166 
THE COTTAGE GARDENEIl AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Junk 2i, 185'J. 
iETHlONEMA CORIDIFOLIUM—AREN ARIA 
MONTANA—ALYSSUM SAXATILE. 
I send you herewith a branch of the pretty Syrian Crucifer, 
JEthionema coridifolium, which is now quite gay with its nu¬ 
merous corymbs of small rosy-purple flowers. I fancy it is but 
little known, though few of the spring-flowering rock plants are 
more deserving of cultivation. It is quite hardy in ordinary 
winters on rockwork, or in a border of sandy loam, where I grow 
it; but very sharp winters will sometimes destroy it, if weakly. 
1 add a specimen of the Arenaria montana , a commoner plant 
than the JEthionema, but by no means generally met with. In 
light soils, which best suit it, it is now a mass of bloom ; and as 
the flowers are each three quarters of an inch across, a strong 
tuft produces a good effect.. Arenaria lancifolia has rather smaller 
blossoms, but keeps longer in bloom. Both have pure white 
flowers. 
Whilst on the subject of spring plants, permit me to refer to 
the well-known Alyssum saxatile, which has, I think, received 
special notice from Mr. Beaton within a short period. The real 
saxatile is truly worth all the praise bestowed upon it; but are 
your readers aware that the A. argenteum, a very inferior species— 
in fact, a wretched weed, is generally sold for it? I say generally, 
for I leam from the best authority that the grower who has 
supplied me with the seed in question has also supplied many 
London firms for twenty years past, and does not remember 
having once received a complaint. He adds that two neighbour¬ 
ing seed-growers have vended the same species as himself, so that 
it is evident the article must have been pretty widely disseminated. 
It is a curious circumstance that the public should have sub¬ 
mitted so long to this substitution, as the true species is common 
enough. Though compelled to cry peccavi, I claim to have 
amply atoned for my share in this unintentional error by thus 
publicly drawing attention to the matter. Those of your readers 
who have ever received the spurious seed of me, may have a packet 
of the genuine on application.—W. Thompson, Ipswich. 
GARDEN WALES. 
Tiiebe is nothing which makes a garden more truly enjoyable 
in all weathers than a good sound walk, perfectly firm and smooth 
in surface. Whether the premises are small or extensive, it is 
equally important that there should be a walk embracing all the 
most interesting objects. Its width should bear a relative pro¬ 
portion to the size and extent of the place; not being less than 
five feet for the smaller, nor exceeding eight or ten for larger 
ones. 
It should be conducted in graceful and flowing curves to the 
various points of interest, taking what appears to be the common- 
sense principle of going directly from one object to another, unless 
artificial impediments arc introduced, which the artist who is au 
fait will know how to create. Here, the walk emerging from the 
tangled thicket of trees, will ascend a hill, and from its top will 
command an extensive view over another property, which it most 
happily appropriates; thus giving an appearance of unlimited 
extent, and then losing itself again in deep seclusion—passing 
through breadth of light and breadth of shade without those 
omniprevalent fritters of lights which produce but monotony. 
Good gravel is a great boon ; but it is, unfortunately, a scarce 
and most expensive article—in many places scarcely procurable 
without the expense of long carriage. In such a case broken 
bricks or stones may bo advantageously used for a foundation, 
superimposing an inch or two of the coarse screenings of the 
gravel, and finishing it off with from two to three inches of fine 
material. This is, I think, the most economical plan of making 
walks; because, when they want freshening, there is no occasion 
for breaking up the foundation (which should never be done), 
simply grazing the surface with a rake, and scattering over it a 
sprinkling of fine fresh gravel, and rolling it well down again 
are all that is needed. Gravels vary much in quality. Some are 
very adhesive, and become sticky in frosty weather, hanging to 
the shoes, and being very disagreeable; while others are not 
adhesive enough to bind well, from being too sandy. These are 
very loose and unpleasant to walk upon, reminding us of the 
unhappy pilgrim who did not “ take the liberty to boil his Peas ” 
before starting for “Loretto’s shrine.” Care should therefore be 
exercised in selecting the gravel, or the two qualities maybe com¬ 
bined in happy admixture. 
As in forming roads it is too customary to dig out a trench and 
fill it with large stones—thus forming a receptacle for the water— 
in preference to making the road upon the surface; so in walk- 
making we should forego the trench, merely skimming off the turf 
to a common thickness and raising the edges to a height necessary 
for containing the materials of which the road or walk is to bd 
made. Having formed the walk, the side turf should be taken 
up, and the ground made sloping from its sides, and then relaid. 
In proceeding to form a good walk, we would first build up 
our sides on the surface from four to five inches high. We would 
then make a slight edneavity in the bottom, and in the hollow 
put a drain : thus the water must all pass directly to the drain. 
Over this we would deposit three inches of broken stones or 
brickbats ; upon which two or three inches of coarse gravel should 
be placed, and then one inch and a half of finer gravel. This, 
when well consolidated by rolling, will be found to have formed a 
substantial and solid walk. 
Thunder-storms are most destructive to good walks where 
steep declivities occur. To obviate this difficulty, gratings should 
be put in at a few yards apart; putting them more frequently in 
a ratio proportionate to the increased steepness. Under each 
grating should be placed a small cesspool, which should run over 
at a certain height into the drain, leaving the residuum ot muddy 
water in the cesspool, which must be emptied as required. 
As far as our own experience has gone, we feel that we cannot 
too strongly reprobate the practice of what is called turning 
walks ; our theory being, that, having once laid a good foun¬ 
dation, it should never be disturbed again : in fact, with walks 
made as we recommend, the picking-up system cannot well be 
adopted without making a chaos of materials. Added to this, it 
deranges our whole theory ; which is that the ground itself should 
carry the w r alk, all the materials of which are kept dry by the 
smooth even coat of compact gravel on the surface. Our lower 
material being multangular in form (broken stones), is never 
likely to rise up in judgment against us to the surface as round 
pebbles do, which are constantly being pressed on their sides and 
moving their position. 
A great beauty in our walks arises from the nice definition of 
their outlines : it gives them the expression which it is desirable 
they should have as works of artistic skill. How incomparably 
more beautiful is yonder walk, with its shallow edges, brim full 
of bright warm gravel, as compared with the ragged field foot¬ 
path. 
Let us remember, then, that in forming walks it is marvellous 
to see the effects which attention to little matters produces. Let 
us give these small things our attention; so shall we succeed in 
our efforts, and be happy if at last we be found in the right path. 
—IIenby Bailey, Uuneliam. 
THE SCIENCE OE GARDENING. 
(Continued from page 150.) 
Feom the preceding notes upon the constituents and proper¬ 
ties of soils, it will be obvious that to be able readily to ascertain 
those constituents and properties in a soil must often be singu¬ 
larly useful to its cultivator. The requisite experiments are 
easily tried; and it is a very erroneous impression that, for such 
researches, an expensive and well-furnished laboratory is needed. 
The late Dr. Henry, of Manchester, whose experiments wero 
so numerous and so varied, so intricate yet so accurate, “ was 
at no period of his life in possession of a well-furnished laboratory, 
or of nice and delicate instruments of analysis or research but 
his ingenuity “ was especially displayed in the neatness and sue ■ 
cess with which he adapted to the purposes of experiment the 
simple implements that chance threw in Iris way.”—( Quarterly 
Journal of Science, $c., vol. viii. p. J 7.) If to make experiments 
in nearly the whole range of chemistry required no paraphernalia 
of apparatus, much less does it require such for the analysis of 
soils, to which we shall in this place confine our directions for 
the attention of the horticulturist; not that such alone is de¬ 
sirable to be pursued by him, but because, in the present state 
of chemical knowledge among the cultivators of the soil generally, 
it is absurd to expect that he would pursue some of its most 
intricate researches. There is no field of science in which lie 
hid at present more brilliant objects for examination, none that 
will redound more to the fame of their discoverer, none that 
will be more generally beneficial to mankind, than that which 
embraces agricultural and horticultural chemistry. It is yet in 
its infancy ; but the day will come when every cultivator will 
prepare his soil for each crop in a more scientific wny than at 
present manifested in one unvarying course of culture. The day 
