Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-04-05
POSITION FOR PLAY,

plements consist of wooden balls to be rolled
along the turf from the hand of the player.
One ball is of porcelain; very small, about
twice the size Of a hens egg This. at the be-
ginning OF game, is rolled forward by one of
the players with the idea that it shall stop
somewhere near the other side OF the green.
Once 1t comes to rest it becomes the target for
subsequent play
Then the player aims to roll his ball in such
way that 1t shall come to rest very near the
object ball, which, in the parlance Of the game,
is known as the 'jack." There may be two or
four players in game. In the latter case,
which is most ordinary. the players are divided
into partners. 1t would seem simple thing to
roll ball across 70 to 100 feet OF turf and cause
1t to land within short distance of an object;
but. as l can speak from experience, this is no
simple matter. In the first place, one has to
learn the force to be used in playing the ball,
because the turf may be more or less thick and
there may be slight depressions or elevations in
the surface of it. Second, the balls rolled by
players are not absolutely round. They are
flattened very slightly upon one side. The re-
suit is that after the ball has been bowled it
pursues straight course for three or four rods
and then begins to turn inward along the direc-
ton indicated by the tiattened side.
This gives room for an infinite amount of
skillful play on the part Of the bowlers. The
ball is so held that the side of it which is per-
feet hemisphere lies outward in the hand and
the play is never directed exactly at the object
ball. The player prefers to so throw the ball
that 1T shall start apparently toward very
different part OF the field from that in which
the Jack" lies, but that, obeying the influence
OF the laws OF physics, it shall eventually curve
toward the Jack" and at last rest as nearly as
possible against it II it were not for this fat
tened surface Of the playing ball the game
would be largely devoid OF skilled interest.
AS have said above. the player stands upon
piece of oil cloth when he projects his ball to-
ward the opposite side of the green. In con-
nection with this it may be said that no care of
grassed ground is greater than that bestowed
by Scotchmen upon their bowling greens. The
superintendent or game keeper, or whatever
he may be called isemployed ut a regular wage
to keep the ground i'll order, see that it is well
rolled and that the grass grows smoothly over
the whole surface, and the oil cloth prevents
any wearing away of the grass at that point
where The players will most likely press it down
| In delivering their balls for game.
Points are reckoned exactly as in curling.
The ball which is left nearest the Jack" counts
point for the person who bowled it, and if he
or his partner leaves ball or balls within the
nearest ball bowled by their opponents each
ball SO left counts point by itself. The game
may be o. any limit prescribed in ADVANCE but
the regulation Scotch game consists OF twenty
one points scored in the way described. At
each end OF the bowling green there Is slight
depression in the surface called the ditch"
II ball is bowled so hard that it rolls into this
ditch" 1t counts as ''out" of the game, or, in
other words. Is reckoned as an unplayed ball,
although the unfortunate bowler who played
1t cannot substitute for it any other ball in its
turn.
The fine point in the game lies IL this very
ditch II your opponent has so bowled the
bail that it lies near the Jack" and yet within
short distance of the ditch, you may strike
his ball with your own and knock it into the
ditch thereby spelling your opponents play.
There Is no recognized uniform for playing
this game and no recognized times for it. 1t is
generally played after business hours or during
! the working part Of the day by those people
who are