FOOT AND RIDING PATHS. 219 



Footpaths. — For the surface of a footpath little solidity is nec- 

 essary, except in city sidewalks wliich are not supposed to be 

 treated of here, but we do need a material that shall become 

 and stay compact soon after it is laid. Coarse sand, screened 

 gravel, stone chips and dust, make good paths ; should these 

 materials be too free from any earth or clay, a little of the same 

 may often be added to advantage to act as a binding material. 

 Wherever the ground underneath the surfacing is not porous 

 or likely to remain porous enough to let all the water that may 

 soak through, drain away, a layer of such porous material must 

 be filled up before the top surface is put on. Oyster shells, or 

 large stone chips, gravel stones or pebbles, &c., make a good 

 foundation of this sort. The top covering should have a slope, 

 best in both directions from the centre of the path towards each 

 side of about 1 in 16 ; the thickness of the foundation course 

 to be 3-5, and that of the top 3-4 inches. Heavy rolling will 

 save much time in finishing the whole process ; the roller should 

 be used unsparingly and throughout the whole construction of 

 the path, on the foundation, as well as on the top. 



Riding-Paths. — From the nature of the travel these are in- 

 tended to accommodate, their surface is of a peculiar nature. 

 Inasmuch as a horse, in galloping, tends to throw the soil he 

 treads on backwards with his hind feet, the surface must be 

 kept somewhat loose and soft to make riding on it easy and 

 agreeable. This requirement makes it impossible to have any 

 slope on the surface (the loose material would wash away if 

 there were any), and hence we must rely here wholly on sub- 

 drainage, and not attempt any surface drainage. The top is 

 made of coarse ssind, free from clay or other binding material, 

 laid on two and one-half to three and one-half inches thick, and 

 spread out level. Under this is a solid foundation, about four 

 inches thick, made of coarse gravel and clay, and having a slope 

 of about 1:20, so that the water will run off along its top sur- 

 face to either side, where it must further be disposed of by 

 drains or ditches. In case of riding paths too wide to be so 

 simply built, the sketch shows the method to be used. The 



foundation is made in several slopes, at the lowest parts of 

 which are placed drains, running in the direction of the path, 



