i88i.] WALL-BORDERS IN KITCHEN -GARDENS. 3 



deluged by nightly rains. I am most anxious on this point of nightly 

 rains, because they are so prevalent in the tropics that one may be 

 excused for thinking them especially beneficial. The fact that Nature 

 syringes and waters her plants most during the cool night-time is not 

 sufficiently appreciated ; but nightly rains after very hot days in the 

 tropics are so common, that one must perforce notice them. The finest 

 collection of Phalaenopsis I ever saw in my life was syringed every 

 night in accordance with Nature's plan, and air was always left in 

 circulation during the night. I wish it to be clearly understood that 

 I do not recommend anything like cool treatment for Phalsenopsids. 

 No amount of heat in the day-time will do them any harm ; but heat 

 and drought at night will do so most assuredly. These and many 

 other tropical lowland plants must always have a high mean tempe- 

 rature, but a wide range is also desirable ; and as I have endeavoured 

 to show, air and moisture during the night-time are even more desirable 

 for these plants than the hot arid atmosphere but too frequently 

 maintained, especially during the cold winter months. Even during 

 what is called the dry monsoon in tropical regions nightly dews are 

 very heavy, and the plants recuperate themselves during the cool, 

 moist night-time, " after the burden and heat of the day." 



F. W. B. 



HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OP WALL - BOBBERS IN 

 KITCHE]Sr-GAIlDE]SrS. 



NO. I. 



The most profitable parts of kitchen -gardens generally are, or at all 

 events should be, the borders near the walls— more especially those 

 with a southern or western aspect. All alike can be put to a good 

 use for fruit, flower, and vegetable culture ; but for the present I in- 

 tend to confine myself to the two latter principally, leaving the ques- 

 tion as to what might be advantageously grown on the walls to some 

 future date, or, better still, to some more experienced gardener. That 

 these borders are made the most of by many practical gardeners must 

 be admitted ; at the same time, I believe I am justified in making the 

 assertion that their value is not fairly estimated by the majority; and, 

 judging from appearances, the designers of innumerable gardens far 

 from realise their value. If this were otherwise, why do designers 

 make them so narrow, and thereby stultify the efforts of those who 

 would turn wide borders to good account 1 I could point to numbers 

 of places where the borders are but little wider than the space that 

 ought really to be given up entirely to the fruit-trees. Invariably 

 running parallel to these borders are the principal walks in the gar- 

 dens ; and these, as a matter of course, lead up to the gateways, there- 

 by rendering it almost out of the question that any improvement may 

 be effected. But few have the courage to give these narrow borders 



