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PARK AND CEMETERY. 
beauties of a park to soften the hard lines, but right 
lines and regularity are part of the evidences of fitness 
for its uses, and, therefore, the formal lines and planting 
may be artistic. The roads in a park are the incidents. 
Regular curves and widths and surfaces are in such 
startling contrast with nature’s abhorrence of regular 
lines that the effect can never be satisfactory. There 
are, of course, many reasons, and good ones, perhaps, 
not to be overcome tor the creation of a park road such 
as we generally see it in our parks, but every lover of na- 
ture and of parks, too, longs for the narrow road of un- 
equal widths and irregular marg'n, the grass running out 
into it in its modest effort to cover an unseemly naked- 
ness of Mother Earth; but I fear we can never have it 
and it is largely because the majority of people place 
formal regularity above the beautiful. Let me tell you 
of an experience in an effort in this direction. A bridle 
path runs about through the plantation surrounding a 
large meadow in a certain park, not a thousand miles 
from the site of the World’s Fair, breaking through 
shrubbery here, winding under the trees there and occa- 
sionally swinging out into the sward of the meadow. 
The sharply defined regular edges were painful to the 
person in charge. It seemed to him that it would be 
much more beautiful if it were like a path worn at ran- 
dom through the woods in the country, so the grass was 
allowed to grow and it soon became just what he wanted, 
an irregular path and to him at least, appropriate and 
beautiful. The second spring, however, that small but 
mightily influential class the equestrians, commenced to 
inquire why their road was neglected, while the edges of 
the walks and other drives were nicely trimmed and 
straightened, theirs was like a cow path. The bridle 
path was just as good as it ever had been except that 
the grass edges were irregular. The equestrians were 
simply jealous of other classes and afraid that they were 
not getting all that belonged to them, and made so much 
talk about it that the neglectful superintendent was com- 
pelled to edge up the path to the lines of regular curves 
and a uniform width, and it is now pronounced all right, 
and he has been complimented for what is to him tire- 
some and formal artificiality, in the midst of nature’s 
lovely abandon. 
Thank fortune, there are some places where regular- 
ity in roads is so evidently out of place that all under- 
stand, and it can be avoided. Who would want to see 
the perfect driveway with its concrete curbs and stiff 
formal lines destroying the natural carelessness of Wis- 
sahickon at Philadelphia? The loveliest park roads any 
where are the old country roads that existed before the 
territory became a park and have been maintained in 
their original haphazard condition since. I recall one 
such in the Boston Park system, I think near Jamaica 
Pond, which will always be a delightful remembrance to 
me. 
A bridge is sometimes a necessary part of a road. It 
is, however, often introduced when not at all necessary. 
To leal from point to point in the shortest possible dis- 
tance is a good qualification in a city thoroughfare, but 
by no means an essential in a park road. To avoid the 
construction of a bridge a very considerable detour is 
justifiable. There are few places, where bridges are 
thrown across the rav’nes, that would not be much more 
beautiful without them. They are desirable squat ers. 
Keep them off the premises whenever it is possible to do 
so. Only erect them when the necessity is strongly ap- 
parent. I know of bridges built where a ford throughh 
the little brook, with stepping stones for the pedestrians, 
would be much more desirable. Where there is no es- 
cape let the bridge be simple but durable and strong, of 
stone if practicable. Above all do not let it be an op- 
portunity improved by some enginaer or architect to 
erect a monument to himself, perhaps .an ugly mixture of 
mediaeval towers and modern steel cantilevers. The 
small so-called rustic bridge is an abomination hardly 
worth notice. 
It is with considerable hesitation that I enter upon 
the description of the technicalities of the construction 
and maintenance of park roads before an association 
only a small portion of whose members are particularly 
interested in such details. It seems to be expected of 
me however, but I will endeavor to make it as brief as 
possible. 
The construction of park roads is like the construc- 
tion of all other things largely a matter of local con- 
ditions. There are however, some principles common 
to all conditions which must be made factors in the work 
or the results will not be at all satisfactory. The char- 
acter of the earth upon which road material is to be laid 
largely controls the method of construction and the 
materials to be used. Sand, of course, is the best, but it 
shou’d be properly underdrained or in wet springs 
there is likely to be much water accumulated in places 
that as the frost breaks the bond of the road surfacing, 
the road will become wavy and the wheels will break 
through if much used. This is only likely to happen 
when sand is supported and surrounded with earth im- 
pervious to water. Clay is the worst material, but is by 
no means to be feared if properly drained and the road 
surfacing is not thin. The underdraining of clay is not 
necessary. If provision be made for at once carrying off 
the water which reaches the surface of the clay under 
the road material the disturbance of the road by frost 
will be as little as on foundations of other material. 
The thickness of the road material depends entirely upon 
the traffic to which the road is to be subjected. '1 he light- 
est of all roads in parks, some little turn outs to hitch- 
ing places or the like might be five inches in thickness 
if resting on confined sand and constructed of sound 
stone or good gravel. This thickness should never be 
less than seven inches on clay. The road material in 
the ordinary park road should not be less than nine in- 
ches in thickness after rolling. Not because that much 
material is required to hold up the traffic, but because 
the surface will probably be worn down at least two or 
three inches before it is resurfaced. At its thinnest it 
should be capable of holding up heavy sprinkling wa- 
gons and coaches or any vehicles which may come 
upon it. 
A well built nine inch road of good material is am- 
ply heavy for ordinary park uses. For boulevard roads 
the material should be somewhat thicker. If properly 
