The Magnolia gazette., 1884-09-18
Five Kinds of Foot-Walks.

Foot-walks about house and garden,
more especially in rural villages than
on farms, are often Sd poor as to causs
inconvenience, severe colds, serious
diseases, and at times death. through
fe t and clothing wetted by walking
through grass-one OF the exceedingly r
dangerous thing. Board walks should /,
be raised from the ground on four-inch
foundations; be a least three feetwlde
to keep the skirts dry, for women
suffer more from wet clothing in this
way than men do; should be laid with
close Joints to prevent grass growing
between them, and The grass and weeds
. should be kept closely cut on each side
Where gravel or coal ashes can be pro.
cured, spread three inches thick ana
rolled firmly, they make eHc'llens
paths. The surface should be rounded
to give fall to the water and proper Z
drains should be made on the slaes. y
! he disadvantages Of these walks IS
that they will become covered wltn
grass and weeds if neglected, But a.
good coating OF cheap salt scattered
over them win kill everything but the
coarse. crab-grass which appears ~
July, and boiling hot brine Is neeaee
for this bad weed, -
Cement paths are made Of various
materials, gravel, coal ashes aua
broken stone are best. The usual way \
OF making good foot-walks is as tol- .
lows: The material is gathered IN
convenient place and is heated IN aboA
having asheet-iron b5ttom and mount \
ed on few stones. As the stun y
made hot it is thrown into heap on "
mixing board and melted asphalt q
gas tar is poured over it and the WHO'S
we'll shoyeIled over until thorougniy
incorporated; no more tar being pseg
than will merely coat the material ana
be absorbed BY it. The path isprop-
erly graded and dug out, three OF iI iouI
inches; dry coarse gravel is tlrst Als
down and the prepared materal y
spread two inches thick and wen ~ lsn.
med down, 1t is smoothed as wen ~
possible and then busted over WIN HiJ
sand or fine ashes and rolled nnsi In
| hard, smooth surface is made tns
soon becomes like rock and no Weepsss
or moss will grow upon it. !. y
Another wav is to make concte'c y -
water lime with gravel or ashes OF pu'I5
| These materials are put in a heap aue
wetted. One barrel OF the water ilin0
is mixed with three barrels Of snilp,
clean sand, ory, being shoyelled ose.
back aud forth several times to ges
thorough mixture. A portion Is lnoa
mixed with water into thin, soil NJ
tar and iive parts of the wet grayel ~
ashes are we'll MIXED with 1t, so tlis
every fragment is Dated with the cOm, tar
bining mortar. This is imporlans a
obvious reasons. This eoncr e Z
spread on the graded walk and bea.en
down with rammer until the mosysos Ky
gathers on the surface. some ~ IA IA
dry sand or cement is then scatetsn
oyer the surface TO absorb the mo is.a s.ass
and the surface is smoothed over wllas lls
plank rubber having a sloplng nanp's
TO work it bac and forth with. ~
few days this is hard and becoanes ,nrs
harder with time. Bymaking dlyislsn, as,,
OF thin'strips of wood or tarred paP%
paper the cementmay be laid down 4
blocks. square or diamond shaped ~
for extra good walks the blocks may y
eolored by MIXING the finish coat u,,oF. w,s.
brown or gray or other coiorS = aiss s',,.j
nately.--1n Engineer, IN AZ - ''F
511e,