The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-05-09

ouet ground. Now II is claimed that
any lawn large enough TO dry sweater
Is big enough for a bowling alley. You
need length. not breadth. but II you have
sixty feet you can get along.
1t il a remarkable fact about bowl
ing alley that 1t needs more space out
doors than indoors. This is due TO the
physical strength given by the open air.
II is the same with golfing. If you
strike a ball In "A gymnasium at a prac-
tice game. and send II fifteen feet high,
YOU are doing well. Outdoors you can
help driving IL thirty feet in the air.
The lungs yet a fun breath of ozone
and they give strength TO the muscles.
In bowling you want an alley not more
than sixty feet long. II YOU play indoors.
Outdoors you can roll upon IS long an
alley as you can find. the longer the let
ter. provided you have The balls for car
rying.
An alley eighty feet long and six feet
wide was used with good effect by a
suburban bowling club. One 100 feet in
length. perfectly level. without the slight
est aid for the bowlers. allowed the play
ers to average a high score. But that
has nothing TO do with the fact that you
can make a very good bowling alley in
your front yard II you have enough space
for any game at all and the full width
OF your house, say ifty rect.
THE BALLS.
There is great deal written about
the balls for bowling Experts say they
should weigh from two and a half TO
four pounds. but you find some of the
best women players rolling only two
pound ball. II is all as you have accus-
toned your hands TO holding the ball.
IL you are used to a big ball you can
use II well. but il you have handled only
the little ones you will do better eXecu-
ton with two-pound than with four.
In indoor bowling the size of the balls
should depend upon the length OF the
alley and is material. An outdoor bowl
ing alley may he Of grass, and in that
cass you may want very light bali OF
the most elastic wood. You need a wood
that will rebound and skip along. not
finding too much resistance from the
grass.
Most alleys are OF wood in centre and
grass on each side: few are OF asphalt.
With the asphalt you can use a big
heavy ball OF any material, the asphalt
rolling II easily along until II reaches
tho pins. The wooden alley has about
the same resistance. and big ball can
be used They are making very large
balls now OF very light wood. The
fingers sink deeply into the holes and
tut Udu Cdn DC ditlcu anu HunS Will
great force.
THE ALLEY.
The me- rustic effects are aimed IT
In the OUTDOOR alleys. In one the balls
were Of hard wood. smoothed and poll
ishcd 10 bring out the grain. There was
no attempt made at staining or paint
ing. The natural color of the wood was
preserved and the players took their
choice OF the woods. They could Rave
oak. cherry or walnut: pine. ash or ma
pie. The different woods consrasted
very prettily as they tapped each other
I'm the racks on the return trip.
The rack can be made OF log cut in
two and followed out. and the railing
around the alley can be made OF small
round logs Joined I'm rustic fashion. The
score board can be piece of birch bark
covered with squar" Of celluloid fas-
tened neatly In The middle. or slate
hung 10 the front OF the board. Every
effort Is made TO have the alley rus
tic" AT tho same time II must be wa
terproof for ANYTHING than can spoil with
rain Is short-livo6 IN the outdoor alley.
The post OF honor In en- outdoor alley
IL the corner occupied by the pin boy. or
the bowling csddy." ~ he likes TO call
himself. This post IL generally taken by
some small boy In the ncighborhood who
combines business with pleasure In hts
eva way. In certain suburb there II