relieve and diversify it, as to render it conducive to health, cheerfulness, and mental enjoyment.

506. Plan of the Garden.-This comprises four principal divisions, viz. A, the main garden for vegetables, with its slip, or outer garden. B, the east, or orchard of espalier or dwarf-trees. C, the west orchard. Pl, the belt, or screen of forest-trees.

First Division contains within the 'walls w, w, w, w, 2,400 square yards-the length being, from east to west, 60 yards, and the breadth, from south to north, 40 yards. This garden is subdivided into a border within the walls 10 feet broad: four main quarters or plots, 1, 2, 3, 4, each being 73 feet long, and 43 feet wide; and the gravel walks. The central cross-walks, which terminate at the reservoir of water, r, are 6 feet wide; and the side-walks within the wall-border are 4 feet wide. The walls may be 10-or rather 12-feet high.

The Slip, s, s, s, or outer garden between the wall and the paling, f, f, f, f, consists of two borders, each 10 feet wide, with a central four-feet walk running between them. Communication with the garden, orchards, &c., is established by means of the small walks; and corresponding door-ways in the wall and fence are to be formed.

Second Division, B, is an orchard for espalier trees, containing 1,600 square yards. Its length and breadth are equal, each being 40 yards.

Third Division, C, another or the western orchard for dwarf standards: the length from north to south is 60 yards, and the breadth 40 yards; it therefore comprises 2,400 yards.

Fourth Division, is an oblong piece of land, Pl, of 160 by 40 yards; or, if pre

ferred, it may be formed into a semi-oval: both are marked out in the plan. This piece of land extends the whole length of the cultivated area, from E to W, on the north, and is to be planted with forest-trees.

The defences consist of a hedge, h, h, h, h, &c., and a ditch on the outside of it. These surround the whole space, including the plantation, unless in one case hereafter to be noticed, when the east side of the premises, from the end of the paling, f, to the south-east angle of the hedge, h, will be defended by a brick wall 12 feet in height. The paling or wooden fence, f, f, f, f, stretches across the whole northern side of the slip and orchards, divides the slips from the orchards, and passes in front of the south side of the main garden, immediately within the hedge.

The Space marked Fl. G. H., is a portion of the ground, 40 yards long from east to west, and 20 yards broad from north to south; and in it the house, offices, yard, and flower-garden, are supposed to be situated.

The whole area, including the plantation-if the latter be of the extent indicated by the dotted lines—will be a trifle short of three acres and one-third, exclusive of the space occupied by the ditch.

II.

LAYING OUT THE AREA.

507. Order of the Work.-There are some preliminary steps which must be taken before the ground can be stocked. In the first place, the ditch should be digged out, and the hedge planted and defended, by setting up on the further side of the ditch, some sort of paling, as a hurdle-fence, or dead hedge. If the work be done in autumn, and if the ground be trenched, and laid up in ridges, the surface will receive the benefit of a winter fallow. The walls might be built, and the wooden paling erected in the spring following; and then, the garden should be cropped. The order of these preparatory steps might, however, be reversed, by erecting the wall in spring, after which, the trenching being performed, a summer fallow would succeed. In the autumn, the walls might be furnished, the hedge planted, and the ditch protected; and thus, the principal part of the works would be completed in one season.

508. Preparation of the Fruit Borders.-These borders are to be ten feet broad, for that breadth will be required in order to provide for the unimpeded ramification of the roots. But breadth is not all that will be wanted; depth and preparation of the soil must be attended to; and on these particulars Nicol has the following judicious observations:-" It is not enough that the upper soil of a border only be improved. The sub-soil must also be attended to, and be laid comfortably dry; otherwise, success in the rearing of fruits will be precarious and doubtful. Draining is the basis of every improvement in horticulture, being the basis of improvement in the soil.

this particular case of preparing fruit-tree borders, it is indispensable. It is necessary that the roots of the trees be kept out of the sub-soil if it be of a cankering quality, as till, or corroding sand. This matter has appeared evident to many, and various means have been taken to prevent them from getting down to a bad substratum, at much trouble an expense. I shall here submit a method, the least expensive and most effectual of any, which has been successfully practised for several years.

509. Forming an impervious Bottom to Borders.-If the sub-soil be wet and cankering, let the border be cleared out its whole length, to the depth and breadth before mentioned. Lay the bottom in a sloping manner from the wall to the walk, giving a fall of six or eight inches. Run a drain along by the conjunction of the border and walk, a few inches lower than the bottom thus formed, which shall be capable of completely draining off both under and surface water. It may be a rubble-drain, or a box-drain, according to necessity. Now, lay over the bottom, thus formed and smooth, two inches of good earth; if clayey, so much the better, which, pulverize and pass the roller over; then an inch of pit or river gravel, which also pass the roller over; another inch of earth as above, which also roll; and, lastly, an inch of gravel, also as above. This should be done with materials rather in a dry state; but now, moisten the whole moderately with a watering pot, and roll until the surface acquires a hard shining consistency. Keep rolling and watering alternately, till the whole becomes firm and glazed, and till the earth and gravel be intimately mixed and incorporated. Thus may a bed be formed for the roots of fruit-trees, much superior to one of stone or brick, and at an expense greatly less, of a nature more kindly, and which no root will penetrate. Nicol then directs prepared soil which had previously been laid up in a ridge along the outer edge of the border, to be thrown in:-"that for apples, apricots, and cherries, to be composed of three-fourths hale lightish earth, one-fourth loam, with a moderate enriching of cow-dung:-for peaches, plums and pears, three-fourths loam, one-fourth sandy earth, moderately enriched as above."(Encyclopædia of Gardening, Nos. 2484, et seq.)

510. Remarks. I have thought it right to give the above quotations, but circumstances alone must determine their particular applicability. If when the foundation of the wall is laid, the bottom be found dry, and free from cankering gravel, or heavy blue clay, at the depth of thirty inches from the surface, it will scarcely be needful to construct drains, or to remove the sub-soil. In respect to depth of soil, the ground, it will be remembered, is to be trenched all over, two feet deep, and then to be manured. In preparing the gravel

walks, much soil will be procured: which, if it be of good quality, may be thrown on the soil of the border; and this, with the addition of the requisite top-dressings of cow-manure, will raise the border fully six inches above its previous level.

The particular modifications of soil proper for different kinds of fruit-trees will be further described in the course of the section; but to guard against all appearance of mystification—and it must be acknowledged that horticultural, as well as other professional writers, are somewhat inclined to mystify their subjects—I observe, once for all, that the dryness of the sub-soil being ascertained, the preparation of the upper soil will be a matter of comparative facility; for if the lower stratum be of a poor and unproductive quality, it will be better, after turning and manuring it as directed at No. 459, to bring in additions of fresh soil from some neighbouring meadow, and thus to procure depth of staple by adding to the top, rather than to waste time and strength in endeavouring to deepen and ameliorate that which, after all, may never make an adequate return.

After the lapse of some years, and enlarged experience and observation, I feel it a duty to qualify, to a certain extent, what has been said on depth of soil; for, in addition to many luminous arguments adduced by able practical writers, I have found reason to change my opinion as respects the required depth of fruit-tree borders. I have seen the finest fruit produced by wall-trees whose roots rested upon a bed of sheer chalk, scarcely twelve inches below the surface; and it stands to reason that, where trees are trained, in order to check the growing principle, and to induce fertility, luxuriance of growth should not be stimulated by a deep bed of rich and nutritive earth. I refer the reader to an able paper on this subject in the Gardener's Magazine, Vol. V., page 60; it speaks volumes of sound philosophical truth in a small compass. With respect to soil, I believe that the green turf of a meadow or common, the soil of which is a free, unctuous loam, cut not more than three inches thick, is the best material wherewith to prepare a fruit-border; manuring at bottom should not be practised. We do not require luxuriance, but a regular production of medium wood, which will ripen early; such wood alone is qualified to bear fruit in sufficient abundance. On this point also, we have the authority of Mr. Knight, and before him, that of Evelyn. Manures, they maintained, should never touch the roots, and be only applied as mulch. I possess Mr. Knight's letter on this subject.

511. Preparation of the Walks.-These should be of sufficient breadth, not only to allow two or three persons to walk abreast, but to permit the gardener to carry or all the necessary operations of

wheeling, barrowing, and the like, without difficulty or obstruction. Whatever be the breadth, the corners should be rounded off, for experience proves, that if the edges be planted with box, it is almost invariably trampled on and disfigured by the gardener, who, in wheeling or barrowing, endeavours, very naturally, to make the shortest turns he can.

512. The materials for walks ought to be of a nature as binding and durable as can be procured; and for the surface stratum, gravel is at once the best, and the most ornamental. Loudon gives the following directions for the construction of gravel walks :

"All walks consist of two parts-their substrata and surface-covering. The substratum is generally placed in an excavation, the section of which is the segment of a circle, or an inverted pointed arch, being deepest in the centre, where, in wet soils and situations, a notch or drain is often formed to carry off the water which oozes from the sides of the bottom, or sinks through the gravel. In all ordinary cases, however, the water will run off without this notch, provided the general levels of the bottoms of the walks, or the drains which cross them, or lead from them, be contrived accordingly. The foundation of the walks is to be filled with stones, the largest at the bottom; or with rubbish of old buildings, flints, or any other similar materials, observing always to place the smallest at top. When this is done, before the covering of gravel, sand, or turf, is laid on, the substratum should be well rolled, so that it may never afterwards vary its position, either with the weight of the covering, or any other weight which may pass over it. The covering of gravel need seldom be thicker than six inches, and generally four inches will be sufficient. That this gravel may bind in so thin a stratum, it is requisite that it be free from larger stones than those the size of a pigeon's egg, that the general size be that of large gooseberries or plums, and that there be a sixth part of rusty sand matter to promote its binding. The choice of gravel is seldom within the power of the gardener; but, in general, pit-gravel is preferred to river-gravel, as binding better, and having a better colour. The best in this respect in England, and also a good gravel for binding, is the gravel of Kensington; to which good qualities it adds, that of being the most beautiful in the world.—( Encyc., 1956-7.)

513. Particular directions.-In constructing the walks, proceed thus-with two lines, stretched very tight, mark out exactly the length and breadth of the walk; cut the edges true by the line, a little sloping inwards, and dig out the earth, making an excavation in the form of an inverted arch, fifteen inches deep in the centre. This done, throw the earth on the adjacent borders, and then, the bottom being made even, throw in flint, stones, lime-core, or brickbats, to the depth of about eight inches, and roll them to a firm and level surface; upon this lay four inches of brick-bats, broken small, or to the size of pigeons' eggs, and again apply the roller. The use of this covering is partly to save gravel, the smaller particles of which would trickle through the interstices of the lowest stratum and be lost; and partly to prevent the growth of weeds, by interposing between the rough foundation and the gravel, a stratum of