Gardening in California 



the proposed roadway. Then three lines of levels must be run 

 along the road-bed, one in the middle and one on each side. The 

 cuts and fills must now be figured out, and the grade established, 

 the quantities of soil to be moved being carefully figured so 

 that the cuts and fills will balance each other, always keeping 

 in view the economy of having the dirt moved as short a distance 

 as possible. 



After this is all calculated, it is time to have the grade-stakes 

 set, one at the base of each of the line-stakes. 



When setting the border grade-stakes, it must be 

 seen that the stakes, on opposite sides of the road to 

 be graded, are set exactly level with each other, for unless the 

 two borders of the roadway or foot-path are level, not only 

 does the road never look well, but it is not comfortable to walk 

 or drive over. As the grade-stakes will be set alongside the line- 

 stakes, they also will be at intervals of fifteen feet on the road- 

 way, it being inadvisable to have them further away from each 

 other. These grade-stakes should have sawed, square ends not 

 less than one inch square. 



After the border grade-stakes have been put in place, still 

 another line of grade-stakes should be set, at equal distances 

 apart, along the line of the road-bed, to guide the workmen in 

 the grading of the surface. These grade-stakes should be set 

 so as to give the road-bed a crown of one in sixty ; for example, 

 if the roadway is sixteen feet wide, it should be about three and 

 one-half inches higher in the middle than at the sides, so that 

 the rains will run off the middle of the road toward the sides, 

 leaving the center of the roadway dry. Great care must be taken 

 in this part of the work, as a road or walk has not a good appear- 

 ance when there is too great a rise in the middle, and that such a 

 road or walk is inconvenient and almost unpleasant for walking 

 or driving over, will be evident. In staking the rise, the width 

 of the road must always be taken into consideration, otherwise 

 great mistakes may be made, and a walk which is eight feet 



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