Concrete has become such an excellent servant to the needs of various
objects built around the house that no apology will be offered for
devoting a chapter to its use. Of course, one is familiar with the
artistic flagstone walk with open joints through which the grass is
allowed to grow, and one cannot deny the beauty of brick pavements; but
in spite of these the concrete walk is found about more houses wherever
one goes than any other type, and, although in most cases very ugly,
yet it cannot be relegated to the past even by the most fastidious,
for its existence depends upon very fundamental qualities of practical
serviceability. And likewise, although we may not have seen concrete
walks that had the charm of rubble-stone or brick, yet they are coming
to be used more and more, for they can be made to appear very beautiful
if properly made. Concrete garden furniture, concrete pools, fountains,
garden ornaments, tennis-courts, and other familiar adjuncts to the
lawn about the house, are making themselves evident on all sides. There
is something about the material that lends itself to such uses, for
even the owner of the house can get out and work in it, and need not
call in a contractor.
[Illustration: Rough Cast Finish or Splatter