THE GARDEN WEEK BY WEEK 



Jan. 

 16-31 



will not attempt to reduce the surface to a very fine state 

 at first, but leave it in smallish lumps, for fear of more 

 rain before sowing time, which would make a fine sur- 

 face close and paste-like. Just before sowing is the time 

 to reduce the top layer to fine particles. 



Garden Paths. — People who are laying out new 

 gardens often find the walks a rather harassing problem. 

 They see gravel paths in most places which they visit, 



and, lacking experience^ 

 suppose that two or three 

 inches of gravel laid on 

 the soil will make a path. 

 No, the gravel is little 

 more than the ornament; 

 the path itself is formed 

 of two or three layers of 

 rougher material under- 

 neath. At the time of 

 writing these notes, 

 labourers are widening 

 a drive in my garden, 

 and I will describe the method of working. The surface 

 soil lies over chalk, and this is first of all bared by 

 removing all the soil, which is about fifteen inches deep 

 above it. The next step is to lay on six inches or 

 thereabouts of other chalk, which is drawn from a heap 

 made through leveUing a slope for a tennis lawn. I 

 may say here that some roadmakers are averse from 

 the use of chalk as under-ballast, on the ground that, 

 whatever is put above it, the chalk works through, and 

 makes the surface greasy. That is not my experience. 

 I find that if it is well rammed and covered it makes an 

 excellent bottom layer. Above the chalk comes a 4-inch 

 layer of clinkers, the finer parts, or ash, of which are 

 44 



Fig. 19.— Section of Garden Path. 

 a. Main drain. 



bb. Pipes to conduct water to main drain 

 from catch-pits (c). 



d. Broken bricks, clinkers, &c. 



e. Flints. /. Rough gravel. 

 g. Finer surface gravel. 



