THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COl 
to work at all, or merely able to work part of their time, 
the pay they received when strong they receive when 
feeble Many gentlemen make a retiring allowance to a 
faithful old servant, but generally at a considerable re¬ 
duction on their wages. It is felt here, that such a re¬ 
duction would be a painful reminder to the old or 
enfeebled workman, as leading him to contrast his present 
and past condition. Would that such tenderness for the 
feelings and self-respect of the workers were more 
common ! Few, perhaps, could have it in their power to 
entirely imitate, in this respect, the noble proprietor of 
Mount Edgecombe ; but it would be easy to exhibit 
more of that practical sympathy, that would bind in unity 
of interest the employer and the employed, rendering 
the one more generous and the other more trustworthy 
and faithful, without which even our congress meetings 
of the wise and good, for improving and elevating our 
condition, will fail to produce their due and legitimate 
influence. All honour to those who establish such noble 
precedents and examples, which must be felt as an in¬ 
fluence, even when not exactly imitated ! 11. Fish. 
GARDEN WALKS. 
It is universally admitted, that no garden is com¬ 
plete without “ good walks; ” and those who have the 
good fortune to live in districts where the materials 
abound, that are necessary to attain this end, have a 
decided advantage over those who have not. And some 
places are almost destitute of what another considers 
essential to the making of a good walk. Gravel is the 
general substance ; but many other things may also 
be used with advantage ; and it very often happens, that 
substances differing widely from each other have to be 
blended into a mass to form the pathway. And it is 
scarcely necessary here to say, that the material most 
plentiful in the district determines what shall be most 
generally used. Good gravel is the favourite, where 
it can be had; but, lacking that, broken or crushed 
stones, brick rubbish, ashes, or the refuse of factories, 
whore strong fires are used ; besides which, there is the 
crushed stone, or spar, from lead and other mines, and 
many other things, independent of asphalte, concrete, or 
tarred walks, which have become so fashionable of late, 
especially in the neighbourhood of towns,— where a 
laudable desire to improve the walks and public footpaths 
has led to the adoption of tarred walks to a great extent. 
Some in the suburbs of Maidstone are exceedingly well 
done, and seemingly leave nothing to be wished for, on 
the score of appearance or utility, only that they might be 
made cheaper. 
Where plenty of good gravel, or its equivalent, in the 
shape of broken or crushed stone exists, there is no diffi¬ 
culty in making a good walk ; but where these things are 
scarce, and it is imperative to make the greatest possible 
length of walk with limited materials, there is then some 
little judgment required, for several contingencies present 
themselves, not the least being the liability there is for 
worms making their way to the top. Weeds, also, are 
troublesome, and their destruction must be thought about 
at the time the walk is formed. Besides which, other 
evils of a local nature have often to be guarded against. 
And it is best to foresee all these things when the walk 
is forming, for, be it remembered, that, although rolling 
and sweeping be necessary conditions for keeping a walk 
nice and tidy, circumstances often prevent their being 
much attended to. It is, therefore, in such cases, better 
to form the walk so as to require but little of such after 
trouble; and also, in those cases where weeds are likely 
to be troublesome, and poisoning them, or salting the 
walk, be inexpedient, let the walk be so formed as to 
allow the weeds to be hoed up, as hand-picking is a 
tedious and expensive job. Observe, I am giving advice 
STRY GENTLEMAN, December 7, 1858. 119 
to those who want to form and keep their walks at the 
least possible expense. 
Assuming, therefore, that a walk has to be formed in a 
wet, retentive soil, or stiff clay, or in a rainy district, the 
best way is to scoop out the bottom of the walk into a 
sort of furrow,—both sides inclining from the edges to 
the middle,—along which putin a drain of some sort, with 
a proper outlet, &c., the depth only being a few inches, 
if material be scarce. Over this bottom, so smooth as to 
allow the water to run to the drain, put on some of the 
roughest material at hand,—brickbats, or old ones with lime 
adhering to them, clinkers, or other refuse, from factory 
waste-heaps, and, in fact, any thing that comes to hand of 
that sort. On this bottom strata put on some finer mate¬ 
rial, and, last of all, the finest. A good rolling, however, 
ought to be given before the last is put on, and at the 
last. But, if gravel cannot be had of any kind, nor any¬ 
thing resembling it, a mixture of sand and small broken 
stones, with a little lime, will often make a hard, good, 
smooth surface : but it breaks up when disturbed to get 
the weeds destroyed. It is, therefore, often advisable to 
increase the quantity of sand, so as to have a little loose 
material at top ; and over this lay on about one inch of 
white shells, such as are to be had in abundance along the 
sheltered nooks of the coast, and which are carried inland, 
by canal, at a reasonable rate, a long distance. This 
makes a pretty finish to a walk, and has the advantage 
of allowing the hoe to be used at times ; and when the 
shells are crushed fine, they are certainly more agreeable 
to walk upon than most kinds of gravel. Observe, the 
walk must be made of other things, the shells only form¬ 
ing the outer covering; or colouring, perhaps, may be as 
suitable a name. 
In rich garden soils, worms are very troublesome, and, 
in autumn, are apt to disfigure walks, by throwing up 
lumps of dirt in many places. The plentiful use of lime, 
in the making of the walk, is a good preventive; or 
cinders, clinkers, or even cinder ashes, is very distasteful 
to them, and must be more liberally used. The same top . 
dressing as above should be the finishing coat. In 
dry, sandy, or gravelly soils, the walk is half formed by 
the very nature of the soil to be worked upon, and needs 
but very little foundation matter. Worms are also less 
prevalent here than anywhere else; but weeds are 
troublesome, and, unless a determined poisoning, or salt¬ 
ing, be in store, provide for the use of the hoe, as directed 
above. 
Walks formed in long or steep declivities are difficult 
to manage, owing to the injuries they receive from 
heavy rains. Forming these of concrete is not always 
a preventive: tar, or asphalte, is better, and must be 
adopted when great nicety is concerned,— the process 
being to form a level surface of stone, sand, and dirt, 
in a perfectly dry state. Over this pour some hot 
tar, which spread with a brush, made on purpose; and 
while this is warm and soft, scatter as much gravel over 
it as it will absorb, rolling it at the same time. A 
smooth, impervious surface is thus presented, which will 
last many years, provided there be no hollow places in 
it for water to stand, for that rots it. The making of 
such walks has resolved itself into a trade. Some men 
are very skilful at the job, and are provided with the 
necessary tackle for heating the tar on the spot, for it 
cannot be carried far. The work can only be clone to 
advantage in dry summer weather. 
Concrete is a less expensive article, but is not so 
good, it being neither more nor less than a quantity of 
lime mixed with the other materials. Builders’ concrete 
is composed of powdered, not slaked, lime, sand, broken 
stones, and bricks,—all mixed together, and used im¬ 
mediately water is applied to it. The swelling of the 
lime, after the other materials are placed, is supposed 
to seal up everything. In garden-walk making, some 
use chalk instead of lime ; but I never knew it stand 
well, although it certainly is a good adjunct where lime 
