THE COUNTRY HOME [chapter 



pipes. In this section I find no better material 

 than furnace slag for a basis ; and over this a thick 

 dressing of red shale. This sort of material, of 

 course, cannot be secured everywhere. But where 

 it cannot be obtained, there is either a deposit of 

 gravel within reach, or possibly coarse sand, which 

 can be laid over broken stone. At all events, do 

 not be stingy in the way of making your drives sure 

 and solid at the outset. Otherwise they will soon 

 be broken up, and make you continuous trouble. 

 I have a length of private drives far longer than is 

 needful for many country homesteads, but I find 

 no difficulty in keeping them in excellent condition 

 by top dressing once in six or eight years. The 

 slag will hold good for almost any length of time. 

 Like all other road-making, the secret lies in watch- 

 fulness; neglect for a few weeks will render your 

 drives very much like our common highways, a 

 complication of ruts and puddles. I imagine that 

 a good private driveway becomes an example for 

 the public road commissioner. It will be neces- 

 sary to go over these drives about once a month, to 

 remove any litter and to hoe out grass and weeds. 

 Drives should not be indulged in at all unless they 

 can be kept tidy. I find a few of my neighbors are 



[84] 



