328 



OR:S^AME:srTAL GARDEKIKG. 



Stone flagging, aspliultum, and other composition 

 walks are generally put down by those who follow mak- 

 inor them as a business, hence there is no need of direc- 

 tions concerning their construction. 



For ordinary walks and drives in pleasure grounds, 

 those made of gravel are most common in all but small 

 lots, and are perhaps the best. They are comparatively 

 inexpensive, pleasant in use and easy to make. They 

 should be constructed with a view to firmness, and with 

 such a shape of surface, that water from rains and 

 melting snows will be absorbed or promptly pass off. 



The depth of excavation in making a walk, will depend 

 somewhat on the nature of the sub-soil. If this be dry 

 and absorbent, such as gravel or on high-lying rock with 

 seams, then an excavation of a foot deep, or even less 



Fi^. 129.— DRAINS TO ROADS. 



will be sufficient for walks, and no attention need be paid 

 to under-draining them. But if the subsoil be retentive, 

 such as clay, and requiring drainage, then the depth in 

 the lowest parts where the drains come (see fig. 129), 

 should be about fifteen inches deep, and one foot deep in 

 the highest parts of the bottom. Underdrainage to 

 walks may be provided as shown in figure 129, either in 

 the center or at the sides. In this figure, two styles of 

 drains are shown, one of tile and the other formed of 

 stones. Often such surface drainage as is described a 

 little further on in speaking of drives, is all that is pro- 

 vided for walks, and with satisfactory results, making a 

 saving in the labor of construction. 



Before laying any underdrains for walks, the surface 

 of the opening should be so shaped as to descend towards 



