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 
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