WALKS. 
409 
ee 
WALLFLOWER. 
two or three yards apart ; and hav- | 
ing the surface of the walk raised 
much higher in the middle than 
usual, so as to throw the water im- 
mediately to the sides, and never to 
admit of a current in the direction 
of the walk. The next requisite is 
a much coarser gravel than usual, 
in consequence of which the water 
of-rain or snow cannot wash away 
the sandy particles. The most ef- 
fective mode, however, is to wach: 
the gravel quite clean, so as to leave 
no particle smaller than a forse 
gooseberry, or larger than a small | 
apple, and to mix the whole with 
Roman cement. Were it not for 
the disagreeable dark colour of as- | 
phalte, walks on steep declivities 
laid with this material would be 
preferable to any others, as being by 
far the most durable. 
In the operation of forming walks, 
the first step, after the line has been 
marked out, is to take the levels of 
the surface, so as to determine the 
degree of inclination necessary for 
carrying off the water, and also 
what quantity of soil will have to 
be removed on each side of the 
walk, so as to reduce the whole to 
a uniform surface. The next step 
is to mark out the width of the 
walk, after which the soil is to be 
excavated. The depth of the ex- 
cavation will depend on the nature 
of the sub-soil. If that is dry and 
absorbent, such as gravel or rock, 
then the depth need not be more 
than a foot or eighteen inches ; but 
if the sub-soil is retentive, such as 
clay or loam, then the depth, at 
Jeast in the centre of the walk, 
should be between eighteen inches 
and two feet, and it should be at 
least one foot in depth at the sides. 
The drain may be made in the 
centre, that being the deepest part; 
and this being dene, the excavation | 
is to be filled up to within nine inches 
of the surface with small stones, 
broke:. brickbats, and such like ma- 
35 
terials, which are to be well beaten 
down with arammer. On this sur- 
face a layer, three inches in thick- 
ness, of coarse gravel, should be 
laid, and also well rammed down, 
and the remaining six inches should 
be filled in with the best gravel, 
which should not be rammed, but 
rolled after being raked to an even 
surface. If the walk is to be edged 
with box, that should be planted 
immediately before laying on the 
three-inch stratum of coarse gravel ; 
but if itis to be edged with turf, the 
most convenient time for laying it 
down is before putting on the upper 
stratum of six inches.—See Bu‘xus 
and Epaines, 
The management of walks con- 
sists in keeping them clean, by the 
removal of all extraneous matters 
from their surface, including weeds ; 
and in preventing worms from work- 
ing in them, and throwing up casts. 
Leaves and other extraneous mat- 
ters are removed by sweeping ; but 
weeds must be hoed or pulled up, or 
destroyed by watering the walse 
with salt water, which will also effec- 
tually destroy the worms. Every time 
a walk is hoed, it ought to be raked 
and rolled; and to preserve the 
surface quite smooth and firm, it 
ought always to be rolled as soon 
after rainy weather as the surface 
has become quite dry. To renew 
the surface of walks, they may be 
turned over once a year, in spring; 
but this is only advisable in the case 
of fine-coloured gravels, such as 
that of Kensington, in order to pre- 
sent a fresh surface ; for, with refer- 
ence to the smoothness, firmness, 
and easy keeping of the walk, turn- 
ing over the gravel is injurious 
rather than otherwise.—See GraVEL. 
Watt Cress.—See A’rabis. 
WaALLFLoweR.—Common as this 
flower is, it well deserves great 
pains to be-taken inits cultivation ; 
as its principal beauty is displayed 
at a season when there are few 
ae 
