shelters, an office building, 
 comfort stations, bath-houses, boat-houses, res- 
 taurants, and band-stands are legitimate. Some- 
 times two or three of these buildings can, with 
 advantage, be united in one. Such structures, 
 however, should be subordinated to the general 
 landscape effects. They should not be more con- 
 spicuous than a group of trees. They should be 
 conveniently located to serve their different pur- 
 poses, usually near a walk or drive, but never out 
 in the open. 
 
 When a park is favorably situated, that is, when 
 it has an abundant supply of water, it is well to 
 give opportunity for swimming. Swimming is one 
 of the delights of the country wherever there is a 
 lake, creek or river, and city boys and girls should 
 be given the same opportunities that their coun- 
 try cousins enjoy. Boating and canoeing should 
 also be provided for when the conditions are at all 
 favorable. These are not only healthful exercises, 
 but they give one an opportunity to see over- 
 hanging trees and the delightful effects that should 
 exist along the banks of lakes and streams. 
 
PARKS 247 
 
 OTHER PURPOSES OF A PARK 
 
 There are so many pleasurable ways of exercising 
 and playing in a park that one sometimes forgets the 
 fundamental reason for acquiring land and going to 
 the expense of planting, making roads, walks, and 
 introducing the other features which have been 
 mentioned. There are, however, many incidental 
 purposes that may be served by a park in addition 
 to those named and to the main purpose of preserv- 
 ing nature. A park may serve as an arboretum 
 with collections of many kinds of trees and shrubs. 
 It might also have a botanic garden or a planting 
 of some special kind, such as a Japanese, medicinal, 
 iris, or rose garden. Such gardens, however, should 
 be placed by themselves and not interfere with the 
 general scenery of the park. 
 
 A zoological garden may sometimes be introduced, 
 but in this case it would be well to have the zoo- 
 logical part the main feature, the garden being sub- 
 ordinated to the zoo instead of the zoo to the gar- 
 den. A zoological garden or park should, if pos- 
 sible, be large enough to give buffalo, deer, and other 
 grazing animals a chance to get at least a portion 
 of their food in the natural way.. Frequently the 
 
248 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 room is so limited that what should be the deer or 
 buffalo pasture becomes merely a piece of bare, 
 muddy or dusty ground. 
 
 There are organizations of various kinds, such 
 as gun clubs, natural history societies and others, 
 that will seek to appropriate parts of parks to their 
 own uses. A museum may with advantage be near 
 a park, but should not be intruded within the park 
 itself. The noise of a gun club seems quite out of 
 harmony with the legitimate purposes of a park, 
 and it is only on rare occasions that a suitable site 
 for the operations of such a club can be found. 
 If there should be a point of land extending out from 
 a park into a large body of water to a place far re- 
 moved from dwellings and from most of the park 
 visitors and protected also by a hill or embank- 
 ment which would deaden the sound, an excep- 
 tion might be made to the general rule of exclu- 
 sion. 
 
 THE PARK COMMISSION 
 
 The park commission should be small, preferably 
 made up of not over five members. At least one 
 large city in the United States has a park com- 
 mission of only three members. A commission 
 should be practically continuous by having only 
 
PARKS 249 
 
 one member selected each year to serve for a 
 definite term of as many years as there are mem- 
 bers of the commission. A man chosen for a 
 commissioner should have some leisure in order 
 that he may find time to learn the duties of 
 his office and the requirements of a park. He 
 should have no interest connected with the park 
 excepting that of rendering the best service to the 
 public. An instance of what should not happen 
 may be given here. Along the boundary of a park 
 in a western city was a beautiful group of ever- 
 greens. Across the highway, opposite the ever- 
 greens, a man had his home. He wished to have 
 the trees cut down so that he could look into the 
 park. The park board was opposed to cutting the 
 evergreen boundary. The man who lived opposite 
 sought and eventually obtained a position as mem- 
 ber of the board, with the avowed object of cutting 
 down the evergreens. He succeeded in accomplish- 
 ing his purpose, but to his own regret, for he found 
 afterwards he had destroyed the privacy of his own 
 home. An intelligent unbiased commissioner would 
 have known that a park should be separated as far 
 as possible from the built-up portion of the city. 
 It Is a trite saying that a park should be divorced 
 
2SO LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 from politics, but unfortunately there are many 
 cases where this lesson has not been learned. A 
 good commissioner serves the public from a sense 
 of patriotism and not on account of patronage or 
 perquisites connected with the office. He should 
 be a lover of nature, a man of taste, and a sym- 
 pathizer with all good things connected with the 
 park. 
 
 FOREST PRESERVES 
 
 In many respects forest preserves near cities are 
 like parks. They are similar in purpose and char- 
 acter. Both have trees, shrubs, and flowers. 
 Both include large areas. The area in forest re- 
 serves should be much larger than that included 
 in the city's park system. A forest reserve should 
 be procured within a reasonable distance of every 
 city and should be preserved as natural forest. 
 One's feeling with regard to such a native forest 
 should be similar to that which one might have for 
 the preservation of Indian mounds or any other 
 existing feature connected with Indian life, or to pre- 
 serve undisturbed any historical spot. The forests 
 with their trees, their undergrowth and wild flowers, 
 are the oldest things in existence next to the earth 
 itself. What a possession that city will have, say. 
 
PARKS 251 
 
 in five hundred or a thousand years, which can 
 point to a tract covered with trees and other 
 native growth and say, "that is a tract of original 
 forest ; it has been preserved as the Indians left 
 it." 
 
 A forest makes an appeal because it is beauti- 
 ful and has something of mystery about it. It is 
 nature's own creation, but if it is to be preserved 
 it must be carefully guarded. The water level 
 must not be lowered. The underbrush must not 
 be cut out. The covering of decaying leaves must 
 not be disturbed. The wild flowers must not be 
 picked. Provisions should indeed be made for 
 visiting a forest, but when one enters he should have 
 a feeling like that of the religious man who visits 
 a cathedral. He should go with reverence and take 
 away with him not wild flowers and broken branches 
 of trees and shrubs, but a remembrance of the beauty 
 and fragrance of the forest, an appreciation of the 
 birds which he has seen, a recollection of the fresh 
 pure air, the sunshine, or perhaps a storm, a feel- 
 ing that he has had communion with nature and has 
 been refreshed and rejuvenated. 
 
 If, in acquiring the forest land, it is necessary to 
 take certain cleared or cultivated areas, these might 
 
252 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 be treated in a way to give the greatest satisfac- 
 tion and pleasure. Open areas can be allowed to 
 become forest, or they may be used for gardens, 
 arboretums, playgrounds or kept as farms to pro- 
 vide food for such animals as are used in the pre- 
 serve. The forest might be treated in such a way 
 as to grow valuable timber. It is reported that 
 some cities in Europe have usually derived an in- 
 come from their forests sufficient to pay the cities' 
 expenses so that it has been unnecessary to levy 
 taxes. 
 
 The question of roads through a forest would be 
 determined by local considerations. Roads in cer- 
 tain places might serve as a protection against iire. 
 They would also be useful in hauling out logs and 
 brush from trees that have been cut, but a multi- 
 plicity of roads for the general public is hardly to 
 be desired. The main thoroughfares might prefer- 
 ably be located outside of the forest itself, with the 
 exception of certain cross roads when a forest is 
 quite long in a direction at right angles to the main 
 lines of travel. Usually seedlings of trees that be- 
 long in the vicinity should be planted in a forest ; 
 for example, if white pines had once existed in a 
 forest but had been removed for the lumber they 
 
PARKS 253 
 
 would produce, It would be wise to Introduce this 
 tree again, and the same would be true of any 
 species which had formerly grown in this or In 
 neighboring forests. The paths should be merely 
 wood paths, usually covered with last year's leaves. 
 They should lead to such shelter houses as may be 
 necessary and to the best places for observation. 
 
 CITY SQUARES AND TRIANGLES 
 
 A city is fortunate if, in laying out the streets, 
 little areas of land are left here and there where 
 trees can be planted. Often, if there Is a triangle, 
 it will be unnecessary to cross it with a walk. In 
 such cases, the center might be planted with trees, 
 and from all points of view on streets approaching 
 the triangle, these trees would help to make a 
 picture. City squares often tempt pedestrians to 
 make diagonal paths and It Is usually wise to pro- 
 vide walks substantially along lines of travel. A 
 big circular fountain or other obstruction in the 
 middle of one of these walks Is usually an unfortu- 
 nate arrangement. Fountains, statues, or other 
 ornamental features should be placed at one side 
 of the direct lines of walks. A square might be 
 graded and planted so that a slightly curved walk 
 
254 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 would seem natural and be one that would give a 
 good appearance. These small vacant areas, scat- 
 tered through a city, and relieving the monotony 
 of its street, and buildings, are seen in winter fully 
 as much as in summer. They should, therefore, be 
 planted to look well at all times of the year. Large 
 areas in bedding plants or annuals which leave 
 merely patches of bare ground from October until 
 May are manifestly unsatisfactory as well as ex- 
 pensive. If there were no smoke, evergreens could 
 be chosen and would be especially effective in 
 winter. When conditions are unfavorable to ever- 
 greens, small trees and deciduous shrubs would be 
 suitable. When there is room, no deciduous 
 growth is more attractive throughout the year 
 than that of hawthorns, and a group of these trees 
 may be admirable. They may be used advan- 
 tageously in combination with a tree of large size, 
 like an elm or an oak, and also in combination with 
 lower growth like that of roses, Indian currants, 
 and aromatic sumach. Perennial herbaceous 
 plants producing attractive foliage or flowers would 
 also be suitable and might have the woody growth 
 for a background. Early spring flowers, crocuses, 
 snowdrops, scillas, bloodroots, hepaticas, daffodils, 
 
PARKS 255 
 
 and many others would make these areas, which 
 might have any shape, attractive during March, 
 April, and May. The leaves and flowers of the 
 trees and shrubs that might be selected would carry 
 the attention throughout the summer season, and 
 the fruits and autumn foliage would be features of 
 special interest during the fall months. From 
 November until March, the woody branches would 
 be interesting from their manner of growth and also 
 from their brown, gray, green, red, or other dis- 
 tinctive coloring. Some hawthorns, as well as some 
 viburnums, barberries, and roses, carry fruits well 
 through the winter. 
 
 It might be possible even with an atmosphere 
 more or less polluted to have some bedding plants, 
 provided they could be so placed as to look well 
 with the hardy growth and could have their places 
 taken by evergreens as soon as frost arrives. In- 
 dividuals do not hesitate to spend large sums for 
 evergreen window-boxes and other evergreen deco- 
 ration for winter, and cities would be justified in 
 going to some expense for the evergreens even if 
 they were to last but a comparatively brief period, 
 the pleasure received from such planting being fully 
 equal to that from a bed of geraniums or begonias. 
 
256 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 The questions to be answered by the landscape- 
 gardener when designing these so-called city squares 
 are the same that must be met in regard to most 
 of his other work, namely, what will serve the con- 
 venience of the persons for whom the design is made ? 
 What will give the most pleasure for a given amount 
 of expenditure ? What will make for beauty in con- 
 nection with the objects surrounding a "square" ? 
 
 COUNTRY PARKS 
 
 City parks and squares have until recently re- 
 ceived more consideration from the public than 
 has been given to country parks. It has been 
 argued that those living in the country have nature 
 close at hand, with plenty of sunshine and fresh 
 air, and so do not need parks. Notwithstanding this 
 argument, there are many places even in the country 
 which should be preserved for the use of the public. 
 Some of these have already been mentioned, namely, 
 the borders of streams and lakes and steep hillsides. 
 
 Any notable, natural feature should be preserved. 
 Often an individual farmer may have on his land 
 a spring, a wood-lot, a ravine, a great bowlder, an 
 Indian mound, or other object in which he de- 
 lights and which he takes pleasure in showing to his 
 
PARKS 257 
 
 friends. While he lives this is sufficient, but when 
 he dies the land may be owned by someone who 
 cares nothing for the features named and they may 
 be destroyed. If interesting objects or localities 
 belong to the public, the chances for their preserva- 
 tion for future generations will be better. 
 
 TOWNSHIP PARKS 
 
 There might be formed in every township a so- 
 ciety for the preservation of the native landscape. 
 Such a society, by proper legislation, might be given 
 a legal status so that it could hold the title to such 
 land as might be acquired by donation or other- 
 wise. With such an organization, it ought to be 
 possible to have interesting township parks, that 
 is, wooded areas, the valleys of streams, lake mar- 
 gins, ravines, or hills, level areas for games, swim- 
 ming pools or other interesting features found within 
 the township boundaries. Such parks would fur- 
 nish delightful places for picnics or other outings, 
 spots which formerly existed in abundance on pri- 
 vate farms, but which are being destroyed by the 
 growing intensity of farming and the increase in 
 population. The outings which one takes are the 
 things that count in life. They make life worth 
 
258 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 while, and suitable provision should be made for 
 them, not one hundred miles or live hundred miles 
 away, but near at hand. Often there are delightful 
 natural areas near at hand which persons do not 
 see. 
 
 A society for the preservation of native land- 
 scape, perhaps with the assistance of a landscape- 
 gardener or some amateur nature lover, should 
 point out and secure such places as have been 
 named. Ordinarily, a man works steadily through- 
 out the year with the exception of a short period 
 when he has his "vacation," and then he spends the 
 money he has saved up and a part of his "vaca- 
 tion" in traveling to some distant "resort." Per- 
 haps it would be possible to have just as attractive 
 "resorts" near at hand and have more frequent 
 vacations with all of the time spent in really living. 
 The frequent vacations might be short, Saturday 
 afternoons and Sundays, but they would be rest- 
 ful and enjoyable. 
 
 COUNTY PARKS 
 
 There should be a friendly adjustment between 
 townships and counties in the matter of parks. 
 Some may think that township parks will answer 
 
PARKS 259 
 
 all purposes, but occasionally there may be some 
 natural feature, a wooded ridge, a river, a lake or 
 a forest, extending through two or more townships 
 which might with propriety be acquired or set aside 
 by county commissioners or by a board of super- 
 visors as a county reserve. Such parks should be 
 planned primarily for the purpose of preserving 
 attractive natural features but incidentally certain 
 parts might be used for camping. Tourists who live 
 in automobiles might find these parks convenient 
 places for stopping over night. As in the case of 
 township parks, they would furnish places for pic- 
 nics, to which excursions might be made by parties 
 from the city. Certain large areas might be car- 
 ried on as county forests with the object of con- 
 serving the lumber supply and making a profit for 
 the county. 
 
 The establishment of county parks would tend 
 to disseminate among all the inhabitants the idea 
 of having public parks. This object would be dis- 
 cussed at the meetings of county ofiicials and the 
 ideas presented would in this manner reach all of 
 the township officers. The establishment of town- 
 ship and county parks would not be justified unless 
 they were used and approved generally. A dis- 
 
26o LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 cussion of such parks at public meetings would tend 
 to bring about a general knowledge and approval of 
 this proposed feature of public life, which would 
 add to the joy of living. 
 
 STATE PARKS 
 
 The desirability of having state parks may be 
 illustrated by considering a state having a certain 
 amount of frontage on a large body of water like the 
 ocean. The interior counties would have no such 
 frontage, but the dwellers in these counties would 
 desire to visit the ocean. A state park would give 
 them the privilege of doing so without trespassing 
 on private property or paying exorbitant prices 
 for the privilege of looking at the sea. Instead of 
 the ocean, states might have other natural features 
 that should be preserved for the benefit of all its 
 people. Each state, for example, should have large 
 areas of forest to be used for the combined objects 
 of recreation and the production of lumber. 
 
 The province of the landscape-gardener in regard 
 to township, county, and state parks would be to 
 advise In regard to the location, the areas to be in- 
 cluded, and the treatment required. He should be 
 able to see their natural beauty and point this out 
 
PARKS 261 
 
 to those who are less observant. He should sug- 
 gest changes that will make them more pictur- 
 esque, more useful in the lines named. His sug- 
 gestions would include advice with regard to the 
 location of roads and walks, regarding cutting 
 certain trees or areas of trees, and planting for the 
 purpose of making parks more beautiful or in- 
 creasing the variety of growth. He would also 
 advise with regard to the treatment of water, rocks, 
 or any other natural features of interest, and sug- 
 gest ways in which parks might be used without 
 injury and to the greatest pleasure of all. 
 
 NATIONAL PARKS 
 
 Most interesting books have been written about 
 these parks and the government has issued in- 
 structive bulletins regarding them. The size of 
 this book does not permit of their discussion in any 
 detail and they are mentioned here only for the 
 purpose of expressing approval of them and also 
 with the hope that such parks may be established 
 in the older portion of the United States as well 
 as in the Rocky Mountains and coast regions. 
 The idea of having such parks was a grand one 
 and the country is most fortunate in possessing so 
 
262 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 many large areas set aside for public recreation and 
 for places of refuge for life of all kinds. Future 
 national parks should include areas of sand dunes 
 with frontage on the Great Lakes, areas of forest 
 distributed through parts of the country east of the 
 Rocky Mountains all the way to the Atlantic 
 Ocean, areas in the northern and in the southern 
 states. Let us preserve samples of all the wooded 
 areas and all the natural attractions which our 
 children, grandchildren, and all the generations yet 
 to come will be glad to see. Do not let any portion 
 of the country through lack of forests degenerate 
 to the conditions of certain parts of Spain and other 
 countries that have been denuded of woods. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 Golf Grounds 
 
 The work of the landscape-gardener might al- 
 most be described by the definition of golf, "some- 
 thing to make walking interesting." On this ac- 
 count the actual game of golf need not be especially 
 interesting to the landscape-gardener, because he 
 really does not require the exercise to keep him 
 well, but the golf grounds with their broad ex- 
 panse of open green-covered fields and their 
 unusual opportunities for producing beautiful land- 
 scape effects do make such an appeal. Usually 
 the lines of the fair greens leave certain unused 
 areas, often triangular pieces of ground of per- 
 haps half an acre or more in extent. Such tri- 
 angles offer opportunities for effective planting. 
 
 Occasionally one or more large-growing trees may 
 be planted near the tees and give grateful shade 
 to those who are waiting for a chance to play. 
 Sometimes, when the grounds are large, they may 
 
 263 
 
264 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 include a stream or a lake, with opportunities here 
 and there along their banks in stretches between 
 the fair greens for some shrubs or vines. The 
 vicinity of the club-house requires much study and 
 planning in order to produce the best landscape 
 effect. The club-house is in some respects like a 
 home, and the approach drive should be developed 
 along the same lines that would be adopted by an 
 individual. Usually the verandas of a club-house 
 will be larger, however, than those of a dwelling, 
 because larger numbers will wish to use them. They 
 will accommodate perhaps many groups at one 
 time. The landscape effects as seen by these groups 
 will be studied with certain purposes in mind. The 
 various views themselves as real outdoor pictures 
 will perhaps be the first consideration, but these 
 views should be influenced by the desire of those 
 sitting on the veranda to watch the players in dif- 
 ferent parts of the course and especially the ap- 
 proach to the 9th and i8th holes. The passing 
 of an island of trees, however, will not detract from 
 the interest, as one can watch the players in ap- 
 proaching the island and a little later as they 
 emerge ; a group of foliage in the golf grounds an- 
 swering the same purpose as an island in a lake. 
 
GOLF GROUNDS 265 
 
 Perhaps the place for the largest amount of plant- 
 ing would be along the boundaries. The greatest 
 value of the proposed landscape development, how- 
 ever, will not be realized fully unless one takes 
 into account the surrounding land. The develop- 
 ment of a successful golf course causes the land 
 along its borders to be much sought after. One 
 can realize the reason for this. Most men in build- 
 ing homes for themselves, if the matter of money 
 did not enter into their calculations, would have 
 fine large places with ample room, the idea per- 
 haps being typified most nearly by a large Eng- 
 lish estate. If a man can secure an acre or two next 
 to a golf course, the club grounds would form a large 
 part of his estate (Fig. 52). His front yard and 
 broad acres would be mown and taken care of with- 
 out expense to him save in his annual dues. His 
 domain might, therefore, contain a hundred acres or 
 even more while he would be required to pay taxes 
 on only pne or two. A golf club should, therefore, 
 when first looking for grounds, secure if possible 
 all of the land surrounding the proposed area needed 
 for the game, thus providing for future homes for 
 members or others who will appreciate the advan- 
 tages offered by the exceptional locations. The 
 
266 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 411031 
 
 M ■■■■■' 
 i^. — f~- 
 
 
GOLF GROUNDS 267 
 
 ownership of the adjoining land will, moreover, 
 enable the club to control the surroundings so that 
 their future development will not detract from the 
 beauty of the grounds themselves. In some cases, 
 the sale of this additional land for homes has paid the 
 first entire cost of the property. There should not 
 be too many houses or too much evidence of them as 
 seen from the club-house or the points along the course. 
 With careful study and with planning, the public 
 ground of the course and the private grounds of the 
 surrounding homes can be made to aifect each other 
 in such a way as to add to the comfort and the en- 
 joyment of all : to the golf members in the knowl- 
 edge that no unsightly building will be erected 
 beyond its limits which can injure the appearance 
 of the course, and to those living in the surround- 
 ing homes by having the planting done in such a 
 way as to insure them extensive and beautiful views. 
 The selection of location for the homes just men- 
 tioned will be in some respects like that of house 
 sites about an attractive lake. In either case, a 
 house can be so placed that its windows will ap- 
 parently command all the desirable views while the 
 house itself, framed and partly screened by plant- 
 ing, is comparatively inconspicuous. 
 
268 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 The grounds of an ideal golf course, ideal from 
 the landscape point of view as well as from the 
 golfer's standpoint, should include not only a good 
 course with extra holes for practice, clock golf, tennis, 
 and perhaps opportunities for other outdoor sports, 
 but it should also contain flower-gardens to fur- 
 nish flowers for the embellishment of the club- 
 house, and perhaps certain vegetables. With a 
 gardener who had not only technical ability but 
 who was honest and would work for the interest of 
 the club, a large-sized vegetable-garden might be 
 warranted. 
 
 Grounds for golf clubs have sometimes been 
 purchased at farm prices and in such cases one can 
 easily imagine that an additional area for a farm, 
 which would be leased to some one who would supply 
 good poultry and dairy products and perhaps wood 
 for the fire-place, might be a wise investment. With 
 many forms of land development, whether for 
 schools, parks, golf grounds, or other public or 
 semi-public use, one naturally reverts to home 
 grounds for a pattern and seeks to introduce many 
 of the features which would make a home attrac- 
 tive. Among such features, a piece of woodland 
 with quantities of wild flowers would be most de- 
 
GOLF GROUNDS 269 
 
 lightful. A low meadow or bog-garden full of 
 marsh marigolds and bluebells would be charm- 
 ing and in the planting that has been previously- 
 mentioned one would look for all those effects which 
 can be found in various parks and especially along 
 the borders of natural woods. 
 
 A new game has been described under the name 
 of "arrow golf," which ought to become popular. 
 Like golf, it would make walking interesting. Its 
 arrows, decorated with colored feathers, would be 
 more easily found than golf balls. The bunkers 
 which form the hazards of ordinary golf and are 
 sometimes unsightly would be unnecessary. 
 There would be greater freedom for the exercise of 
 skill in producing beautiful and varied landscape 
 effects. The expense of maintenance should be 
 comparatively small. 
 
 In the chapter on Parks, some doubt was ex- 
 pressed as to the propriety of park commissioners 
 allowing portions of the parks under their charge 
 to be used as golf grounds and even going to the 
 expense of developing and maintaining such 
 grounds. Certainly such permission should not 
 be given where the land required is needed by poor 
 people, by great numbers of children, and by men 
 
270 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 and women who could not even afford to buy clubs 
 with which to play. 
 
 It is proper to raise the same question as to 
 whether commissioners having charge of forest 
 preserves would be justified in taking public land 
 for golf. If it is proper to take land in the forest 
 preserve for golf, certainly only that part should be 
 taken which is vacant, that is naturally without 
 trees, shrubs, or other attractive growth. If land 
 in forest preserves is set aside for golf, should it be 
 developed and maintained at public expense for 
 the benefit of the comparatively few persons who 
 would use it .? This question need not be discussed 
 here, but attention is called to the fact that there 
 can be no objection to golf clubs buying land at 
 their own expense adjacent to or partly surrounded 
 by tracts of forest preserve. A juxtaposition of 
 this kind will be of advantage to both the public 
 who own the forest and to the golf club. Either 
 might provide swimming pools, places for coasting, 
 skating, and playing hockey. Either might oc- 
 casionally contain a polo field, provided that in the 
 case of the forest preserve there was no encroach- 
 ment on the forest. The golf club and the forest 
 preserve might combine in skating facilities, es- 
 
GOLF GROUNDS 271 
 
 pecially if there was a lake or river common to 
 both, or they might combine in bridle paths or any 
 other features where they would not interfere with 
 each other. There might, for example, be a path 
 through a woodland border of the golf grounds 
 over which a walking club could route its Saturday 
 afternoon hike without harming any one. 
 
 The establishment and use of golf grounds should 
 be encouraged by everyone. Anything which will 
 take persons to the country and give them abun- 
 dant exercise should be encouraged. Those who 
 cannot afford the time or money to play golf should 
 not envy those who can. The more innocent, 
 healthful enjoyment there can be for a community 
 as a whole, the better. Each individual should 
 feel and acknowledge this whether he himself 
 can or cannot partake in any special form of this 
 enjoyment. If each can form the habit of rejoic- 
 ing at the happiness of another, it will add to his 
 own comfort and peace of mind. 
 
 There Is ample land for the production of food. 
 The number of cultivated acres found in the older 
 states might be increased and each acre might 
 produce far more than at present. Let us by all 
 means keep all areas for parks, forest preserves, 
 
272 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 golf grounds and all vacant spaces that will con- 
 tribute to the pleasure and happiness generally. 
 If clubs will buy and develop such land for the en- 
 joyment of a portion of the community, if they 
 will pay taxes on it and maintain it without its 
 being a burden on the public at large, they should 
 be encouraged to do so. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 School Grounds 
 
 The school is the second home of children and 
 its grounds are second only in importance to those 
 of the home itself. They should be given careful 
 consideration, and ample playground should by all 
 means be provided. 
 
 IN THE COUNTRY (Fig. 53) 
 
 Of all school grounds none is primarily of greater 
 importance than that about a school in the coun- 
 try, and yet none has received less consideration 
 or made less advance toward ideal development. 
 
 A story is told of a certain country school. The 
 boys of this school made a practice of going over 
 the fence to an adjoining pasture for the purpose 
 of playing ball. The farmer who owned the pas- 
 ture complained bitterly to the school-board. There 
 was more or less anger at the boys on the part of 
 both the board and the farmer. Finally, it was 
 
 T 273 
 
10 •; r*-""; ffi 
 
 -*\ 
 
 
 r*'. 
 
 j-^. 
 
 
 (6"isr, 
 
 
 PLAAI 
 
 ;«!:• 'Ir'A COWNTCY OCWQOL YARD -^ 
 
 vXALfc OP FEtT r 
 
 Fig. 53. — The School Grounds. In the above plan the drive may be used 
 as a walk and the planting shown may include a variety of trees and shrubs. 
 
SCHOOL GROUNDS 275 
 
 decided that all would visit the school together. 
 They arrived during intermission and found the 
 boys in the midst of a game on the forbidden 
 ground. The members of the board became quite 
 interested in the game. At last one bright mem- 
 ber asked the farmer what rent he would charge 
 for an acre of land. He replied, naming a very 
 moderate sum which the board at once agreed to 
 pay. The fence was moved to the other side of the 
 acre and all were happy. This incident illustrates 
 that every school should have ample space for 
 play. 
 
 There should be room for ball for the girls as 
 well as for the boys, for pull-away and other games, 
 for coasting and skating, for school-gardens and for 
 trees and shrubs that will make the school-house 
 and the grounds attractive in appearance. It 
 would be well if the list of plants included many 
 species so that the plantation would form at least 
 a local arboretum. In selecting the site for a school, 
 all desirable features should be remembered, and 
 advantage taken of any existing hill for coasting 
 if there is one near the proposed site, of existing tree 
 growth, or any feature that will add to the beauty 
 of the ground and to the comfort and entertain- 
 
276 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 ment of the pupils. Nor is it the pupils alone that 
 should be considered. There are the teachers and 
 parents. A school in the country is a neighbor- 
 hood center. Here, from time to time, are various 
 gatherings, usually within the building, but if the 
 grounds are ample and picturesque, they will form 
 an appropriate place for picnics and outdoor meet- 
 ings of various kinds. Here might be exhibited 
 the products of the school-gardens, or collections 
 of flowers, vegetables and other products of the 
 farms of the neighborhood. The school and its 
 grounds should serve to draw persons together and 
 create a neighborhood spirit which would tend 
 toward improvement in every way. It should 
 lead to greater general intelligence, better crops 
 and more appreciation of beauty. 
 
 Naturally, the planting about the ideal school 
 would be arranged along the boundaries, leaving 
 large central open spaces for play' and for air and 
 sunlight. Touches of foliage might appear here 
 and there about the building, perhaps from some 
 vines on the walls, some shrubs each side of the en- 
 trance steps, or in a reentrant angle, but there 
 should be nothing to shade the windows. The trees 
 along the boundary might be arranged in groups 
 
SCHOOL GROUNDS 277 
 
 with spaces left to preserve views or let in breezes. 
 Small trees and shrubs should be used extensively, 
 and there should be an abundance of perennial 
 flowers. The annuals will be taken care of in the 
 gardens for the pupils. An area of five to ten acres 
 would be none too much for this second home for 
 children who usually come from farms of two thou- 
 sand acres or more. With ten acres, a charming 
 park might be made including within its boundaries 
 a school-house and all the features named. 
 
 Higher institutions of learning, including col- 
 leges and universities, often take great pains and 
 spend large sums in acquiring and developing 
 beautiful grounds. Such grounds have a great 
 influence on the lives of students. That the love 
 for one's alma mater is often due quite as much to 
 the charm of the campus as to the buildings or the 
 instruction given in them is sometimes claimed by 
 graduates. The influence of an attractive campus 
 extends through life and affects, in a marked de- 
 gree, the homes built by the alumni. It is im- 
 portant, therefore, to have schools that care for 
 children during the impressionable age from five to 
 fifteen well equipped with beautiful surroundings. 
 Their influence would extend to the homes of the par- 
 
278 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 ents as well as to those the children might build 
 in future years. 
 
 It may be said that children will destroy anything 
 that is planted. This is one reason for planting 
 school grounds so that youth may be taught to 
 respect and admire their plant neighbors. Inci- 
 dentally, certain flowers and portions of plants might 
 be used with great advantage by the teacher in giv- 
 ing instruction in botany, not in classes, but in 
 general talks that would interest and give recrea- 
 tion. Such short talks on natural objects or phe- 
 nomena which pupils can observe for themselves 
 are often restful, because they introduce variety 
 and give instruction that can be "soaked in" by 
 the students without apparent effort or respon- 
 sibility on their part. 
 
 IN CITIES 
 
 It would be well if many of the features of coun- 
 try schools could be retained in the city. The school 
 in the city should have ample grounds and should 
 continue to be a neighborhood center. There 
 should be space for play and for trees without shut- 
 ting out light. Perhaps the play might be con- 
 centrated more than in the country by using swings, 
 
SCHOOL GROUNDS 279 
 
 slides, and other apparatus, but even then there 
 should be abundant room for gardens, borders of 
 shrubs, skating, and coasting. If school grounds 
 could be planned in advance before the property 
 needed is covered with expensive buildings, they 
 could be developed with far greater economy than 
 under present methods. Since school-houses have 
 often been erected in cities on small sites allowing 
 no room for outdoor exercise, it has fallen to the lot 
 of various public-spirited bodies, including boards 
 of aldermen, park commissions and improvement 
 associations, to supply playgrounds. This causes 
 much duplication of effort and expenditure of time 
 and money that would have been unnecessary 
 with the exercise of wise foresight. 
 
 Now that city planning is receiving attention, 
 perhaps future school yards will become adequate. 
 In general, they should contain all the features 
 found in the best playgrounds. There should be 
 room for tennis, baseball, and other games, for 
 gymnastic apparatus, and provision for swimming, 
 space for trees to give shade and make the grounds 
 attractive, and there should be shrubs and flowers. 
 The grounds should be planned so that portions 
 of them could be flooded in winter for skating. 
 
28o LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 The space allotted for a school ground should be 
 sufficient for a combination of what is usually found 
 at present In a typical school yard, playground, and 
 small park. The cost of the original investment 
 and the maintenance of such a combination would 
 be much less than that of separate areas under 
 different managements, while the accommodation 
 would be far greater for play, for neighborhood 
 gatherings, and for everything tending to unite 
 and improve the community tributary to the school. 
 Such an institution, providing facilities for edu- 
 cation and recreation, would bring together teachers, 
 children and parents and create a healthful, stimu- 
 lating neighborhood spirit that is now generally 
 lacking. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 Arboretums and Botanic Gardens 
 
 The most satisfactory and useful planting proj- 
 ect in the United States is the Arnold Arboretum at 
 Boston. It gathers its material from all temperate 
 regions. It issues bulletins regarding not only the 
 trees and shrubs of the United States and Canada 
 but also those that are available from different parts 
 of Europe and Asia. At the Arboretum one can 
 actually see and study the individual trees and shrubs 
 mentioned in the bulletins and in many cases study 
 their effects in groups or masses. If one can visit 
 the Arboretum at different seasons of the year, one 
 can observe the winter effects of branching, the 
 appearance of buds and leaves, the blossoms, the 
 summer foliage, the autumn coloring and the fruits 
 of hundreds of species of woody growth. 
 
 While the development of the Arnold Arboretum 
 has been admirable, it is seen by only a small frac- 
 tion of those who should learn the facts which it can 
 
 281 
 
282 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 teach, a small part even of those who are interested 
 in landscape-gardening. The United States is so 
 vast in extent, it has so many variations of soil and 
 climate and its people live so far apart that it should 
 have more than one arboretum. Other experiment 
 stations and government plantations in various sec- 
 tions of the United States are doing good work, but 
 more arboretums devoted especially to planting 
 material suitable for landscape work are greatly 
 needed. There should be at least a great compre- 
 hensive arboretum for the central northern part of 
 the United States, one or more for each of those sec- 
 tions known as the Rocky Mountain region, the coast 
 and the southern states. Even with arboretums in 
 the localities named, these should be supplemented 
 by plantations at universities, especially w^here land- 
 scape-gardening is taught, and in the parks of the 
 various cities. An individual who wishes to develop 
 beautiful home grounds should be able to see and 
 become acquainted with the available planting 
 material for this purpose in the parks of any 
 neighboring city. In the latter especially, one 
 should have an opportunity of judging the effects 
 of different trees and shrubs in landscape work. 
 For their educational value, labels giving names, 
 
ARBORETUMS AND BOTANIC GARDENS 283 
 
 localities and dates of planting would be very 
 useful. 
 
 In an arboretum, the space allotted to each plant 
 or group of plants should be large enough to allow 
 full development for each individual or group and 
 also open surrounding space so that trees and shrubs 
 can be seen to advantage even when they have reached 
 old age and attained their greatest size. The land 
 selected for an arboretum should, if possible, have 
 a varied topography with slopes to the north, south, 
 east and west and each plant should be placed in its 
 most appropriate location in regard to slope, soil, 
 and moisture. For example, birches and hemlocks 
 should be on the north slope. Most trees and shrubs 
 noted for their blossoms should have a south or at 
 least a sunny exposure. Some trees prefer sand or 
 gravel and others a clay soil. 
 
 The roads and walks in the arboretum should be 
 planned with easy lines and grades with the plants 
 to be seen from them so placed that they can be ob- 
 served conveniently. To save space and expense, 
 there should be comparatively few roads. Those 
 who are studying plants can do so best when walking 
 or standing. 
 
 Even though an arboretum is primarily a museum, 
 
284 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 its plans should be influenced by a desire to produce 
 pleasing landscape effects. A hillside showing at 
 different seasons the flowers of sugar maples, june- 
 berries, red-buds, dogwoods, crab-apples and haw- 
 thorns can be planted so as to show beautiful pic- 
 tures as well as the characteristics of the different 
 plants. Evergreens can be planted so as to show 
 the characteristic development of the individuals 
 with branches spreading out and resting upon the 
 ground and also in time showing the group and trunk 
 effects as seen in their native forests. Community 
 effects with trees and shrubs that grow naturally as 
 neighbors can also be shown. An ideal arboretum 
 would require a large area, but as it is for the benefit 
 of a wide section of country the necessary space should 
 be provided. 
 
 An arboretum should serve not only for the study 
 of the plants it contains but to some extent at least 
 as a public park. It should have beautiful scenery 
 with hills and valleys and at the bottom of the latter 
 either running streams or reflections from smooth 
 surfaces of water, supplemented by open glades of 
 lawn or meadow. 
 
 It will be advantageous if the site chosen for an 
 arboretum contains some native forest growth with 
 
ARBORETUMS AND BOTANIC GARDENS 285 
 
 full-sized trees as well as younger ones and a varied 
 growth of small trees and shrubs. Such a forest 
 with plenty of adjacent open space will make 
 a good background for various plantations and will 
 help out in the landscape effects mentioned in the 
 preceding paragraph. It will also illustrate the 
 variety, gracefulness, and picturesqueness of nature 
 and this will tend to improve the character of the 
 artificial plantations. It cannot too frequently be 
 realized that nature is the best teacher and that even 
 in the museum-like arboretum she can give points 
 on arrangement. 
 
 The arboretums thus far discussed have been of 
 large areas intended for giving pleasure and instruc- 
 tion to the residents of many states, but there is no 
 reason why cities, villages, townships, even indi- 
 vidual estates, should not have smaller arboretums 
 for local study. Every park commission, cemetery 
 association, or body having charge of public grounds 
 of any kind should continually make collections 
 and try experiments. A farmer's family could ob- 
 tain great pleasure by experimenting with different 
 ornalnental trees, shrubs, and flowers as well as those 
 planted primarily for fruit. Such collections and 
 experiments wherever land is devoted to tree growth, 
 
286 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 although not as comprehensive as those connected 
 with great arboretums, will nevertheless be seen by 
 many persons who have not time to travel far from 
 their own homes and will lead to that ideal enjoy- 
 ment in life that accompanies an acquaintance with 
 the beauties of nature. 
 
 BOTANIC GARDENS 
 
 Supplementing the arboretums, there should be 
 botanic gardens. Such gardens exist in many places. 
 The Kew Gardens at London, the Jardin des Plantes 
 at Paris, and the New York Botanic Garden in the 
 Bronx may be mentioned as examples. There are 
 many smaller gardens and these should be even more 
 numerous than the smaller arboretums that have 
 been mentioned. Many schemes might be followed 
 in designing a botanic garden. It might be arranged 
 to show the native flora, each plant being seen In 
 its favorite situation as to soil, shade, and moisture 
 and accompanied by its usual neighbors. It might 
 be planted to represent all hardy herbaceous plants, 
 those that are introduced as well as indigenous. It 
 might be arranged with regard to classification, all 
 the leguminous plants being in one locality, all with 
 composite flowers in another, and so on. There 
 
ARBORETUMS AND BOTANIC GARDENS 287 
 
 might be gardens showing the sequence of bloom 
 from early spring to late fall. A comprehensive 
 botanic garden should contain somewhere a collec- 
 tion of medicinal plants, of plants noted for their per- 
 fume, a bog-garden, and plants arranged with regard 
 to the color of their flowers. 
 
 There is hardly any limit to the number of ideas 
 that can be followed in designing a botanic garden. 
 No artificial scheme, however, can be quite as satis- 
 factory to the botanist as nature's own garden when 
 left undisturbed. A botanist likes to go to an un- 
 frequented marsh, or a bit of woods, a meadow, the 
 margin of a lake, or a hedge row. No botanic gar- 
 den is ever more interesting than the more or less 
 open woods on the back end of a farm, containing 
 perhaps a stream supplemented by pools of water 
 occupying its abandoned channels in which water- 
 lilies and various water plants are growing; woods 
 protecting shade-loving flowers ; woods filled w^ith 
 openings of moist soil, where many kinds of ferns 
 will find a congenial home ; woods including sunny 
 sandy ridges for lupines, puccoon, spiderwort and 
 various graceful grasses ; woods having some ever- 
 greens and larches with moist partially shaded situ- 
 ations beloved by lady-slippers and ladles' tresses. 
 
288 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 Such a situation, combining tree and shrub growth 
 with that of herbaceous plants, containing an abun- 
 dance of shade and sun, leading the botanist on from 
 one interesting plant to another, keeping him more 
 or less excited over the prospect of making new dis- 
 coveries, is the ideal one for a botanic garden. 
 
 Such gardens of more or less limited extent might 
 exist on almost every farm, or even in the home 
 grounds of suburbs. The designer of a large public 
 botanic garden should certainly be influenced in 
 making his plans by a recollection of the favorite 
 haunts of botany students and collectors. Public 
 gardens must of course have walks for visitors, but 
 they might be surrounded by wooded plantations 
 which would give a charming seclusion and protec- 
 tion from wind. They might have the charm of 
 varied outlines and variety of soils and situations 
 to suit the tastes of diiferent plants and combine an 
 artistic arrangement with the utilitarian object of 
 affording a chance for study. 
 
 There would be some advantage in combining 
 a botanic garden, arboretum, and forest preserve, 
 since each would supplement the other. The back- 
 ground of a forest of considerable extent would give 
 a charm to both the arboretum and the garden. The 
 
ARBORETUMS AND BOTANIC GARDENS 289 
 
 former might be irregular in outline. Perhaps it 
 might cover a series of ridges or hills and its borders 
 might form numerous projections and bays of large 
 extent, giving ideal situations for additional plants. 
 Trees, shrubs, and flowers are growing together in 
 nature and it is, therefore, fitting that they should 
 be associated in plantations made by man. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 Cemeteries 
 
 The cemeteries of the present day that are located 
 in the suburbs of large cities came into existence from 
 a desire to have burials at a distance from the centers 
 of population and in places with beautiful surround- 
 ings. They are often called "rural cemeteries." 
 The first one in the United States to merit this name 
 was Mt. Auburn, near Boston, Massachusetts, 
 founded in 1831. Since then the idea of having 
 burial places park-like in their character has been 
 spreading until they contain today some of the most 
 beautiful landscapes developed by the hand of man. 
 The wish to have in the cemetery the beauty of trees, 
 shrubs, lawns, and flowers has gradually led to the ab- 
 olition of fences, coping, and other lot inclosures, and 
 a reduction in the number of monuments and the size 
 of headstones (Fig. 54). Many persons now believe 
 that the last resting-place should be surrounded by 
 
 the quietness and beauty of these features of nature's 
 
 290 
 
CEMETERIES 
 
 291 
 
292 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 handiwork without distracting stonework or artificial 
 objects. Others say that "the cemetery should be 
 a cemetery," meaning by this that it should resemble 
 somewhat closely the old conventional churchyard 
 or graveyard, with its multitude of crowded tomb- 
 stones inscribed with the good qualities of those 
 buried within its walls. 
 
 All agree that the cemetery should be so situated 
 and maintained as to menace in no way the health- 
 fulness of surrounding neighborhoods, but, as con- 
 ducted at present, no areas are freer from contagion 
 or do less to pollute the atmosphere than those de- 
 voted to burials. Cemeteries, indeed, rank with 
 parks in preserving open spaces and in the growth 
 of foliage which purifies the air. The ideal location 
 is one where the ground is somewhat undulating and 
 thoroughly drained by having a porous subsoil, while 
 the surface soil is sufficiently rich and deep to sup- 
 port a good growth of vegetation. In some instances, 
 as at Forest Hills, Boston, and at Woodlawn, New 
 York, it has been necessary to blast and remove rock 
 and then fill in the space with earth. In other cases, 
 the natural soil has been so poor that it has been 
 necessary to cover it with a rich earth hauled from 
 a long distance. In still other cases it has been 
 
CEMETERIES 293 
 
 necessary to select a clay soil because there was no 
 other, or to make ground by excavating lakes, using 
 the material excavated to raise the surrounding land, 
 or to inter above ground in structures erected for 
 the purpose, as at New Orleans. 
 
 SUBDIVISIONS, WALKS, AND DRIVES (Fig. 55) 
 
 When a site is chosen, it is usually subdivided into 
 sections and lots, which must be made accessible by 
 the construction of drives and walks. A road should 
 pass within about 150 feet of every lot. The width 
 of the roadways should vary according to the size 
 of the cemetery and the probable amount of driving. 
 If the area is very small, a drive may be unnecessary. 
 As cemeteries increase in size, a grass walk eight feet 
 in width may answer every purpose, using this when 
 needed as a drive ; then a driveway sixteen feet in 
 width may be required in a somewhat larger area so 
 that vehicles can pass each other ; and, finally, a 
 cemetery designed to accommodate large populations 
 should have good roadways, usually twenty-four feet 
 in width. Formerly these roadways would have 
 been constructed of ordinary macadam or gravel, 
 but with the increased use of automobiles, the ma- 
 terial used for roadways should be bitulithic con- 
 
294 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
CEMETERIES 295 
 
 Crete, bitulithic macadam, cement concrete, or brick, 
 preference being given to the first. 
 
 Walks should usually be left in grass and form part 
 of a continuous lawn, being of better appearance and 
 more easily maintained than those of gravel. The 
 location of the drives will determine the shapes and 
 sizes of the sections, the ideal size being from 250 
 to 300 feet in width and 700 or 800 feet in length. 
 The plan should be made after a careful study of 
 the ground in question, the drives being placed so 
 they will have easy grades, command good views and 
 be as few as possible when spaced approximately 
 300 feet apart. When the ground is irregular in 
 shape, undulating or hilly, or contains streams or 
 lakes or valuable trees, these features may make it 
 necessary to vary somewhat from the directions just 
 given. After the general scheme has been studied 
 out in connection with a topographical survey of 
 the land selected, the roads can be staked out on the 
 ground by eye with better eifect than if drawn first 
 in an office. They should nearly always be curved 
 to produce the most pleasing result, a curved drive- 
 way being advisable because : (i) when the margins 
 are properly planted, certain portions of the ground 
 are always hidden, thus becoming more interesting ; 
 
296 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 (2) they insure varied eflFects of light and shade ; 
 
 (3) they make the average distance from the ceme- 
 tery entrance to the lots shorter than if one follows 
 straight lines and turns right angles. 
 
 An open tract, to begin with, is in many ways 
 preferable to one that is thickly wooded, but groups 
 of trees or single specimens that have broadened out 
 in a natural way would be very valuable, since they 
 would help to take away the naked, forbidding ap- 
 pearance of land newly planted with young trees. 
 On a vacant area, it is usually advisable to plant 
 some large trees for the sake of immediate effect. 
 These can be grouped about the entrance, a fork in 
 the drives, the top of a hill, the margin of a lake, or 
 other distinguishing position. The objection to a 
 piece of land covered with thick woods is that the 
 necessary thinning to secure sufficient open space will 
 leave tall spindling trees, unused to exposure. These 
 are not very attractive in themselves, are very likely 
 to die, and are liable to be blown down. If there are 
 thick woods in the land selected, the trees chosen to 
 remain should be those that are healthiest and have 
 the lowest branches. Occasionally, the trees removed 
 may be cut off at the ground so that sprouts will spring 
 from the roots and form beautiful bush-like specimens. 
 
CEMETERIES 297 
 
 BUILDINGS AND PLANTING 
 
 The necessary buildings will vary with the size 
 of the cemetery, but they should always be modest 
 in appearance and suitably embellished with shrub- 
 bery and vines. The office would naturally be placed 
 near the entrance to avoid unnecessary walking, but 
 it should not be built immediately on the highway 
 or public street (Fig. 56). The large stone or brick 
 arch frequently over the gateway is usually too 
 pretentious in appearance and not in keeping with 
 the character of the grounds. A natural archway 
 of living trees would be better. The chapel, if any, 
 should be placed some distance within the grounds 
 to give it greater seclusion and quietness. 
 
 Whether there should be greenhouses or not is a 
 question that should be answered in accordance with 
 local conditions. It may merely be said that with 
 the great variety of flowering trees and shrubs avail- 
 able, as well as the thousands of hardy flowering 
 herbaceous plants, most beautiful effects can be 
 produced without the expense, the continual labor 
 and the bare beds for more than half the year, which 
 go with the construction of greenhouses and the use 
 of bedding plants. Frequently, many of the trees, 
 
298 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
CEMETERIES 299 
 
 shrubs, and herbaceous plants needed may be found 
 in the adjacent country. Thus, elms, maples, lin- 
 dens, viburnums, and dogwoods may be moved from 
 the edges of farm wood-lots and produce almost 
 immediately an effect of age and beauty. To pre- 
 vent intrusion, a fence along the boundary of a 
 cemetery is necessary. This can be of wire hidden 
 by a belt of trees and shrubbery, or it can be a sub- 
 stantial wall (Fig. 57). 
 
 No one would now make the cemetery dreary by 
 confining the planting to spruces and weeping willows. 
 On the contrary, every effort is devoted to securing 
 bright cheerful eiTects by the selection of all kinds 
 of flowering happy-looking plants. The modern 
 cemetery becomes, in fact, a sort of arboretum. 
 It includes some evergreens which are most suitably 
 grouped along the boundary belt, and which should 
 contain all kinds of hardy pines, as well as some of 
 the more stiff and formal spruces and cedars. The 
 planting of Norway spruces has in many places been 
 overdone. The development of attractive landscapes 
 in cemeteries is of so much importance that Mr. 
 Strauch, the greatest cemetery designer whom we 
 have had, used to call the present method "the 
 landscape lawn plan." 
 
300 
 
 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
CEMETERIES 301 
 
 RULES FOR MAINTAINING CEMETERIES 
 
 A landscape in the cemetery should improve with 
 years of growth. It must first be intelligently de- 
 signed, and then receive care and attention from 
 someone familiar and in sympathy with the scheme 
 adopted. To insure such attention, and to protect 
 the interest of all lot-owners, as well as to maintain 
 the dignity and character of a city of the dead, rule^ 
 have been adopted by all leading cemeteries. These 
 are the result of study and experience on the part 
 of many men. At a meeting of the Association of 
 American Cemetery Superintendents, held at Boston, 
 in 1890, the following rules were recommended by a 
 unanimous vote of those in attendance : 
 
 Rule i. (This should be a general rule, stating the author- 
 ity and conditions on which lots are sold and the restrictions 
 on transfers. The rule, of course, would have to be varied 
 according to conditions existing in each cemetery.) 
 
 Rule 2. The trustees desire to leave the improvement of 
 lots, as far as possible, to the taste of the owners ; but, in jus- 
 tice to all, they reserve the right, given them by law, to exclude 
 or remove from any lot any headstone, monument or other 
 structure, tree, plant, or other object whatever which may 
 conflict with the regulations, or which they shall consider in- 
 jurious to the general appearance of the grounds ; but no trees 
 growing within any lot shall be removed or trimmed without 
 the consent of the trustees. 
 
302 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 Rule 3. Lot-owners may have planting or other work done 
 on their lots at their expense, upon application to the superin- 
 tendent. No workmen other than employees of the cemetery 
 will be admitted to the cemetery except for the purpose of setting 
 stonework. 
 
 Rule 4. No iron or wire-work and no seats or vases will 
 be allowed on lots, excepting by permission of the trustees, 
 and when any article made of iron begins to rust the same shall 
 be removed from the cemetery. 
 
 Rule 5. The trustees desire to encourage the planting of 
 trees and shrubbery, but, in order to protect the rights of all 
 and to secure the best general results, they require that such 
 planting shall be done only in accordance with the directions 
 of the superintendent of the cemetery. 
 
 Rule 6. No coping nor any kind of inclosure will be per- 
 mitted. The boundaries of lots will be marked by corner- 
 "stones, which will be set by the cemetery, at the expense 
 of the lot-owner, with the centers upon the lines bounding the 
 lot. Corner-stones must not project above the ground and 
 must not be altered nor removed. 
 
 Rule 7. No lots shall be filled above the established 
 grade. 
 
 Rule 8. All interments In lots shall be restricted to the 
 members of the family or relations of the lot-owner. 
 
 Rule 9. No disinterment will be allowed without the per- 
 mission of the trustees, of the lot-owner, and of the next of kin 
 of the deceased. 
 
 Rule id. Mounds over graves should be kept low, not 
 exceeding four inches in height ; and stone or other inclosures 
 around graves will not be allowed. 
 
 Rule ii. Foundations for all monuments, headstones, and 
 the like, shall be built by the cemetery at the expense of the 
 lot-owner and fifteen days' notice must be given for the build- 
 
CEMETERIES 303 
 
 ing of foundations. The cost of the same must be paid in ad- 
 vance. 
 
 Rule 12. Every foundation must be at least as wide and 
 as long as the base stone resting upon it, and must not project 
 above the surface of the ground. All foundations must ex- 
 tend as low as the bottom of the grave. 
 
 Rule 13. Only one monument will be permitted on a 
 family burial-lot. 
 
 Rule 14. (This should be a rule limiting the height of the 
 headstones, and the lower this limit is made the better. Even 
 with the lawn is considered best.) 
 
 Rule 15. All stone and marble works, monuments and 
 headstones, must be accepted by the superintendent as being 
 in conformity with the foregoing rules before being taken into 
 the cemetery. 
 
 Rule 16. No monument, headstone or coping, and no 
 portion of any vault above ground shall be constructed of other 
 material than cut stone or real bronze. No artificial material 
 will be permitted. 
 
 Rule 17. The trustees wish, as far as possible, to dis- 
 courage the building of vaults, believing, with the best landscape- 
 gardeners of the day, that they are generally injurious to the 
 appearance of the grounds, and, unless constructed with great 
 care, are apt to leak and are liable to rapid decay, and in course 
 of time to become unsightly ruins. Therefore no vaults will 
 be permitted to be built unless the designs for the same are ex- 
 ceptionally good, and the construction is solid and thorough. 
 The designs must be submitted to the trustees, and will not be 
 approved unless the structure would, in their judgment, be an 
 architectural ornament to the cemetery. 
 
 Rule 18. Material for stone or marble work will not be 
 allowed to remain in the cemetery longer than shall be strictly 
 necessary, and refuse or unused material must be removed as 
 
304 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 soon as the work is completed. In case of neglect, such removal 
 will be made by the cemetery at the expense of the lot-owner and 
 contractor, who shall be severally responsible. No material 
 of any kind will be received at the cemetery after 12 o'clock m. 
 on Saturdays. 
 
 Rule 19. The trustees shall have the right to make ex- 
 ceptions from the foregoing rules in favor of designs which they 
 consider exceptionally artistic and ornamental, and such ex- 
 ceptions shall not be construed as a rescission of any rule. 
 
 Rule 20. It shall be the duty and right of the trustees 
 from time to time to lay out and alter such avenues and walks, 
 and to make such rules and regulations for the government of 
 the grounds as they may deem requisite and proper and calcu- 
 lated to secure and promote the general object of the cemetery. 
 
 Rule 21. The superintendent is directed to enforce the 
 above regulations and to exclude from the cemetery any person 
 willfully violating the same. 
 
 Cemeteries should be established on a basis to 
 enable those in authority to take uniforni care of 
 the grounds for all time. The prices charged for 
 lots should be high enough to enable a fund to be 
 set aside that will yield an annual income sufficient 
 to pay all necessary general expenses. In laying 
 out a new cemetery, those in charge should seek the 
 best advice available. Such advice should be based 
 on a thorough knowledge of landscape-gardening 
 and the special needs of burial-grounds. Much in- 
 formation can be obtained by visiting Spring Grove, 
 at Cincinnati, Ohio, generally recognized as the 
 
CEMETERIES 
 
 30s 
 
 Pic_ 58, — The Nobility of Trees and Background. A tomb with a 
 satisfactory setting, and simple in all its details. 
 
3o6 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 pioneer of park-like cemeteries, and perhaps the 
 best example in the world. Oakwoods Cemetery 
 at Troy, New York, Swan Point at Providence, 
 Rhode Island, and Forest Hills at Boston are prom- 
 inent examples of landscape cemeteries. Graceland 
 at Chicago, although smaller in area than those al- 
 ready mentioned, contains some good landscape 
 effects. Many other cemeteries in the vicinity of 
 the large cities of the United States can be commended 
 on account of the good taste displayed in them. 
 There are others which, while containing many beau- 
 tiful trees and expensive monuments, include also 
 many fences, railings, copings, and hedges that serve 
 as examples of what to avoid rather than to imitate. 
 The leading cemeteries should keep pace with 
 the best thought of the times, with the best theories 
 of religion, science, and economics. They should be, 
 as the name implies, sleeping-places, places of rest 
 and freedom from intrusion. It seems natural that 
 one should seek for such a place the very best pro- 
 duction of landscape-art, where spreading lawns give 
 a cheerful sunny effect ; where pleasing vistas show 
 distant clouds orthe setting sun ; where branching trees 
 give grateful shade (Fig. 58), furnish pleasing objects 
 to look at, and places for birds to come each year and 
 
CEMETERIES 307 
 
 sing again their welcome songs ; where blossoming 
 shrubs delight the eye, perfume the air, and make 
 attractive nesting-places. Such features may seem 
 to exist more for the living than for the dead, but 
 the living are the ones that need them. If it seems 
 natural to choose a beautiful park for a sleeping-place, 
 it seems incongruous to put into this picture obelisk 
 after obelisk, stone posts and slabs of all shapes and 
 sizes, and stone tombs. 
 
 The problem presented to cemetery associations 
 is how to secure the most pleasing combinations of 
 growing plants, including trees, shrubs, flowers, and 
 grass, the most satisfactory views, the most har- 
 monious and restful park, for the cemetery is really 
 a memorial park. 
 
 COUNTRY CEMETERIES 
 
 Often a country cemetery has a most forlorn and 
 neglected appearance, being merely a combination 
 of monuments and headstones, uncut grass, Irish 
 junipers and spruces. This appearance is not due 
 so much to lack of money as to sparsity of ideas. 
 The cost of the monuments shows there has been 
 money to spend, but there has not been an appreci- 
 ation of beauty. In one neglected country cemetery, 
 
308 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 a beautiful ground-covering of a little euphorbia had 
 killed out the grass. It was far better-looking than 
 the uncut grass-covered areas, yet a farmer regretted 
 its existence. Other areas were covered with myrtle 
 (Finca minor) and were always green and beautiful. 
 Where It Is not feasible to mow and water grass, the 
 selection of various ground-covering plants, like 
 those named, would serve well in its place. Par- 
 tridge-berry, trailing juniper, bugle, Japanese spurge, 
 lily-of-the-valley, two-leaved Solomon's seal, butter- 
 and-eggs, wild violets, erythroniums, hepatlcas, and 
 many other plants, serve well for a ground cover, 
 some thriving in shade and others in the sun 
 
 (Fig. 59)- 
 
 With the growth of an appreciation of beautiful 
 landscapes and planting effects in connection with 
 homes, school grounds and highways. It is but natural 
 that there should develop a country cemetery far 
 more beautiful than any seen at present. 
 
CEMETERIES 
 
 309 
 
 Fig. 5y. — The Garden in tue Cemetery. Tulips under an oak. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 City and Regional Planning 
 
 A NEW line of endeavor has appeared in the United 
 States in recent years, known usually as city planning, 
 but sometimes as city and regional planning. It has 
 been undertaken by landscape-designers, architects, 
 and engineers working individually or in conjunction. 
 "Zoning" is intimately connected with city planning, 
 but may be applied to cities that have already been 
 planned and built or built without planning. Nearly 
 all American cities have just grown by "additions." 
 These have usually been planned in surveyors' offices 
 without any consideration of the topography. A 
 ravine or a hill has been divided into lots as though 
 it were level ground. 
 
 If it is worth while to plan a house, spending much 
 
 time in studying the arrangement of the rooms, the 
 
 location and size of windows and other details, and 
 
 the fitting of the house to its proposed site, or to 
 
 plan a school-house or a factory, it is certainly worth 
 
 310 
 
CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING 311 
 
 while to spend much time in planning a city which 
 will contain perhaps thousands of buildings and which 
 will outlast a long series of structures erected upon 
 the same site. The city plan should be studied with 
 reference to the hills and valleys when these are found 
 within its boundaries; with regard to the location 
 of factories, warehouses, shops, residences, apart- 
 ment buildings, offices, stores and public buildings, 
 allowing room for the probable growth in each class 
 of buildings ; studying it with reference to its con- 
 nection with the surrounding country by means of 
 the various highways, and also with reference to 
 those localities not especially adapted to any of the 
 purposes named, but very useful as parks, open 
 spaces, forests, water views and glimpses into the 
 open spaces outside of the city. Intelligent study 
 with reference to the locations of the different 
 classes of buildings and the streets and parks would 
 have saved vast sums in construction and main- 
 tenance, and, what is of even more importance, 
 would have preserved and developed the beauty 
 of cities. The fundamental beauty of a city, which 
 depends on its arrangement of streets and its preser- 
 vation of hills, valleys, streams, rivers, and lakes 
 in all their natural loveliness, lasts for generations. 
 
312 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 The citizens of a city that is wisely planned for the 
 preservation and development of its beauty do not 
 leave it to go to other more attractive cities when 
 they have acquired a competence. When they 
 travel, no matter how far, they come back with the 
 feeling that they are glad to get home. A common 
 remark on such occasions is, ''This city looks good to 
 me. I am willing to live and die right here." 
 
 It is this feeling of pride in one's own town or 
 neighborhood, a feeling that one is identified with it, 
 is, in fact, a part of it, and^ in a measure, responsible 
 for it, that is important. This feeling of identifica- 
 tion with one's surroundings should extend from 
 the city to the country and from the country to the 
 city ; a farmer thinking of the neighboring town as 
 being, to a certain extent, his, and the dweller in 
 the city having a corresponding feeling with regard 
 to the country. Each should try to help the other. 
 
 The city planner, therefore, should take into con- 
 sideration the mutual dependence of the city and 
 country on each other and design a territory imme- 
 diately outside of the city limits. This has long been 
 the custom in England, where planning commissions 
 have control of the location of new streets far be- 
 yond city boundaries. 
 
CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING 313 
 
 When city planning was first discussed in America, 
 the subject most frequently mentioned was "civic 
 centers." By this was meant an orderly convenient 
 arrangement of the post-office, city-hall, court-house, 
 and other public buildings with regard to each other 
 and to the remainder of the city, of which the group 
 named would form the heart or center. 
 
 Usually, however, American cities that have re- 
 ceived treatment at the hands of city planners are 
 already blessed with city-halls and the other public 
 buildings naturally associated with civic centers. 
 To make changes regarding them would be very ex- 
 pensive, and, usually, even if such changes are 
 deemed advisable, they can be made as well at some 
 future time. In the outskirts of a city, however, 
 where it is growing, the need for wise planning is 
 urgent, since delay here may prevent forever the 
 adoption of the best locations for streets or the best 
 regulations for the development of the land. It is 
 here that there may still be a chance to save a 
 stream, a wooded hillside, an Indian mound, or other 
 historic or natural feature. It is here that the 
 change in the location of a street may save expense 
 in construction and forever add to the beauty and 
 convenience of the lots on either side. It is here 
 
3 14 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 that suitable areas may be saved for residences, 
 factories, school-houses, parks, churches, and all the 
 different classes of buildings or spaces that will be 
 required in the city. 
 
 While city planning, which takes into account the 
 probable growth of a city, the requirements of all 
 its diiferent kinds of business and residences, its 
 schools and other public buildings, its parks and 
 playgrounds and its connection with the country 
 and other cities, is comparatively new in this coun- 
 try, landscape-gardeners have long been called on 
 to plan suburbs or villages, or special areas, called 
 subdivisions or allotments. 
 
 Clifton and Walnut Hills of Cincinnati, and Lake 
 Forest and Riverside near Chicago, may be cited 
 as examples. The planning of such areas has usually 
 been primarily for residences, although, sometimes, 
 sites for school-houses and churches have been desig- 
 nated. Those qualifications which would fit a man 
 for planning intelligently home grounds would nat- 
 urally qualify him for laying out a collection of such 
 grounds. It is in the outskirts of a town, the places 
 where homes are being developed, that the services 
 of a landscape-gardener are especially needed. 
 
 The steps to be taken in planning a subdivision 
 
CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING 315 
 
 may be mentioned in the order in which they should 
 be taken. 
 
 (i) A visit to the property and a talk with its 
 owner and the city authorities regarding proper 
 sizes of lots, width of streets, probable requirements 
 for school grounds, parks and other public needs. 
 Some cities now require that a certain percentage 
 of the land be set aside for parks or playgrounds. 
 While such a provision is better than none, it would 
 not always result in choosing land that is best adapted 
 to park purposes. 
 
 (2) Assuming that the general problems mentioned 
 in (i) are satisfactorily settled so that the only ques- 
 tions remaining are those of actually planning for 
 streets and lots, the next step would be the prepara- 
 tion of a plat based on a topographical survey. Such 
 a plat should show the lie of the land by contour lines, 
 the contour interval depending somewhat on the 
 nature of the land and the character of the proposed 
 development. Usually, it is from one to live feet. 
 The contour intervals should be uniform so that the 
 contours will indicate at a glance the relative steep- 
 ness of the surface in different parts of the property. 
 They would show at once the location of ravines and 
 other inequalities. 
 
3 16 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 The plat should also indicate bodies of water, 
 rock ledges, outlines of woods, and special trees or 
 other objects which can be determined easily and 
 definitely. With such a plat in hand, the landscape- 
 gardener should be able promptly to locate his 
 position upon it while studying the land itself. The 
 topographical plat can be made by the landscape- 
 gardener or someone from his office, or by a surveyor. 
 In making the survey, the stadia method is the most 
 economical and the best. Dividing the land up 
 into squares with stakes at the corners is useful for 
 some purposes, but generally the stakes are lost so 
 that it is difficult, without going over the work of 
 surveying a second time, to find one's location on the 
 property. The making of a topographical survey 
 by means of squares is slow and expensive. It is 
 always a satisfaction, when looking at a topograph- 
 ical plat and seeing some special object like a big 
 rock, a thirty-inch sycamore tree, or a spring, to be 
 able to look on the land itself and see definitely the 
 object indicated. It is unsatisfactory to find on 
 the plat a special object, like a twelve-inch black 
 oak, and discover on the land a dozen such oaks near 
 the location designated, any one of which might be 
 the tree that had been surveyed. Either all the 
 
CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING 317 
 
 trees should be indicated as accurately as possible, 
 or the one shown must be so distinct from the others 
 that there will be no question as to its identity. 
 
 (3) With the topographical plat in hand, the land- 
 scape-gardener can soon decide on a general scheme 
 of subdivision which he would recommend to the 
 owner of the property, and this can be sketched on 
 a print of the survey and then discussed with all 
 parties interested. 
 
 (4) As soon as the plan is agreed on, either as 
 sketched, or with such modifications as may be 
 adopted, it is advisable actually to stake out the 
 center lines of proposed streets by the method de- 
 scribed under Home Grounds (see page 128). The 
 reason for staking the center line of a proposed street 
 upon the ground before definitely drawing it on a 
 plat is that by so doing it will more accurately fit 
 the land and be more pleasing in its curves. A curV'e 
 drawn on a plat will usually appear too pronounced 
 on the ground, because, in the latter case, it will in 
 appearance be very much foreshortened. Other 
 reasons for staking the line on the ground first are : 
 (a) The valuable trees or shrubs may be saved or 
 left in such positions that they will be effective with 
 regard to the proposed street; (b) advantage may 
 
3 1 8 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 be taken of fine views which would not be appre- 
 ciated when merely looking at a plat ; (c) the topog- 
 raphy itself will be better appreciated when seen 
 full size than when drawn to a scale which must 
 necessarily be small. 
 
 (5) With the center lines of streets staked on the 
 land, these lines can be surveyed and shown accu- 
 rately on a plat. The plat should indicate the 
 curved lines by offsets from the sides of a polygon 
 whose angles and sides lie within the boundary lines 
 of the proposed streets. It is a great mistake to re- 
 quire that the curves shall be arcs of circles as in the 
 case of railroads. Often a good curve has been 
 spoiled by attempting to make it fit this require- 
 ment. 
 
 (6) With streets definitely located, the next step 
 in the preparation of a plat is the subdivision of 
 the property into lots. If the land is vacant and 
 comparatively level and featureless, this work can 
 be done in an office, but if there are existing trees, 
 great variation of surfaces, rocky ledges or attractive 
 views, it is advisable actually to go on the land, select 
 a site for each house, putting in a stake at what would 
 be its approximate center, and then locate these 
 stakes and put them on the plat. This method will 
 
CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING 319 
 
 enable one to picture in his mind the appearance of 
 the land when occupied by houses. He will know 
 that a desirable view, as seen from one house, will 
 not be cut off by the construction of houses on other 
 lots. Planning in this way will insure for the future 
 residents of the subdivision in question as great ad- 
 vantages as should be derived by all the dwellers of 
 a city from careful city planning. 
 
 (7) Having finally made a plan showing streets 
 and lots, with locations for houses, other plats can 
 be made showing pavements, sidewalks, profiles of 
 streets, cross-sections, methods of surface drainage, 
 and location of planting. In staking out the streets, 
 the designer has naturally in mind the grades to be 
 adopted, and has tested these by means of a hand 
 level to ascertain that a grade within the adopted 
 limits is feasible. If there are existing trees on the 
 land that is being studied, these will be taken into 
 consideration in preparing a planting plan and also 
 in fixing the profiles of roadways. Often, by chang- 
 ing the grade of a roadway slightly from that which 
 would naturally be adopted on entirely vacant land, 
 a good tree standing in the parkway can be saved, 
 and it is usually possible to change the grade without 
 making the road too steep or the profile unpleasant. 
 
320 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 The planting plan will show existing growth, espe- 
 cially along the street borders, and also the trees 
 and shrubs that are to be planted. With large 
 lots, in addition to showing the site for the house, 
 It is often advisable to indicate the proper location 
 for the entrance drive and the garage and perhaps 
 some suggestion of the arrangement of open spaces 
 about the house. 
 
 The chapters on plant materials, planting arrange- 
 ment, and thoroughfares contain information appli- 
 cable to the planting plans for subdivisions. 
 
 The cost of grading and making other improve- 
 ments in a subdivision planned in accordance with 
 the directions given in this chapter should be rela- 
 tively small, that is, much less than by ordinary 
 methods, while the beauty of an area developed along 
 the natural lines described would give pleasure to 
 generations yet to come. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 Two papers by the late Bryan Lathrop (1844-1916), president of Graceland 
 Cemetery Co., trustee of estates and of the Art Institute of Chicago, 
 patron of literature and art, president of the Chicago Orchestral Associa- 
 
 tion. 
 
 321 
 
A PLEA FOR LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 The intelligent traveler observes one very striking difference 
 between Europe and America. 
 
 In Europe he sees almost everywhere evidences of a sense of 
 beauty. In America, almost everywhere he is struck by the 
 want of it. In Europe, and in Asia too, the work of man adds 
 to the beauty of the picturesqueness of scenery. In America, it 
 usually makes a blot upon it. I do not conclude from this 
 that the American people have no sense of beauty, but only 
 that in the mass it has not been cultivated. The mass is igno- 
 rant of beauty. In this new country of ours the struggle for 
 existence has been intense, and the practical side of life has 
 been developed while the aesthetic side has lain dormant. 
 
 To awaken this great nation to a love of the beauties of na- 
 ture is, therefore, a mission of the first importance, and the 
 time is ripe for the work. Signs of awakening are to be seen 
 on every side, but much depends on the direction to be given 
 to these new impulses of a people still in the main groping in 
 the dark. Where shall we look for this direction ? Obviously, 
 I think, to Landscape-Gardening. 
 
 Landscape-Gardening is one of the rarest and greatest of the 
 fine arts, but the one which has been least understood or appre- 
 ciated. If it is an art to paint a landscape on a small canvas 
 with brushes and paints, is it less an art to make a picture on 
 broad acres, using for material God's own earth, grass, trees, 
 shrubs, and flowers ? As a nation we have yet to learn that 
 such an art exists. 
 
 323 
 
324 APPENDIX 
 
 Only last year when I suggested taking the advice of a highly 
 trained landscape-gardener, one of the most intelligent women 
 of my acquaintance asked me if "anyone could not plant a 
 tree?" Any one can build a house, but is the result good 
 architecture ? Any one can apply paint to a canvas, but is 
 the result a pleasing picture ? 
 
 Landscape-Gardening is not only one of the noblest of the 
 fine arts, but in its perfection it is one of the most difficult. 
 
 When the architect, the painter, and the sculptor have done 
 their work it is as complete and perfect as the artist can make 
 it. Not so with the landscape-gardener. He must plant with 
 the eye of a prophet, for it requires many years to bring to 
 perfection the picture which he has imagined. He must know 
 the character of every tree and shrub, the size, shape, and color 
 which it will have at maturity. 
 
 If he has designed his landscape with prophetic skill, it will 
 grow in beauty year by year, intensifying the varieties of sur- 
 face, creating vistas in which imagination delights ; the masses 
 of trees and shrubs will have assumed pyramidal form, con- 
 trasting or harmonizing each with the other; and the nature 
 foliage will have acquired that exquisite blending of tones 
 which is the despair of the painter. 
 
 The ideal landscape-gardener should have a vast range of 
 knowledge. He must be a botanist, and he must know the 
 nature, the habits of growth, of trees, shrubs, and plants, and 
 those which are adapted to each region ; he should know the 
 chemistry of horticulture, and the nature of soils ; he should 
 be an engineer, as the basis of his work is the grading and 
 shaping of the earth's surface ; he should have a knowledge of 
 architecture, as his work will often make or mar the work of 
 the architect; and finally he must be an artist to the tips of his 
 fingers ; the more artistic he is the better landscape-gardener 
 he will be. 
 
APPENDIX 325 
 
 His life is devoted to a reverent and loving study of the 
 most beautiful effects of nature and to the work of reproducing 
 them for the pleasure of man. 
 
 My conclusion, then, is that we must look to landscape- 
 gardening for our inspiration in the new gospel of natural 
 beauty. It will teach us how a background of trees and a few 
 vines trained by loving hands will transform the baldest cottage 
 into a charming feature of a landscape. 
 
 The wild growth along a country roadside may be as lovely 
 as anything painted by Rousseau. Let us teach the farmer 
 to see its beauty and to leave it untouched. 
 
 The Women's Clubs have undertaken a noble work in teach- 
 ing the people to see and to love beautiful things. May their 
 efforts be crowned with success. May they redeem our coun- 
 try from the curse of bare and bald ugliness in the work of 
 man. May the time come soon when our streets shall be lined 
 with trees and shrubs ; when front yards, and back yards too, 
 shall be softened by masses of flowering shrubs ; and when 
 the farmhouses, the cottages, and the factories along our rail- 
 ways shall be redeemed by spreading trees and by shrubbery 
 and creeping vines ; when the European traveler in this coun- 
 try may be as much delighted by its beauty as he is now Im- 
 pressed by its prosperity. 
 
 PARKS AND LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 
 
 A paper read at the Boston meeting of the American Park and Outdoor Art 
 
 Association 
 
 My first experience as a park commissioner was a surprise 
 and a shock. 
 
 For about eight years Lincoln Park had been given over to 
 the' politicians, with the usual result, — extravagance, mis- 
 management, neglect and decay. The new board of com- 
 
326 APPENDIX 
 
 missioners was pledged to the reformation of abuses and the 
 restoration of the park. Our success depended upon securing 
 a man eminently qualified to be superintendent. He was to 
 take the place once filled so ably by Mr. Pettigrew, who now 
 has charge of the model park system of this country. We 
 were deluged with letters recommending for superintendent a 
 very estimable gentleman, a retired quartermaster of the United 
 States army, who had every qualification for the office except 
 one ; he knew nothing of the making and care of parks ; noth- 
 ing of soils and fertilizers ; of artistic grading; of planting and 
 pruning; of the maintenance of lawns ; of the nature and habits 
 of trees and shrubs, or the effect of time on their form and color 
 in masses ; in short, he had no knowledge of even the rudi- 
 mentary principles of landscape-gardening. The letters of 
 recommendation came from presidents of railways and of banks, 
 and leading men of affairs and in the learned professions ; and 
 in all these letters there was not one word about landscape- 
 gardening or a suggestion that any knowledge of it is a requisite 
 in the management of parks. 
 
 It was this that surprised and shocked me. 
 
 The writers of them are fairly representative of the country 
 at large, since it is well known that few men of middle age in 
 Chicago were born or brought up there. Let us consider for a 
 moment what a park should be. 
 
 The true function of a park is to afford a refuge to the dwellers 
 in cities where they may escape from the sights and sounds 
 and associations of the city ; where the eye may feast on the 
 beauties of nature, and where the body and mind may relax 
 and find repose. Therefore, beware of the engineer, the archi- 
 tect and the sculptor, lest their work usurp undue prominence 
 and interfere with the true function of the park. 
 
 To erect in a park buildings, bridges, or other structures which 
 are not absolutely essential, or to make them more conspicuous 
 
APPENDIX 327 
 
 than is unavoidable; to multiply statues; or to introduce 
 unnecessary formal or architectural features, is to defeat the first 
 object of the park, to bring ruthlessly before the mind the image 
 of the city from which one has sought to escape; it is a blun- 
 der, an impertinence, a crime. 
 
 A park then should consist of natural objects, turf, water, 
 trees and shrubs, arranged by the art and skill of man so as to 
 afford the greatest possible pleasure and enjoyment to the 
 people, with no artificial objects which are not essential to 
 their comfort or convenience. 
 
 To which of the arts does this work belong ? Is it landscape- 
 gardening ^ This brings me to a vital question. 
 
 Is landscape-gardening one of the fine arts, or is it only a 
 bi-product of the arts, unworthy of the lifelong devotion of a 
 serious mind ? 
 
 One is almost forced to believe that its professors are ashamed 
 of it. Few of them even call themselves landscape-gardeners 
 any more, but "Landscape Architects," and latterly I have 
 found some classified simply as "Architects." The Oxford 
 dictionary defines an architect as "a master builder; a skilled 
 professor of the art of building, whose business it is to prepare 
 the plans of edifices, and exercise a general superintendence 
 over the course of their erection." I would not quarrel about 
 the name unless there is an idea behind it. I fear that the 
 name is only one of many indications of a tendency to introduce 
 into landscape-gardening a formalism based on architectural 
 lines and principles which, if not checked, will very soon debase 
 and degrade it. Is landscape-gardening one of the fine arts ? 
 
 It may seem presumption in a layman to express an opinion 
 on this subject; but there is a grain of truth in the proverbial 
 advantage of the looker-on at a game. Ever since I wandered 
 as a lad through the parks and gardens of Europe, I have had 
 a love for landscape-gardening, and have been as closely in 
 
328 APPENDIX 
 
 touch with it as a layman can be. I believe that landscape- 
 gardening is not only one of the fine arts, but that it is one of 
 the greatest of them, and that it has possibilities of develop- 
 ment of which the others are absolutely incapable. 
 
 Landscape art — which includes landscape painting and 
 landscape gardening — holds a unique and distinguished posi- 
 tion. It is the only one of the arts of design which in the nine- 
 teenth century made any progress beyond the achievements 
 of the great artistic periods of history. All of the others have 
 distinctly retrograded. Sculpture is now only the pale shadow 
 of the age of Pericles. The heroic style of painting which deals 
 with religious, historical, and ideal subjects has produced noth- 
 ing within a hundred years which ranks with the work of the 
 Italian Renaissance. 
 
 Architecture as a creative art has ceased to exist. In the 
 place of the mighty builders of the past we now have schools 
 of architecture which formulate rules based on their work; 
 and the best architects of our age are the most successful 
 copyists. When an attempt is made to depart from the formu- 
 las of the schools we have such "architectural aberrations" as 
 "L'Art Nouveau," of Paris, or the "Secession Styl," of Vienna. 
 
 Landscape painting, however, has made great strides in 
 advance of Salvator Rosa, the best of the Italians, and of the 
 Poussins and Claude Lorrain, the best of the old French schools. 
 
 Landscape gardening has made equal progress in the last 
 century and is even more in advance of earlier ages than the 
 Barbizon school of landscape painting is in advance of the 
 Renaissance. 
 
 I believe that the explanation of this is not far to seek. A 
 love of nature for her own sake is distinctly modern. Even 
 the greatest of the Renaissance poets show less feeling than 
 those of the Victorian age for the charms and loveliness of 
 natural scenery. It is hardly more than a hundred years since 
 
APPENDIX 329 
 
 painters first began to see nature as she is and to paint land- 
 scapes truthfully and without artificial features. Until modern 
 times landscape-gardening was modeled exclusively on the old 
 formal gardens of Italy. The terraces which were required on 
 the steep sides of the Italian hills were transplanted to the 
 plains of Versailles and to the gentle slopes of England. You 
 all know the famous old gardens of Italy and the continent. 
 You remember the balustrades ; the paved terraces ; the 
 straight walks between clipped hedges, and the straight avenues, 
 ending in the inevitable bad statue or silly fountain; the 
 childish surprises of objects which suddenly cover you with 
 spray. If, by chance, you come upon a charming bit of turf, 
 with masses of flowering shrubs and trees not in lines and left 
 to grow untrimmed, you are told — it may be in Italian or 
 German or Spanish or French — that this is the "English 
 Garden"; and you say to yourself, "God bless it!" There 
 is a touch of nature in it. 
 
 Now, I ask you, are we to ignore the glorious progress of the 
 nineteenth century and go back to this .? Instead of striving 
 to carry landscape-gardening to perfection along the natural 
 lines on which it has made its greatest growth, are we deliber- 
 ately to give up all that the world has gained, and go back for 
 our models to the dark ages of landscape-gardening when it was 
 wholly artificial and unnatural, ages before it had grown to be 
 a fine art ? I cannot believe it. 
 
 Hence I deprecate the tendency of to-day toward a stiff and 
 unlovely formalism in landscape design. I protest against it 
 because I believe that it will lead to the decadence of a most 
 glorious art which it would reduce to the condition of modern 
 Italian sculpture, mere technique without spirit, a body with- 
 out a soul. 
 
 If you think that I exaggerate, I beg you to look over one of 
 the most popular of recent books on landscape-gardening, — 
 
330 APPENDIX 
 
 "Gardens Old and New." Turn to the illustration of "formal 
 gardens" and of formal designs; look at them with a thought 
 in your minds of some lovely effects of planting done by nature 
 or by some man who loved her, and tell yourselves honestly 
 what you think of the new-old art. These designs were made 
 with a foot-rule, a straight-edge, and a pair of compasses, and 
 might have been made by an architect, for in his legitimate 
 profession he needs no other tools. 
 
 We Americans are a fickle people and are much inclined to 
 change our fashions, not only in dress, but in more serious 
 things. It is this desire for a change for the sake of a change 
 which has prevented the normal development of architecture 
 and stunted the growth of every style in its early youth ; but 
 we are also quick to learn and quick to adopt any new thing 
 which is good. The love of the beautiful has only recently 
 begun to develop in this country and the taste of the people is 
 in a formative state and they are just beginning to realize that 
 such an art as landscape-gardening exists. The architects have 
 done much to improve the taste of the dwellers in cities ; but 
 only landscape-gardening can reach the great mass of the 
 nation and elevate their taste by teaching them to appreciate 
 the charming things growing wild about them, and ultimately 
 to appreciate everything that is beautiful in nature and art. 
 
 A heavy responsibility rests on the leaders in landscape- 
 gardening. They can check the vagaries and inanities which 
 are creeping into it, and which, unchecked, will prove its ruin, 
 and will have a far-reaching effect in giving the nation a false 
 and perverted taste. They, and they alone, can correct its 
 decadent tendencies and maintain the standard which entitles 
 it to rank among the fine arts, and which will lead to its highest 
 development. 
 
 Michael Angelo gave up painting in oils and adopted frescos 
 and architecture because they gave a wider scope for his tre- 
 
APPENDIX 331 
 
 mendous energies. I sometimes dream that another Michael 
 Angelo will rise among us and that he will find in landscape- 
 gardening the widest scope for the exercise of a mighty creative 
 genius. 
 
 In this young country, with its exuberant energy, its increas- 
 ing wealth, and the development of good taste and a love of the 
 beautiful, the opportunities which the future of landscape- 
 gardening has in store for a great artistic genius seem almost 
 boundless. With vast wealth at his command, and, for ma- 
 terials, the earth, the sky, mountains, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, 
 forests and the flora of the whole earth, and with vistas bounded 
 by the limits of human sight, he can create pictures which will 
 be to natural scenery what the Hermes at Olympia is to the 
 natural man, not copies, but the assemblage of the perfections 
 of nature, beside which the greatest works of other arts will 
 seem as small as the oil paintings despised by Michael Angelo 
 beside the dome of St. Peter's. 
 
 If landscape-gardening remains true to its mission, to de- 
 light the eye and heart of man by reproducing nature at her 
 best, this I believe to be her destiny, and then architecture 
 will be her willing handmaiden. 
 
INDEX 
 
 Acidity, 43. 
 
 Advertising, 39. 
 
 Air in soil, 44. 
 
 Altruism, 29. 
 
 American garden, 165. 
 
 Appearances, some persons indifferent 
 
 to, 2. 
 Arboretums : 
 
 distribution of, 285. 
 
 more needed, 282. 
 
 open space in, 283. 
 
 roads and walks in, 283. 
 
 some native forest in, desirable, 284. 
 
 varied topography, 283. 
 Arboretums and Botanic Gardens, 281. 
 Architecture and landscape gardening, 
 
 Arid regions favored with views, 187, 
 
 188. 
 Arnold Arboretum, 281. 
 Arnold Arboretum, oaks in, 68. 
 Arrangement of planting, 58. 
 Art expression, 19. 
 
 in architecture, 21. 
 
 in literature, 21. 
 
 in music, 20. 
 
 in painting and graphic arts, 21, 22. 
 
 in sculpture, 20. 
 Artificial lakes, 106-108. 
 
 bloom, sequence of , for borders, 116, 
 117. 
 
 color in border planting, 115. 
 
 dams. III. 
 
 deposits in, 1 10. 
 
 fish in, 112. 
 
 islands in, 116. 
 
 location for, no. 
 
 mosquitoes, 113. 
 
 plants appropriate for border, 113. 
 
 Artificial lakes — Cont. 
 shaping banks, 113. 
 waterproofing, 112. 
 
 Bacteria, 44. 
 
 Bailey, L. H., quotation from, 185. 
 
 Balance, 11, 12. 
 
 Beauty : 
 
 destruction of, 27. 
 
 how it pays, 2, 22. 
 Billboards, 23, 31, 33. 
 Botanic Gardens, 286. 
 
 combined with arboretums and 
 forest preserves, 288. 
 
 Care of plant materials, 78. 
 Cemeteries, 290. 
 
 advantages of curved drives in, 295. 
 
 buildings in, 297. 
 
 care of, 304. 
 
 in relation to health, 292. 
 
 in relation to open tracts and wooded 
 areas, 296. 
 
 in the country, 307. 
 
 planting in, 299. 
 
 roads in, 293. 
 
 rules for, 301. 
 
 subdivision of, 293. 
 
 walks in, 295. 
 Cemeteries in relation to progress, 
 
 306. 
 City and Regional Planning, 310. 
 
 importance of, 310-312. 
 City Planning : 
 
 civic centers, 313. 
 
 in the outskirts, 313. 
 
 undertaken by landscape designers, 
 architects and engineers, 310. 
 City schools, 33. 
 
 333 
 
334 
 
 INDEX 
 
 City Squares, 253. 
 
 planting of, 254-256. 
 City Streets, 217. 
 
 billboards, 221, 223. 
 
 curved and angular streets, 220. 
 
 grouping trees, 218. 
 
 planting space in center of street, 
 219. 
 
 space between buildings and street 
 lines, 218. 
 
 street arrangement, 219, 220. 
 
 views from city Into country along 
 streets, 220. 
 Collier, Price, quotation from, 171. 
 Coloring, 47, 49. 
 Composition, 13. 
 Country, as a retreat, 23. 
 
 definition, i. 
 Country parks, 256. 
 County parks, 258. 
 Croquet, 242. 
 Cultivation, 80. 
 Curiosity, value of, 13-15. 
 Curved roads, advantages of, 193, 194. 
 
 Dams, comparison of locations for, 
 
 loi, 102. 
 Dawson, Jackson, 68. 
 Distance, obtaining effect of, 64. 
 Drives, 132. 
 
 combination of walk and drive, 134. 
 diversion from direct route some- 
 times allowable, 132. 
 location, 132. 
 planting along, to control view of 
 
 house, 134. 
 staking lines of, on desired grade, 
 
 136-138. 
 surface, 134. 
 Dynamite, 44. 
 
 Each for all, 29. 
 
 Engineer and landscape gardener, 103, 
 
 104. 
 Erosion, 27, 45, 93. 
 Evergreens, 48, 49. 
 
 Farm buildings, 32. 
 
 plan for, 173. 
 
 planting In connection with, 173. 
 Farm forest, 176. 
 Farmer, 22, 23. 
 Farmhouse, location of, 171. 
 Farm life, 182, 183. 
 
 importance of to nation, 170, 171. 
 Farm orchard and other features, 182. 
 Farms, 32, 170. 
 
 features of, that are beautiful, 181. 
 Farm tools, 33. 
 Farm wood-lot : 
 
 advantages of, 177, 178. 
 
 need not be rectangular, 179. 
 
 original forest growth, 178. 
 
 pasturing, 179. 
 
 selecting trees for, 179. 
 
 starting with seedlings, 180, 181. 
 Ferns, 56. 
 Fertilizers, 45. 
 Flower gardens, 153. 
 
 Italian, 156. 
 
 location for, 155. 
 
 subordinate to front yard, 154. 
 
 wild, 155. 
 Flowers, 55, 56. 
 Fog, 65. 
 Forests, 36. 
 Forests along streams, management 
 
 of, 95-97- 
 Forests, destruction of, 26-29. 
 Forest preserves, 250. 
 
 and timber, 252. 
 
 care of, 251. 
 
 native growth important, 250, 251. 
 
 roads in, 252. 
 "Forest waters the Farm," quotation 
 
 from, 36. 
 Forking, 82. 
 Fountains, 87. 
 Front yards : 
 
 definition of, 141. 
 
 feeling of repose, 152. 
 
 final result, 150. 
 
 flowers, 152. 
 
 grading, 146-148. 
 
INDEX 
 
 335 
 
 Front yards — Cont. 
 
 ground covering, 143, 146, 148. 
 joining floor of, with surrounding 
 
 growth, 146. 
 public, in relation to, 152. 
 removal of top soil, 148. 
 rock ledges, 148. 
 sky-lines, 142. 
 small yards, 153. 
 sundial, 152. 
 
 surrounding growth of foliage, 143. 
 trees and shrubs, selection of, 144, 
 
 I4S- 
 
 tying house to site, 149. 
 winter efi'ect, 143. 
 
 Garages, 138. 
 
 Gardens (see Flower gardens) 
 
 (see Vegetable gardens) 
 Gardens, 56. 
 Girdling trees, 81. 
 Glacial action, 40. 
 Golf in public parks, 243. 
 Golf: 
 
 in relation to forest preserves, 270. 
 
 in relation to public parks, 269. 
 
 should be encouraged, 271. 
 Golf Grounds, 263. 
 
 arrow golf, 269. 
 
 boundaries, 265. 
 
 club-house, in relation to, 264. 
 
 farms, in relation to, 268. 
 
 may contain gardens, 268. 
 
 may often contain beautiful scenery, 
 263. 
 Ground covering, 43. 
 Grounds of Railway Stations and 
 
 Rights of Way, 224. 
 Grouping, 66. 
 
 Harmony, 13. 
 
 Hawthorns in pasture, 180. 
 
 Heaths, 42, 43. 
 
 Hedges, 161. 
 
 Herbaceous Flowering Plants, 55. 
 
 Highways, 33. 
 
 Hills, emphasis of, 58. 
 
 Hillside road, 199. 
 Hillsides, 34. 
 
 Hirst, A. R., State Highway Engineer 
 of Wisconsin, statement from, 
 
 193- 
 Hobbies, 34, 35, 155. 
 Home Grounds, 118. 
 
 bearing of existing trees on house 
 location, 122. 
 
 drives, 132. 
 
 facing house, 122. 
 
 flower gardens, 153. 
 
 front yards, 141. 
 
 garages, 138. 
 
 purposes served by, 119. 
 
 selecting site for house, 120. 
 
 service yards, 140. 
 
 walks, 124. 
 Homes, 34. 
 
 House (see Home Grounds) 
 Houses : 
 
 location of, 188. 
 
 surroundings of, 161. 
 How to plant, 68. 
 
 Ice, 39. 
 
 Ice-houses, 27, 39. 
 Imagination, 17. 
 Irregularity, charm of, 59-61. 
 Islands, 116. 
 
 Japan, flower arrangement in, 16. 
 
 Lake shores, 23. 
 
 Lakes, 34 (see Artificial lakes). 
 
 boat-houses, 105. 
 
 ice-houses, 104. 
 
 margins of, 31. 
 
 natural, wave action along shores, 
 107. 
 
 summer cottages, 105. 
 
 vegetation along margins, 104. 
 
 walls, 105, 106. 
 Land, 40. 
 
 composition of, 40. 
 
 elements of, 42, 43. 
 
 shape of, 42. 
 
336 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Landscape, a moving picture, 7. 
 Landscape architect, the term, 17. 
 Landscape composition, rules for, 8- 
 
 15- 
 
 Landscape, creation of, may require 
 
 years, 7. 
 Landscape designer, the term, 18. 
 Landscape engineer, the term, 18. 
 Landscape features treated in accord- 
 ance with local conditions, 190. 
 Landscape-gardener, aims, compensa- 
 tion and equipment, 24, 25. 
 basis of success, 8. 
 his work compared with that of 
 painter, 6, 7. 
 Landscape-gardening : 
 aims of, i. 
 
 and general culture, 16. 
 definitions, 3. 
 for arid and semi-arid regions, 
 
 .185- 
 given special impetus about 1800, 
 
 3- 
 Landscape painter, power of, 4. 
 Landscaper, the term, 19. 
 Leaves, 47, 49. 
 as mulch, 51. 
 Lichens, 57. 
 Lime, 42. 
 
 Marshes, 84. 
 
 insure open space, 84. 
 
 marginal growth of, 85. 
 
 three ways of treating, 85. 
 Mill-ponds, 31. 
 Mosses, 57. 
 Mount Auburn, 290. 
 Mystery, value of, 13-15. 
 
 National parks, 261. 
 
 should be established in eastern 
 states, 261, 262. 
 Natural resources, destruction of, 26. 
 Natural sciences, 16. 
 Nature appeals to various senses, 16. 
 Nature as teacher, 6, 42, 63. 
 Nature, universal beauty of, 2. 
 
 Neighborhood centers, 33. 
 Nitrogen, 43. 
 
 Orchards, 22. 
 
 Paine, Thomas, quotation from, I. 
 Painter, landscape, method of working, 
 
 4- 
 
 Palissy, Edward, quotation from, 37. 
 Pictures, 64. 
 
 Park commissions, 248-250. 
 Parks, 232. 
 
 as a place of rest, 233. 
 
 boating and canoeing, in relation to, 
 246. 
 
 bridle paths, in relation to, 245. 
 
 buildings, in relation to, 245, 246. 
 
 drives and walks, in relation to, 242. 
 
 games, in relation to, 242. 
 
 give opportunity for exercise, 237. 
 
 golf, in relation to, 243. 
 
 how made accessible, 236, 237. 
 
 in relation to crowds, 244. 
 
 intelligence of employees in, 243. 
 
 may serve as arboretums, 247. 
 
 purposes served by, 232. 
 
 should preserve attractive scenery, 
 
 234, 235- _ 
 swimming, in relation to, 246. 
 Parks and native forest, 240. 
 Parks, Forest Preserves, City Squares, 
 
 232. 
 Parks, gun clubs, natural history 
 
 societies and museums, 248. 
 Parks in relation to country and 
 
 vicinity, 239. 
 Park work should be done on the 
 
 ground, 240. 
 Planning a park, 237. 
 Plant materials, 46, 78. 
 Planting about houses, 189. 
 as a screen, 66, 67. 
 bushes and herbs, 76. 
 proper season for, 77. 
 rules for, 174-176. 
 to hold land, 45. 
 with frozen ball, 77. 
 
INDEX 
 
 337 
 
 Plants, for localities destitute of, 187. 
 
 in reference to seasons, 65. 
 
 in rows, 59. 
 
 often care for themselves, 78. 
 
 selection of, 45. 
 "Plant thick and thin quick," 63. 
 Point of view, 9, 10. 
 Practical gardener, powers of, 3. 
 Prairie road, 211. 
 Production, 39. 
 Profiles of roads, 195. 
 Protozoa, 44. 
 Public Thoroughfares, 192. 
 
 Railway Rights of Way, 229. 
 
 Ravines, 42. 
 
 Repetition, 13. 
 
 Repton, quotation from, 3. 
 
 River banks, 23. 
 
 River road, 206. 
 
 Rivers, 34, 97. 
 
 arrangement of buildings along, 
 98. 
 
 as sources of water power, lOi. 
 
 in cities, 97. 
 
 refuse on banks of, 97. 
 
 street bordering, 98-101. 
 Road (see Hillside road. River road, 
 
 Prairie road). 
 Roadside planting, 197, 198. 
 Robinson, Charles Mulford, reference 
 
 to, 217. 
 Rubbish, 31. 
 
 Sand blown by winds, 45. 
 Sand dunes, 40, 45. 
 School Grounds, 33, 273. 
 
 as neighborhood centers, 276. 
 
 in cities, 278-280. 
 
 in the country, 273. 
 
 planting, in relation to, 276-278. 
 Sculpture, 42. 
 Sculpture and landscape gardening, 
 
 15- 
 
 Seedlings, 69. 
 Seeds, 68. 
 Service yards, 140. 
 
 Shade, 47. 
 Shrubs, 50. 
 
 as a border, 51-53. 
 
 as a screen, 50-51. 
 
 care of, 51. 
 
 grass under, 51. 
 
 trimming of, 51, 80. 
 Sky, the background of landscape, 6. 
 Sky-line, 47, 65, 142, 178. 
 
 in winter, 143, 144. 
 Smoke, 103, 222, 228, 254. 
 Soil, adaptation of, 43. 
 Space, 65. 
 Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, 
 
 304- 
 Springs, 22, 86. 
 State parks, 260. 
 Station grounds : 
 
 convenience of, 226. 
 
 importance of, 224. 
 
 planting of, 226. 
 Station grounds and railway employees, 
 
 228. 
 Streams, 32, 34, 88. 
 
 adv'isability of retaining a border of 
 forest growth, 94. 
 
 parkway along border of, 89. 
 
 pollution of, 30. 
 
 public forests along borders, 95. 
 
 usual history of, near cities, 90. 
 
 walks along border of, 91. 
 Street corners, radius of curvature for, 
 
 195. 
 Streets, 34. 
 Subdivisions, planning of, 315. 
 
 dividing into lots, 318. 
 
 planting plan, 320. 
 
 saving trees and shrubs, 317. 
 
 staking out roads, 317. 
 
 surveying roads as staked, 318. 
 
 topographical plats, 316. 
 
 Teaching a client, 151. 
 
 Tennis, 242. 
 
 Terms, discussion of, 17-19. 
 
 Terraces, 159. 
 
 Thoroughfares and section lines, 193. 
 
338 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Thoroughfares important in appear- 
 ance of country, 192. 
 Township parks, 257. 
 Trees, 47. 
 
 anchoring of, 75. 
 
 beauty of when young, 70. 
 
 buttresses, 73, 74. 
 
 care of newly planted, 74. 
 
 cutting out, 64. 
 
 for sandy land, 45. 
 
 in winter, 49. 
 
 large, plant high, 73. 
 
 often planted too deep, 71. 
 
 planting large-sized, 72. 
 
 planting medium-sized, 70. 
 
 rapidity of growth, 68, 69. 
 
 surface drainage, 74. 
 
 topping, 81. 
 
 trimming, 71-73, 80. 
 
 Underbrush, 241. 
 Unity, 8-1 1. 
 
 Vegetable gardens, 158. 
 
 Vines, effect on host, 55. 
 
 ground covering, 55. 
 
 Walks, 124. 
 
 ditches along side, 131. 
 
 drainage, 126. 
 
 grade of, 125. 
 
 how to locate, 124, 125. 
 
 how to stake, 128. 
 
 interruptions, 131. 
 
 lawn at edge of, 131, 132. 
 
 profile, 129. 
 
 steps, 125, 126. 
 
 width and material, 126. 
 Walks and paths, 196. 
 Water, 84. 
 
 Water power, 37, loi, 103. 
 Waterfalls, 38. 
 
 scenic value of, 102. 
 Watering, 74, 82, 83. 
 Western towns, changes that have 
 
 taken place in, 191. 
 Wood-lots, 22, 32. 
 Woods, 23, 28, 53, 157, 162. 
 
 border of, 63 . 
 
 Zoological gardens, 247. 
 
 Printed in the United States of America.