300 POLO 



frequently stumble over them. No doubt for on-lookers a 

 game played on a ground enclosed by boards is far more ex- 

 citing, but whether it is viewed by players in the same light is 

 a moot point. In fact, I am not far wrong in surmising that 

 most players of note prefer an unenclosed ground. It is a fact, 

 however, that during any of the important cup matches or inter- 

 regimental tournaments at Hurlingham the boards are always 

 removed. 



At one time the ground at Hurlingham was enclosed by 

 stift posts and rails, but this gave rise to so many accidents, 

 owing to ponies trying to jump them, that boards were substi- 

 tuted instead. In some grounds a narrow bank of earth about 

 nine inches high is used to mark the boundaries. This is the 

 case in Munnipore and Thibet ; and it seems to me the 

 method least open to objection, as it keeps the ball within 

 bounds to a certain extent, cannot be played at for a rebound 

 stroke, and can offer no impediment to ponies. 



The necessity for the ground being level, and free from 

 lumps and holes, must be apparent to every one. If these 

 exist, the ball hops too much, and even the best player will 

 miss his stroke when the ball is lying in or against one of 

 these obstructions. Given the means of watering and rolling 

 &c., it is no difficult matter to keep a good polo ground in order, 

 even during a season in which it is played on four or five days a 

 week, and as an illustration I will quote the means adopted for 

 doing this at Hurlingham, where the ground always seems per- 

 fection. At Hurlingham 2,827 feet of piping are employed, 

 and the water is obtained from eight hydrants fitted with 

 brigade junctions and centrifugal distributors. The force that 

 conveys the water to these hydrants is supplied by a pulsometer 

 pump capable of pumping up 1 7,000 gallons an hour. By these 

 means the polo field, which consists of about seven acres, can 

 be flooded to the depth of one inch in ten hours. This appara- 

 tus has been fitted up at a cost of 7007. In a dry summer it is 

 of course invaluable, as the turf always rides light and elastic, 

 and the good done is incalculable. Ponies now stand work much 



