202 ON GARDEN WALKS. 



9 inches square and 18 inches deep, built in brickwork, should 

 be formed to receive the water and sand or other earthy matters 

 wliich may be carried along with it. Tlie water will pass into 

 the drain near the surface of these cesspools. A grating fitted 

 in a stone frame must be placed over each cesspool, so tliat by 

 lifting up the grating the cesspool may be readily cleaned out ; 

 where the walk takes a precipitate fall, and for a considerable 

 distance, provision must be made for the water to run in before 

 it reaches the gutters, without allowing it to rut the gravel. 

 This can be effected by means of surface guttering both sides of 

 the walk with tiles made for the purpose, or where sea pebbles 

 abound these may be used with good effect. One of the main 

 points which conduces so largely to the beauty of a garden is the 

 perfect keeping of the walks, and unless precautions are taken 

 in their first construction to guard against those natural and un- 

 avoidable causes which disturb the surface, there must be con- 

 tinual repairing and unsightly patching, producing at best a most 

 unsatisfactory result, which a little extra trouble in the first 

 instance would have effectually obviated. 



The material of which walks should be formed is a subject de- 

 pending in some measure upon the geological formation of the 

 neighbourhood ; for where the most fitting material is not readily 

 accessible, few are inclined to incur the expense of distant car- 

 riage, although railroads have in many instances assisted in this 

 matter. In nearly every part of the country some kind of rough 

 and hard material can be had, such as broken stones, rubble, or 

 even clinkers constitute a good foundation. "Walks for ordinary 

 purposes do not, as some imagine, require a great depth of bot- 

 tom beneath the fine gravel which constitutes the finish ; 9 inches 

 in most cases will be found ample. This foundation has been 

 mistaken by many for drainage, but no such thing is meant, as 

 the surface of the walk when finished ought to carry the rain to 

 the sides ; as little as possible should be absorbed by the gravel, 

 because where there is great traflfic, in a short time the walks 

 would become a complete puddle, and hence the necessity of ren- 

 dering the surface impervious to wet. This has induced many 

 persons to cover the tops of their walks with concrete or asphalte, 

 but when good gravel can be procured at a reasonable expense, 

 I think under all circumstances it is to be preferred. It is more 

 congenial to our feelings and harmonises better with the sur- 

 rounding scenery of the garden. Under particular circumstances 

 necessity will suggest other expedients, but then let necessity 

 also justify their use. Two inches of fine screened gravel are 

 sufficient wherewitli to cover the surface as a finish to the whole, 

 and where this is found to be an expensive article, one inch 



