160

ConJiruRlon of Roads.

away in fuch a manner as to form a ridge in the middle of the bafis or bottompart; and flight openings or drains be made at every ten or fifteen yards, or at fuchplaces as are hollow, in order to conduct off the moifture into the principal drains.The foundation, thus prepared, being then filled up with fand, or fome'otherporous fubflance eafily procured, and finifhed in -the way that has been alreadymentioned, a good road may be formed. The manner of effefling this bufinefsmay probably, however, be better underftood by confulting the plate.

In making roads through bogs or moraffesj the firfl: thing to be done is to drainor draw off as much of the ftagnant w r ater as poffible, which may often be beflaccomplifhed by cutting ditches or drains of fuflicient depth on the infide of thefences, where they are inclofed, or defigned to be inclofed, on the Tides . For thispurpofe, fuch drains fhould, however, be formed a confiderable time before anything further is attempted. Twelve or fixteen months, according to the flate andcircuroflances of the cafes, are probably little enough, as the ground, if veryboggy, will fettle very much after the water is taken off, and infome parts probablymore than others, as the foil is more or lefs moffy or retentive of water. Thefewill, therefore, be better difcovered by fuch a delay, in order to their being filled4ip and levelled, which is readied done by the materials cut from off the elevations,or fuch other fiibftances as are near at hand. But in whatever way this is done, thefurface fods fliould be carefully pared off, both from the elevations and hollows, bya fuitable inftrument, fuch as a paring fpade, and laid afide until the hollows anddepreflions are filled up and quite levelled they fhould then be laid on again, bywhich means the whole furface will be rendered not only level, but of an equaldegree of toughnefs, which is a point of confiderable importance.

After thefe preparatory fleps have been taken, the breadth of the part defignedfor the reception of the hard materialsis to be marked out, and covered with fand,or fuch other porous fubflances as have been mentioned, to the thicknefs of tenor twelve inches at lead. This fhould then be well rolled, and finifhed in theway that has been already deferibed. If this plan be firi&ly adhered to, therecan be little doubt of making good roads, even on moffy or boggy foils *.

Other methods of making roads through thefe foils are, however, fometimespraclifed, as by laying a foundation of broom, furze, heath, willow, or other mate-rials of the fame kind, and then placing the hard materials upon them; but fandor fome other porous hard material is always to be preferred, where it can bereadily obtained, and where the line of the road is rendered properly dry beforethe materials are laid on ; as woody fubflances foon begin to decay, and confe-

* -See Beation in Communications to the Board of Agriculture, vol. I.