THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, May 22, 1860. 
no 
tlie pleasure of recording in our columns. Our intelligent j 
correspondent, liimself having family relationship with the i 
Cherokees, renders the history the more reliable. With regard 
to Wellingtonia, we believe all European botanists have united | 
in considering that Dr. Lindley was mistaken in dividing it from j 
Sequoia, nud no botanist has described it as Washingtonia. It ! 
is gratifying to the national feeling that Sequoia stands in the j 
pleasant association “ L.” has found for it. — Ed. American 
Gardener's Monthly .] 
WALKS AND CARRIAGE-DRIVES. 
Firm, dry, lasting walks and carriage-roads are great comforts 
in any place, whether it bo a palatial residence, a moderate 
mansion, a villa dwelling, or a mere cottage home. However 
grand a country home may be in other respects, if the walks and 
roads are bad, or out of order, the place has a desolate and untidy 
look. I have visited, I may say, hundreds of places in the course 
of a long life, and immediately on entering the grounds if I 
found the carriage-road and walks out of order, I made the 
remark in my own mind, I shall not find any good gardening 
here; and in nine cases out of ten my conjectures proved correct. 
In fact, I have heard the remark frequently made, that if the 
walks are clean the plane looked tidy, though some parts of the 
ground were out of order. I am aware that the above remarks 
are somewhat trite and commonplace. They are drawn from me 
in consequence of “ A Subscriber ” to The Cottage Gardener 
having sent the following query :—“I shall feel obliged by in- : 
formation as to what are the best materials to make a good, solid, 
and hard garden-path and drive, and how' arc the materials to be 
used?” Now, if our correspondent had thought of it, and 
mentioned what materials he could obtain handy, I should have 
felt it easy to tell him how to use them. 
There are three things necessary to form a good hard path or 
road—viz., thorough drainage, hard large stones for the under 
stratum, and good binding gravel for the surface. These three 
points properly applied, and the necessary care afterwards 
bestowed on the path, or road, will make a regular firm good 
job that will la3t for many years. 
There are two methods of draining walks, as shown by the j 
accompanying sketches. The one with a drain at each side 
(fig. 1), is the best plan for low wet grounds ; because then the 
drain at each side, besides drawing off the water from the surface j 
of the walk and the under stratum, also draws off the water that 
would otherwise come into the -walk from the adjacent soil. For 
higher and drier situations, the drain may be placed in the I 
centre of the path, or road, as shown in the sketch {fig. 2). It is 
for the purpose of carrying away the surface water in heavy 
rains. To convey this water away rapidly, there should be 
gratings placed here and there at each side of the path, with short 
drains connected with the main drains by means of upright open 
drains just under the gratings, where the main drains are at the 
sides of the walks, and with short drains added to the upright ones 
to carry the surface water to the central one. In eloping walks, 
these gratings should be placed very frequently in order to catch the 
water in heavy showers before it becomes a rapid stream, which 
would wash away the gravel and soon choke up the drains. This 
effective drainage is indispensable: therefore, whoever wishes to 
have a good, solid, dry path, or road, must first of all make the 
drains sufficiently good to carry off rapidly, both the uuder and 
surface water. First dig out the clay, or earth, wide enough and 
below the under stratum of material of which the walk is formed. 
Make the bottom of the drain firm and smooth ; then lay down 
either slates or flat tiles,'and upon them place well-burnt draining 
files made in this form fl. Tiles made in this form are much 
better than circular ones, because they allow the water to enter 
them more' freely and thus drain the walks more effectually. 
Place upon these tiles some open hard material, such as small 
stones, hard clinkers, or broken bricks, and bring this covering 
up to the under stratum of tlie path. This will complete the 
draining part of the operation. 
The next point is the formation of the under stratum of the 
path or road. This is made of any hard materials that are most 
easily procured. Where stone is plentiful and of a hard nature 
it is the very best material for the purpose; but brick-ends or 
liard-burnt scoria serve the purpose very well. In wet swampy 
grounds, or even level clays, this stratum should be at. least from 
six to nine inches thick. Place the largest pieces at the bottom, 
level them, and then lay on the next size, finishing with the 
smallest. If old lime rubbish can be had, a quantity of it mixed 
with the last layer will be of great service—it will help to bind it 
together. Let this last layer have a rounded appearance, tlie 
highest in the middle of the path. Then give tlie whole a good 
rolling witli a heavy roller, and let it lie for a few days; and 
then, after rain, roll it again sevei’al times over, and let it rest 
again, as it were, for a week longer, then roll again as before ; it 
will then bo solid, and not liable to sink irregularly. In the 
meantime the gravel should be carted ready to the place. The 
thickness it should be laid on depends, of coarse, upon the supply 
and cost. It should, however, in any case, bo thick enough to 
allow of turning over every autumn or winter, or at least every 
second year. The best kind is that which from experience is 
found to bind together in a compact mass. There should not be 
any large stones or pebbles amongst it—the size of a Walnut 
should be the largest: hence it should be passed through a three- 
quarter-inch riddle or sieve. Lay it on the right thickness, to 
bring it within half an inch of the edging on each side of the path. 
The centre should be the highest—say half an inch higher than 
the sides of a four-foot walk, and the same proportion higher in 
wider paths. Roll again immediately several times over, and 
repeat that operation at least once a-week. I have always found 
gravel set soonest if rolled when it actually rains. The vPet pre¬ 
vents the gravel sticking to the roller, and also gives tlie roller 
more power over it. Let the operator put on a waterproof cape 
and hat, and roll his walk over in a gentle shower, and he y i '} 
find he will do more good in once going over his walk when it is 
wet than a dozen times when it is dry. 
Such is the method by which “ A Subscribed, ” and any of 
the readers of The Cottage Gardener, may form a good, dry, 
solid walk—a drive that will last, with occasional freskenings of 
new gravel, for a lifetime.—T. Appleby. 
NATIVE RANUNCULUSES. 
In the Ranunculus tribe of flowers may be found some of 
Nature’s choicest gems ; our gardens are indebted to it for some 
of then- gayest flowers, and children, as they go a-Maying, me 
attracted by the wild varieties, and sing— 
“Buttercups and Daisies, 
Oh ! the pretty flowers 
and the most careless and indifferent observer of Nature cannot 
fail to notice the beautiful white flowers of JR. aqualilis (White- 
floating Crowsfoot) as it floats on our streams and ponds. 
R. ficaria (Piiewort) is now showing its golden stars. The 
young leaves of this plant are boiled, and used as an edible by the 
Swedish peasantry. R. repens plena is one of our garden plants, 
and some situations will repay for a little extra care in the culti¬ 
vation of it, and give some pretty flowers for bouquets ; but it 
must be kept within bounds, or it will become as troublesome 
ns the wild variety known by the name of Toadtether. 
Last Tear 21. aconitifolius (Fair Maicls of France) did not do 
well with me : the dry weather set in just as the flowers opened, 
and the dry heat completely shrivelled them up ; but this year 
they promise to do well, as I have taken the precaution to soak the 
