ROSERY WALK.
The rustic construction here illustrated is intended primarily as a
trellis over which to train roses, and to form a shady and fragrant
walk, and generally to contribute to the adornment of the flower garden.
It can readily be adapted so as to form a roofed-in track from a door to
the public roadway; and the means of so adapting it will be explained
later.
The materials will be entirely rough wood in its natural bark. For the
posts fir poles of some kind should be chosen, and larch is especially
to be preferred both as regards durability and appearance. All the
smaller pieces which show as straight stuff may well be of the same kind
of wood as the posts, though hazel is best for the finer rods. It will
be seen that in the mere filling-in much crooked stuff is used, and for
this apple branches, or indeed almost anything that comes to hand, will
answer.
The rosery walk (Fig. 91) is 4 ft. wide, and the rustic erection is
carried on two rows of pillars or collar-posts ranged at intervals of 3
ft. These posts should be let into the ground 2 ft., and well rammed in.
They should have an average diameter of 3 in. or 3-1/2 in., except in
the case of each third one, as that which in Fig. 91 is seen standing in
the middle of the portion with the lower roof; such pillars may be
smaller as having little weight to bear, and will look better than they
would do if equal in size to the others. Resting on the line of posts
lies the wall-plate (A A, Fig. 92), the top of which is 5 ft. 6 in. from
the ground line.
[Illustration: Fig. 91.--Elevation of Rosery Walk.]
[Illustration: Fig. 92.--Plan of Roof of Rosery Walk.]
From each group of four large collar-posts rise four rafters (B, B, Fig.
92), meeting at top pyramid-wise. They rise to a height from the ground
of 7 ft. 6 in., and have, therefore, to be 3 ft. 4 in. long. Half-way up
them--that is, 6 ft. 6 in. from the ground line--the purlins (C, C, Fig.
92) are nailed upon them. Figs. 91 and 92 alike show how the space
between wall-plate and purlin is filled in, and Fig. 92 shows how the
space, 7 ft. 3 in. long, stretching from one pyramidal portion to the
next, is covered with a flat roof of open rustic work lying upon the
purlins. This space, it will be observed, is chiefly filled in with
crooked stuff.
Fig. 93 shows how the upper part of the rosery would appear at one of
its ends, and explains how the roof would be in section--the shaded
parts give the form of the roof in its lower portions; whilst if the
cross-piece, D (which is on a level with the purlins), is supposed to be
removed, there is presented with the dotted lines, B, B, a section
through the middle of one of the higher pyramidal portions.
[Illustration: Fig. 93.--Entrance to Rosery Walk.]
Over the middle of the entrance is a rough knot or a piece of root.
The filling-in of the sides of the rosery is plainly shown in the
elevation, Fig. 91. For its better preservation from damp, this work is
kept 4 in. from the ground.
Supposing that, as was suggested above, the design is to be utilised for
a dry path with a covering of metal or other light material, it will be
well to keep the whole roof to the level of the pyramidal portions--a
ridge-piece will have to be used--and the rafters, instead of following
the present arrangement, will meet in pairs opposite to the pillars.
Instead of round stuff, also, use halved stuff for the rafters and
purlins, the sawn side being uppermost. The space between ridge-piece
and purlin can then be filled in the same manner as that between purlin
and wall-plate.