February 18, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
183 
situated either third or fourth or more from the base of the laterals 
and sometimes with good results. My experience is that when several 
buds are left it is best not to cut out those not retained for carrying a 
bunch, but to leave them to grow and make leaves and growth to some 
extent. But the two buds that form the base are hard to beat, either 
for home supply or exhibition, as the Grapes usually finish better. 
Many other matters might have been dealt with were there time, 
among which may be mentioned watering, stopping the shoots, tying 
down, thinning the bunches and berries, and last ventilating. To sum 
up these several matters in as few words as possible—when water is 
given supply it abundantly; in stopping, pinch the point of the shoot at 
two leaves beyond the bunch as soon as it can be done without injury to 
the bunch or leaves retained ; and later toppings according to the 
space allowed, as I believe in having the roof covered with foliage. 
Thin the surplus bunches—some before coming into flower, and the 
others as soon as they are seen to be properly set, and the berries 
as soon as they commence to swell, and the good berries show by 
their taking the lead. The tying down should not be done too soon, but 
allow the heel to gain a little strength before finally tying; and last, 
but by no means least, attend to ventilating. To deal with this important 
matter to its fullest would occupy the full length of my paper. To sum 
up, I would say. Open early and close early, and do not wait for the 
temperature to rise to a given point in the morning before ventilating, 
or condensation on the berries is sure to follow. 
THE FORMATION OF A CARRIAGE ROAD. 
Much as we are indebted to our early ancestors for the very 
substantial way in which they formed their roads—roads which 
even at the present day seem to bid fair to witness the decay of 
others that are many centuries their juniors—there was neverthe¬ 
less something in old Eoman roads which would not have met the 
requirements of the present generation. Still we may wonder that 
the Romans were able to accomplish so much as was done, their 
massive walls and solid buildings, as well as their most substantial 
causeways, crossing the country in various directions ; but then it 
must be remembered that all travelling was done in those days 
without the aid of wheel carriages. Horses, bullocks, and foot 
travelling were the modes adopted at that time, but with the 
advance of wealth other modes of travelling were required, and 
roads of a kind on which wheel carriages could be used at all 
seasons had to be provided. Coeval with this improved state of 
road-making it was discovered that curving round the base of a hill 
was not any longer than "going right over the top of it ; for not¬ 
withstanding the assumed theory that the up-and-down-hill road is 
the straightest, it is in reality no straighter than the curved one. 
In practice a considerable space is often sacrificed, and as it 
frequently happens for a gardener to have to set out a road through 
very difficult ground, a few plain hints may perhaps be of some 
service to those who have not had much experience in such work. 
Assuming that a carriage road is wanted to unite the mansion 
with the principal highway, the route being through a dense 
coppice. The ground is very uneven, perhaps, along the side of a 
river or stream, and with now and then very steep banks. On a 
place of this kind considerable excavations will be required, but 
some judgment will often lessen this by the designer of the road 
making himself thoroughly acquainted with the whole of the 
ground before a spade or axe is put to use. The ground should be 
gone through several times, and if the bed of the stream be handy 
it forms a very good guide, and a rough idea of the ascents and 
descents to be made will be thus obtained without the aid of any 
instruments whatever. Instruments are very useful, but the plain 
man can very often do very well without them, the eye enabling 
him to judge of the difficulties in the case, and to balance the 
ultimate result with the labour entailed. While the work is in 
hand let it be well done—that is, let a proper foundation be made, 
with gradients of a kind that are not likely to be found fault with 
hereafter, for the complaint—“ that it is a pity that such and such 
an excavation or embankment was not made at first ”—ought 
never to be heard ; for be it observed that a road of the kind in 
question ought to be done for perpetuity ; and where there is a 
necessity for excavation, which in all hilly ground is sure to be the 
case, it is much better not to begrudge the cart or wheelbarrow 
work at first, as it cannot well be done afterwards. 
In the formation of a road along the side of a steep hill, with 
irregular gullies crossing its course, a greater or less amount of 
excavation of the one side and embankment on the other is indis¬ 
pensable. Care, however, ought to be taken at the beginning that 
the proper level, if we may call it so, is started with. More than 
three-fourths of those not having had experience in such work start 
too deep, or, in other words, they do not give sufficient credit to the 
filling-up qualities of the material they excavate, the result being 
that they find they have more than they have room for. This 
arises from not remembering that a cubic yard of solid excavation 
does the filling-up of quite yard of embankment, consequently 
the material is not all wanted that ought to be removed. Some 
little measurement will obviate this ; but many experienced people 
disregard such measurements, and judge by the eye how much 
filling-in a certain cavity will take, and how far an excavation of a 
certain depth will go towards that object. Of course everyone 
knows that there is a sinking of embankments, and what takes 
place during the time the works are in hand must be made up ; 
heavy rains and carting will tend to consolidate the mass. Where 
bridges are needed they ought of course to be erected before the 
groundwork approaches them. In order to ascertain the gradients 
some rough survey ought to be made and levels taken. If, for 
example, the ascent be 120 feet in. half a mile, a very little know¬ 
ledge of figures shows that if excavation could be carried carefully 
out from end to end there would be an inclined plane of an easy 
rise of 1 foot in 22. A gentle and easy rise, no doubt ; but it is 
not always easy to excavate the ground so as to have such a uniform 
rise, as very often the conformation of the ground almost compels 
a part of the road to be much steeper and a portion even level or 
with little rise at all. This state of things must be met as it best 
can, taking care in all cases after once commencing the ascent not 
to descend again if possible. Although there are plenty of roads 
that ascend the hill with a rise of one in fifteen, and some as steep 
as one in twelve, it is better to spread the ascent into more space if 
possible ; one in eighteen being fair trotting ground, that may be 
taken as a guide. 
Now, in carrying a road through a coppice it is good practice to 
cut with a spade a series of small level spaces all along the intended 
line of route at about 50 yards from each other, or further apart if 
they can be seen readily ; an engineer’s level will then enable the 
respective heights of each to be ascertained. The whole should be 
committed to paper, so as to give the profile of the ground, and the 
places where it is prudent to excavate and where to be filled up 
will show themselves at once. In levelling a knowledge of 
geometry is no doubt valuable, but there are plenty of cases where 
such instruments as spirit levels are not cared for, the sole guide 
being the eye, aided by the judgment necessary to grasp quantity, 
and, as a friend once expressed it, see into mountains. 
Where the excavation is a deep one and the cuts through a sort 
of a ridge it is better to begin at both sides, taking a rough level at 
the top, and ascertaining how deep the cutting will be at that 
place, and giving instructions where to begin at the sides, making 
sure not to cut-in too deep, or ten to one but the material will be 
more than sufficient to fill up the embankment. _ The sloping sides 
of the cutting will also require some judgment in forming. Hard 
dry substances, like chalk or stone, are sometimes cut as steep as to 
show a face at an angle of 60°, while a running sand or wet clay 
will not stand at more than 25°. The bank is generally expected to 
be clothed with something or other. Ivy not being at all unsuitable. 
But however steep the cutting may be the embanktnent^ cannot 
be made steeper than about one in thirty-five or so, which is about 
a rise of 2 feet on a base of 3. Loose material will not hold 
toget’ner much steeper than this. Another thing to be considered 
here is the intended width of the road. A carriage road ought not 
to be less than 12 feet wide of stones, with at least 3 feet on each 
side of level sidings ; if more, so much the better, the above being 
taken as the minimum. Moreover, for a road carried along the 
side of a hill provision must be made for carrying off the water, 
and a drain along the base of the cut-in side and one in the centre 
will be found useful. Embankments rarely require draining— 2 .e., 
if both sides are above the surrounding ground ; but, of course, 
outlets for all surplus water created by thunderstorms ought to be 
thought of before the stones are put on. 
All curves should be of a bold and agreeable nature, avoiding 
undue twists and turns. Where the eye can command a distance 
the curve ought always to be in one direction, unless there be some 
interruption in the way—as a pond, or tree, or other object, for 
nothing looks worse than a turning where there seemed no difficulty 
in making the road straight.—N. 
HOPWOOD HALL. 
This Hall is situated about midway between Heywood and 
liddleton, being only about two miles from these Peaces, which are 
n nearly opposite sides of the estate. Hopwood Hall has been the 
ome of the Hopwood family for centuries, and the Hall is one of the 
West in Lancashire. It is a quaint old building, and has many 
istorical associations. Lord Byron, it is saW, wrote some of hjs poems 
here: but the present owner. Captain Hopwood, has never slept 
nder its roof since he inherited the estate from his father, con- 
equent on some litigation that followed. It, however, has not been 
leglected, but has been kept in a good state of preservation. Alterations 
nd additions that have been made from time to time are strictly m 
eepino- with the oldest portion of the building. Outside its walls are 
lad with Ivy and other climbers, while inside they are adorned with 
