Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-10-28
Roads and Walks.

Drives and walks leading from the
street to the house and outbuildings are
things of utility and necessity, and are
not primarily intended as ornamental
ton to the grounds. This idea seems
to have been lost sight of in studying
now to make these walks and drives
graceful and attractive. Landscape gar
deners nave made quite Il hobby of this
Wolk, ana the consequence is that in
man! eases the driveWayS and the
walks form altogether too prominent
feature to the lawn and grounds.
To be sure we would not have these
Indispensable accomplishments made in
any way crude, awkward or ungraceful
50 long rs they must form Il part of the
grounds, they should be 50 constructed
that they will not mar the general effect
, OF the whole. But in laying them out
We should not fail to bear III mind the
fact that they are simply necessity
and that as such should be made as
nearly in harmony with their surround
! inGs rs is possible i'll their nature to be-
| Many walks and drives are laid out
with 10 especial destination i'll view.
! ing point and no definite object. dcSti-
nation or terminus ahead. They usually
terminate ut the starting point without
! accomplishing anything more than Il
maze of Scrpentinc twiStings and crawl
ingS that weary the eye and puzzle the
4 understanding.
! Such walks and drives are worse than
| SuperlluouS; they are positively i'll bad
taste. When we consider The province
OF the walk or the road, common sense
will tell us that the most direct course
to the point i'll view is most natural and
pleasing. Straight dead lines, without
Il blink or Il turn, are not always agrVc-
able to the eye and should usually be
avoided i'll landscape gardening. A
driveway entering the lawn or yard ut
one side OF the house, us it should, may
lead up to the front entrance with Il
gentle curve that will give ii Il graceful
appearance, and still it will lead very
directly to the object i'll view. Ii looks
very silly to see Il clump of little shrubs
SCI III the line OF the roadway and the
road crooked out around to avoid it.
The occupants Of Il carriage, twisting
, Iii ana out among these turlnngS, are
probably looking directly over the afore
mentioned instructions with the object
of destination III full view, and no doubt
smiling at the ludiclUuS attempt ut inn
itating large parks where century old
trees offer real Instructions to the direct
course of Il roadway.
, There is no earthly excuse for making
Il walk where it is not needed. 1t is
often done to I'LL up space and to intro
ducc variety under the common idea
, that walks are ornamental and Il part
OF the ornamentatiun. ii is Il very alb
| SURE! notion that we must have just so
much space occupied with roads that
lead to nowhere.
1t is often necessary to branch 4 sec
5 ondary road from the main driveway
[ in order to reach the stable and other
OutbUildingS Such branches should
= leave the main road ut very nearly
. right angles, and i'll width Il little mar,
rover than the main road, SO that no
: mistake may occur from Il confusion of
the roads to strangers. This branch
road should always be made to appear
: subordinate.