Sept. 
—-——— The Method is not to fpread a thick Coat at | 
4 
enough value: 
~ Clean. — 
A COMPLEGTSABOD Y 
fame Manner, but with yet greater Regularity. 
once, but to throw it in thin Parcels one over 
another; and in this Manner let the Waik be 
laid three Inches higher than it is intended to 
remain. 
_ The Thicknefles of Gravel and Rubbith we | 
have allowed already, being ufed, it will be preffed 
down as much as that Meafure by that Time it 
is brought to fhape. 
Let the Gravel be Brought direy from the 
Pit to the Walk, and the fooner it is fpread,. laid, 
and prefied the better:-there is a natural.Ten-_ 
dency in Gravel, fuch as we directed to be ufed, | 
to bind when it. firft comes out of the Earth, 
which is foon loft when it is expofed to the Air. 
The Reafon of this is plain: 
the Air calcines the ‘reft; fo that there. neither 
remains enough in Quantity, nor has it the true — 
Quality. 
Every one knows that the turning up a clayey 
Soil to the Air breaks it, and takes off the 
Toughnefs: now the Toughnefs in. this Earth 
which is blended among the Gravel, is the very — 
Quality we want, and fhould by no. Means be © 
; | nothing remains to fhoot. 
im paired. 
When: frefh Gravel. of a el Kind 1s Ben 
and the whole is thus made to its true Form, 
and by frequent heavy Rollings fixed to it, and 
preferved in it, it becomes that kind of Walk 
Foreigners envy, and which ourfelves never can 
it is hard, perfectly fmooth, and 
No, Rain penetrates it afterward, and 
every Shower. wathes it. 
Middle may be required where a worfe Gravel is 
ufed, or where it is worfe put together ; but in this 
Way of making, not only the Form throws off 
the Water, but the compact Nature and Sub- 
ftance of the Gravel does not permit it to remain 
long enough to penetrate. 
The Care and Pains we direct in = firft Tay- 
| ing this Walk, will be very well repaid by its 
future Beauty, and the Eafe with which it will be 
kept in good Condition. 
Having been once well fixed in every Part, the | 
Roller will run eafily over it for the future; and 
will keep it in its perfect Form without Trouble: 
but the eafier the rolling becomes, the oftener 
Jet it be done, for ’tis the Bufinefs to~ preferve- 
this compact Subftance and true Surface. 
The great Fault of thefe Walks is the Rife of 
Weeds upon them; but when this Method is 
obferved, there is no great Danger of that Mif- 
chief. Weeds are of two Kinds, perennial and 
annual, the perennial are the only Kinds which 
could fhoot up from the Bottom’ and thefe in 
, the loamy Part | 
is then well mixed among the ftony, and it has 
10 full natural Strength and Clamminefs; where- | 
as when the Gravel has been fome Time expofed . 
‘in a Heap, the Rains wafh away a Part of it, and 
More Height in the. 
| ill-made Walks are often very troublefome. 
I have feen, Fern and Thiftles make their Way 
through a Gravel Walk, upon a Piece that was 
once common; and Horfe-radifh, where it has 
been made in a Part of the Ground where that 
once grew; and thefe have been unconquerable, 
except by a new making of the Walk. 
The other Kinds, shia are the. moft com- 
mon, rife from feattered Seeds; as Groundféel, 
Shepherds Purfe, and Dandelion ; .thefe are blown 
about by the Winds, and where they ftop they 
fhoot. The picking them out as they appear is 
not .difficult,. but it is an. endlefs Work, and it 
always more or lefs defaces the Gravel. In the 
Sept. 
careful Manner we have directed of making the . 
| Walk, both thefe Evils are nip’d in the Bud. 
In the clearing away the Ground for the Space 
the Walk is to cover, the Gardener knows he is 
to dig out all large Roots of perennial Weeds 
which are in the Way; and even if this were 
omitted, it would not be eafy for them to make 
them fhoot through fo much Lime Rubbith, and | 
fuch a Bed of Gravel; but with that farther Pre- 
caution, it is quite impoffible there fhould be any 
| Dane of fuch Difturbance. 
' At the fame Time the hard rolling of the 
Walks keeps them fo firm, and with fo even a 
Surface, that the Seeds of Weeds which are blown 
on them are in like manner blown off again, and 
The rounded Figure of the Walks affitts in 
this; and at the fame Time the Nature of the 
Loam which binds with the Gravel, makes it 
unfit for their Vegetation, — 
Thefe are the Advantages of good laying and 
frequent rolling of Gravel Walks; and with this 
Care there will be no occafion ae that common 
Practice of breaking them up, and laying the 
Stuff in Ridges every Winter. 
This makes the Walks wunferviceable for a 
ereat Part of the Year; and is a moft unreafon- 
able Practice, for it contradicts the very Nature of 
that effential Rule which we have laid down for 
making Walks of Gravel, that has not been ex- 
pofed to the Air. , 
The throwing them up in Ridges gives the — 
Rains, Dews, and Sun, that very Power over 
them we fo much wifh to prevent; and renders 
the Loam brittle, and loofe. The Seeds. of 
many Kinds of Weeds are alfo received into it 
while it lies thus, and they fhoot afterwards. 
The Gravel that is often turned up in this Manner 
never can bind well; and inftead of preventing 
Weeds, the very Practice occafions them. 
- When. the Surface is hard and fmooth, the 
Seeds cannot lie upon it, nor could they ftrike if 
they were to remain; or if they did, the next 
rolling would deftroy them in the Shoot. ‘This 
areksr is the Way to make and keep thefe 
Walks perfect. 
CHAP. 
