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convenient faftening the branches of the trees : the 

 timbers of thefe elpaliers need not be more than an 

 inch and a half chick, and about two inches and a half 

 broad j thefe (hould be fixed crofs each other, at about 

 four inches diilance ; for if they are at a much greater 

 diftance, it will be difficult to fallen the fhoots^of the 

 trees properly. As this trellis will be laid clofe to the 

 wall, the branches of the trees will lie about two inches 

 from the wall, in v/hich poiition the fruit will ripen 

 better than when it lies quite clofe to the wall -, fo 

 that where ftone Walls are built, there {hould always 

 be thcfe efpaliers framed againft them, which will ren- 

 der thefeWalls very good for fruit treeSj which, without 

 the efpaliers, feldom are found to anfwer the purpofe 

 of ripening the fruits well, befides the inconvenience 

 of having no good fattening for the branches of the 



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There have been feveral trials maaeof Walls built in 

 difterent forms \ fome of them having been built fe- 

 micircular, others in , angles of various forms, and 

 projefting more towards the north, to fcreen off the 

 cold winds ; but tliere has not been any method as yet 

 which has fucceeded near fo well, as that of hiakin 

 the Walls ftrait, and building them upright. 

 The faireft trial which I have feen made of circular 

 Walls, was at Goodwood in SufTex, the feat of the 

 Duke of Richmond, where, in the middle of two 

 fouth Walls, there were two large fegments of cir- 

 cles, in which were the fame forts of fruit-trees plant- 

 ed, as againft the ftrait pares of the Walls ; but there 

 never was any fruit upon the trees in the circular part 

 of the Walls, which came to maturity ; nor were the 

 trees of long continuance, being blighted every fpring, 

 and in a few years were totally deltroyed 5 and when 

 the branches of thofe trees which grew upon the 

 ftraiFparts of the Walls, had extended themfelvesfo 

 far, as. to admit of their being led into the circular 

 parts of the Walls, they were conftantly blighted and 

 killed. . ■ , -. J - 



When the trees which had been planted in the circu- 

 lar parts were deftroyed, the Walls were filled with 

 Vines ; but the Grapes of the fame fort were a full 

 month later than thofe growing againft the ftrait parts 

 of the Walls, fo that they rarely ripened, which occa- 

 lioned th'eir beine rooted out, and Fies were afterwards 

 planted, but the fruit of thefe fucceeded little better ; 

 nor can it Be fuppofed that any trees or plants will 

 thrive fo well in thefe circles, where there is a con- 

 ftant draught of air round them, which renders the 



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lituation much colder than the open free air. - 

 I have alfofeen at Mr. Le Cour*s garden in Holland, 

 fome Walls built in angles of different forms, but 

 "thefe fucceeded no better than the circles before-men- 

 tioned ; for I did not find one tree in health acrainft 

 the Walls, nor did they produce fruit., . . ^ ',:, 

 There are feveral" other fchemes which have been 

 propofed.by difterent . perfons, for the building of 

 Walls to ac-celerate the ripening of fruits, among 

 which there was a very ingenious book written fome 

 years ago, intitled. Fruit Walls improved, by inclining 

 them to the horizon j in which the author has ftiewn 



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by calculation that there will be a much greater num- 

 ber of the rays of the fun fall upon fuch Walls, than 

 upon thofe which are built perpendicular ; and from 

 thencche has ^rawn calculations, that Walls fo builtwill 

 be of great fervice in the accelerating of fruit -, and he 

 has taken the trouble 'of calculating the different in- 

 clinations which fuch Walls fliould have in the diffe- 

 rent climates, in order to receive the greateft number 

 of the fun's rays. This theory feems to have all the 

 demonftration neceffary for its fupport, but. upon trial 

 they have not fucceeded in the leaft; for as thefeWalls 

 muft be built againft banks of earth, the damps which 

 arife from' tfie^ ground overbalance the advantage of 

 the fun's rays ; befides, thefe Hoping Walls being more 

 expofed to the cold dews in the night, the fruit v/ill 

 be much more chilled thereby ; and in the fpring the 

 morning frofts will prove much more deftruftive to 

 the tender bloffoms of the fruit-trees, as they will be 

 r«i^r,> *»vnnrf d fo them, than ao-aihft an UDrie:ht Wall ; 



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add to thi^, their being much more expofed to tlic 

 winds and the rain^ and it will be found, bv com^ 

 paring the advantages propofed from thcfe '\Vall.9i 

 with the difadvantages to which the fruit-trees will be 

 ■ expofed^ that upright Walls will have the preference; 

 for it is not the ftrongeft rays of the fun in the heat 

 of fummer, which arc fo much wanting for ripening 

 of fruit, as the continuance of a moderate (hare of 

 warmth; and above all, the having of the fun in a 

 morning, to dry off the cold dews of the night early, 

 is of the greateft ufe; and in this refpeft the upright 

 Walls arc much preferable to the Hoping, as they will 

 have the dired rays of the fun in the morning, which 

 will be oblique on the other, and renders thofe Walls 

 which are built inclining to the eaft preferable to 

 fouthWalls, as the fruit will always ripen earlier againft 

 them. • .- .. 



There are fome perfons who recommend the paintino- 

 of Walls black, or of a dark colour, as they fuppole 

 the dark colour will imbibe more of the fun's rays, 

 fo will retain the warmth longer; this alfo anfwers 

 better in theory than in practice j for although it muft 



. be allowed that a black Wall is warmer to the touch 

 than a common brick wall, yet, as the fruit gcncrllly 

 is fituated at a fmall diftance from the Wall, it receive'^ 

 no benefit from the warmth of the Wall, and it is the 



i-refle6tcd heat which accelerates the ripening of fruit ; 



, therefore I would advife every one to make fair trials 



of thefe things, before they put them in praftice, and 



.not to take upon truft what they may be told by per- 



; Tons who are too fanguine in recommending to others 



-, fchemes which they have adopted upon very flight 

 principles, or perhaps upon a lingle trial ; this paint- 

 ing of the Walls is reconimended by the fame perfon 



:; who wrote upon inclining Walls, and he h^ propofed 

 -this upon the fame principles ; but the introducing of 



- thefe fchemes ftiould be avoided, until there-have been 

 fufficient trials made to warrant their ufe. -■' ' 

 Where perfons are willing to be at the expcnce, in 



, the building of their Walls fubftantial, they will find it 

 anfwer much better than thofe which are flightly built, 

 not only in their duration, but alfo in their warnuh ; 



. therefore a Wall two bricks thick, will be found to an- 

 fwer better than one brick and a half; and if in the 

 building of garden Walls they are grouted with fcft 

 mortar, to fill and clofeall the joints, the Walls will 

 be much ftronger," an3 the air will not fo eafily pene- 

 trate through them, as it docs thrpugh thofe which arc 



built in the common way. 

 .-According to the ■modern. liafte in gafdemrig, there 



are very few Walls built round gardens, which is cer- 

 ,,.tainly very right, not only with regard to the plcafure 



of ^viewing the neighbouring country from the garden, 

 i .'but alfo in regard to theexpence, i. Of building thcfe 

 -.Walls ; 2. If they are planted with fruit, as is frequeilt- 

 : ly pradtifed, to maintain them will be a conftant charge, 

 ;without receiving much profit or plcafure; for when 

 _:, there is "too much WalHng planted with fruit-trees, 

 ^they^ are feldom taken much care of; fo that the quan- 

 ■ itity of fruit produced will be fmall, and that ill-nou- 



riftied and bad tafted, therefore thequantitv of Wall- 



..ing ftiould be proportioned to the fruit confurticd in 

 the family ; but as it will be neceffary to inclofe thtr 



• kitchen-gardcA for the fecurity of the garderl-ftuff, fo 

 .if that be walled round, it will contain as much fruit 

 .'•as will ufually be wanted in the family; becaufe the 

 ; kitchen-garden is always proportioned to the number 



'of perfons maintained; but if the quantity of Walling 



■ which furrounds the kitchen-garden ftiould be judgcra 



tQp little for the fupply of fruit, there may be a crofs 



, Wall built through the middle of the kitchen-garden ; 

 ■or, where the fize of the garden will admit, there 



■-may be two crofs Walls built; but this muft not bi 



-done, where there is not room to place the Walls at 

 .= leaft eighty or one hundred feet afunder ; and if they 

 . are allowed a much greater diftance it will be better'; 

 and as the kitchen-garden ftiould always be placed out 

 .;Of fight from the houfe, the Walls may be hid by 

 ;':plantation3 of 'trees, at fome little diftance, Ayhith 

 . -wili be of ufe in flickering the fruit. ; :'.::-? y. - 



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