90 THE FLORIST. 



old pasture or common, sufficient to cover the border one foot deep ; 

 this being laid on, I would then trench the border two feet deep, well 

 mixing the turf and the original soil as the work proceeds, then level 

 the border and it is ready for planting. If the borders are well pre- 

 pared as above described, and not cropped with any kind of vegetables, 

 they will be well calculated to last, and give satisfaction for many years. 



I will now consider what is the best mode of fastening the trees to 

 the wall. I would always recommend the walls to be wired in the 

 following manner. Procure a sm dl tin dish and char a little hay or 

 straw in it, add a little water to the charred ashes, sufficient to bring it 

 to the cnnsistency of thick paint ; having a piece of string or twine as 

 long as the wall is high, dip the string into the paint so prepared, and 

 strain it perpendicularly on the wall, and by giving it a slight pull 

 forward in the middle, while it is held tight at both ends, it will fall 

 back, leaving a black line on the wall ; having got some cast-iron 

 studs or loops with holes in them, to allow the wires to pass through 

 them, drive one into the wall just above the gi'ound level, and one in 

 every third joint of the brickwork along the black line, the topmost one 

 being just under the coping of the wall ; having some wire ready, 

 begin at the lowest loop, and draw the wire through every one till you 

 reach the top of the wall ; then with a pair of pliers twist the wire 

 round the last loop, so as to make it fast, and draw the wire tightly 

 down and fasten it round the lowest loop, and so proceed till the whole 

 of the wall is done, leaving from six to seven inches between every 

 wire ; the wires may be very nearly close to the wall ; with a little 

 practice this operation will soon become easy. The trees should 

 be tied to the wires with bast matting. I now come to planting the 

 trees and their treatment afterwards. 



Having left the border trenched, well mixed the soil (quite loose), 

 and being ready for planting in the autumn, procure from a nursery 

 a sufficient number of trees that have been one year trained (if con- 

 venient, it is always best for the gardener to go and select his own 

 trees) ; if each tree has got three healthy shoots on it, that will be 

 enough to begin with. If the wall be from ten to twelve feet in height, 

 the trees may be planted twenty feet apart. Having made a mark on 

 the wall where each tree is to be planted, then proceed thus : take out 

 the soil opposite every mark on the wall about four or five inches 

 deep, the width to be in proportion to the roots of the trees ; it is 

 always better, however, to have the bottom of the hole a little too large ; 

 observe to leave it quite level, then put the tree in its place, and 

 lay out the roots straight and regular all round, and cover them lightly 

 with soil to the level of the surrounding ground, being careful not to 

 set a foot if possible on the ground where the tree is planted, neither 

 before nor after planting. Then pour water on the ground sufficient to 

 settle the soil about the roots of the newly planted tree ; next day, or 

 soon after, cover the ground about the trees with some kind of long 

 litter, which will keep out the frost in winter, and prevent the soil from 

 becoming so soon dry in spring. If some old trees can be got, one may 

 be planted in the middle between every two young ones, and if they 

 are carefully taken up and replanted, as recommended above for the 



