Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-09-08

owner or tenant, would pay attention
to.
The natural tendency always is to
put off the work on the unproductive
roads and walks just as long rs other
work is pressing, and sometimes long
er, simply because there are no actual
cash returns visible. For this reason I
would have as few walks and drive
ways as consistent with convenience or
necessity. Walks ON the lawn and
amans Tao borders, for instance, can
DC entirely dispensed with. Right
there we wisa 70 avoid formality and
stiffness Of outline. If there is any
thing more pleasant 10 walk upon, es-
pcciaily when everything else IS either
dust CT nsui, than . rich, close-cut,
velvety lawn. have yet TO find it. Here
n Woodlands we Go not keep off the
grass" but rather make it our play
grouud, with every foot Of it used IS a
walk when it thus pleases our fancy.
The children revel on the green sward
like lambs in pasture lot. There is
no harm done to the grass either. It
grows and grows, and needs cutting as
if no foot were ever set upon it. In
AdAAf ~ 10 ALC ssAI.tN 1i44AA VI NAAO
place.
Some walks are unavoidable, but they
are for business rather than for pleas
ure. The direct lines between road
and house, between house and barn or
between any of the farm buildings are
travelled over to such an extent that
paths would soon be worn into the best
lawn, to the Disagreement OF the whole
place Formal walks are absolutely
needed to connect these points. How
90 connect them is the question. Every
body, of course, must be guided by the
materials available for the purpose.
Sifted coal ashes or coal dust, fine
gravel or slate, sand, etc, all can be
used to advantage for walk making;
but il takes great quantity Of mate
rial to make good walk. First of
all. lay out the walk in graceful
curve from road TO house, with = few
shrubs or trees giving an excuse or ap-
parent reason for the curve. The sod,
II on lawn already established, is to
be removed and the depression filed
out with the material on hand. Fine
sand and sifted coal ashes on coal dust
make q walk quite comfortable to walk
upon, but cogrser materials, especially
coarse gravel, afford less pleasure;
plank walk win be preferable. At
Woodlands we have arranged our
walk as shown in Illustration. 1t
is simple, cheap and generally SAT-
isfactory way, and when kept in good
order adds much to the attractiveness
Of the place The soil IS a clayey
loan. What we need IS clean. dry
walk Sand, gravel and similar mate
rials were not easily accessible The
planlss are 2-inch, 10 inches wide, and
as cheap us they could be bad. Knots
and other imperfcctions do little harm,
rs they can be filed out with soil.
They are cut to TT, and imbedded to-
gether in the soil as shown by the cross
section at the lower left-hand corner OF
Illustration. They require no cross
piece 70 rest upon, no mailing, and the
walk Is not only good to walk on, but
al o good to look on. The soil ut both
sides, of course, must be kept free from
weeds This Is easily done by an oeca-
sional scraping over with the hoe or
spade; possibly tie object may be ac-
complishcd by a heavy dressing OF
tAtNDt COARSE AAtls IL AAAtn huh AAALtt
time and labor to keep this walk in
good order.
Neither is much fuss made over the
drive on the lawn In spring we plow
It quite shallow, throwing the furrows
toward the center Then wo 90 over
twice with q harrow. This leaves the
drive in excellent shape well rounded
and smooth Weeds, OF course, soon
spring up again, but we promptly de-
stroy them with our homemade weed
cutter, consisting OF q sharp steel blade
fastened to au old-fashioned thin culti-
vator frame This cuts an inch or two
below ground, ioosening the surface
and kin ny all weed growth.
Neglected walks aud drives, you may
he sure, ARE an eye ore 70 both owner
and visitor Ncll-apt ones are more
than d lu~uyy They arc rs necessary
for tAc good and Che reputation OF the
place and owner as are wcll-cultivated
orchard. and Ge!dsaa IN this way they
pay ~ Greiner. IN Country Gentle
man