January 2, 1S6S. ] 



JOURNAL OP HOBTIOULTUBB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



ingB arc likely to aid the attainment of the desired result, and 

 sventnally a shoot possessing an aggregate of the necessary 

 brightly colonred leaves is obtained, and when obtained im- 

 mediately removed and struck as a cutting. If needed, the 

 former practice is repeated until the sport has become sufli- 

 ciently lixed to take its place as a standard variety. 



In the house specially devoted to tliese Pelargoniums, Mr. 

 W. Paul has already two or three excellent novelties, of which, 

 doubtless, wo shall hear more in course of time. There is a 

 very distinct and beautiful variety of the Ouk-leaved Pelar- 

 gonium. Perhaps I may best describe it by stating that the 

 flower, though more striking and brighter-coloured, is not 

 nnlike that of the old Shrubland Rose variety. The plant is very 

 much more free, dwarfor in habit, and more sweetly scented. 

 It is named Waltham liiiby, I believe, and is suitable for 

 pots, vases, and, indeed, for general decorative display. 



In another house was a very fine stock of Ericas ; hyemalis 

 and amabilis being especially not ceable on Hccnunt of their fine 

 healthy condition. Amongst Epacrises, Rubella and Ardentis- 

 sima wore very striking, being varieties with bright-coloured 

 flowers. The Variegated Pampas Grass does admirably as a 

 pot plant, and thus grown as a specimen contributes much to 

 the general embellishment of a house containing other plants, 

 «Qoh as Camellias and Azaleas, at this season. There is here 

 a large stock of Camellias, home-worked, and, consequently, 

 far superior for the cultivator than plants imported from the 

 Continent. 



The house devoted to Roses, and in which they are turned 

 otit of the pots into borders, still contained fine blooms of 

 some of the most delicate Tea varieties. There is an especial 

 beauty about the Rose when chilling winds tell it is passing 

 away ; and much is it to be wondered, therefore, that many 

 more such simple structures are not raised for the purpose of 

 securing blooms full of sweetness and beauty when all the 

 plants without are leafless. Marechal Niel and Climbing 

 Devoniensis are two varieties well adapted to this form of 

 culture. — E. 



KITCHEN GARDEN WALLS. 



Gabdkn walls serve as a fence, afford shelter, present a sur- 

 face for training fruit trees upon, and accumulate heat. As a 

 fence a wall G feet in height is sufficient ; as regards shelter, 

 the higher the wall is the better it effects the object sought ; and 

 as to the .accumulation of heat, the higher the wall the greater ia 

 the amount of heat accumulated ; whilst as a surface for train- 

 ing trees upon, it must follow that the higher the wall, the less 

 necessity there will be for the annual lopping and restriction of 

 growth. 



Peach trees upon a low wall do not in cold localities ripen 

 their fruit nearly so well as upon a higher one. This is due to 

 the surface of a high wall accumulating more of the heat from 

 the sun, and the heat accumulated during the day is given out 

 by the wall when the surrounding air is colder. Presuming a 

 wall to be G feet in height, the sun's rays obstructed, or the 

 oabic feet of air deprived of the solar heat, will only be one- 

 fourth the amount of that where the wall is twice as high, or 

 12 feet. It is not to be understood that a wall G feet high will 

 accumulate exactly one-fourth the heat that a wall 12 feet in 

 height wiuild do ; but notwithstanding the various circum- 

 stances that would interfere with the accumulation of the heat, 

 it is evident that a wall depriving a certain number of cubic feet 

 of air of the sun's rays must secure to the unshaded portion a 

 greater accumulation of heat, and give out a greater heat from 

 the surface, than a wall depriving of the sun's rays only one- 

 fourth that number of cubic feet of air. This will be readily 

 understood by the annexed section of a wall (see next page), 

 showing the eflHCt of the sun's rays falling upon a wall of 0, 9, 

 and 12 feet in height. The sun being at an elevation of 45°, 

 o, b, c, will represent il e shaded portion at the north sile of 

 a 6-feet wall ; !>, d. e. thbto' a 9feet wall ; and b,f, g, the sUade 

 caused to the north of a wall 12 feet in height. 



It may be safely concluded that what holds good in respect to 

 a south wall, will also exercise the same or an approximating 

 influence with respect to east and west walls. High walls with 

 east and west aspects have a greater heat accumulated in their 

 immediate vicinity than low walls, and are better suited for the 

 trees, besides securing to them more heat, and, consequently, a 

 more certain ripening, and greater perfection of the fruit. 



That this is not all theory, I mention a few facts coming under 

 Bay own immediate observation, and which cannot but hare 

 b««ii noticed by others. In the case of the wall on the north 



aide of a kitchen garden, 1.5 feet in height, the trees ripened their 

 fruit a fortnight sooner than those upon the south wall, which 

 was 11) feet in height. The wall to the north was sufficiently 

 heated by the sun to ripen Grapes and Figs ; but neither of 

 these fruits against the south wall ripened perfectly. Peach, 

 Nectarine, and Apricot trees against the latter did not produce 

 nearly such good crops, the fruit did not always ripen tho-' 

 roughly ; and as to the tlavour, it was so inferior to that from the 

 north wall, that it was noticed at the dessert. Tlie difference 

 was not attributed to the difference in the height of the walls, 

 but to the south wall's age — so old, indeed, that ropoiuting was 

 considered impracticable, and it was decided to take the wall 

 down and rebuild it. The trees, mainly Peach and Nectarine, 

 were in fine health, having entirely covered the wall, and their 

 annual growths were being restrained, hence the wall was carried 

 up 3 feet higher, or made 13 feet in height. The only object 

 sought to be attained, so far as I am aware, by raising the wall, 

 was to give a greater extent of surface for the training of th» 

 trees. No one expected any extension of crop beyond that 

 likely to result from an extension of surface; but the crop was 

 not only larger, finer in size and quality, but the flavour so 

 altered for the better, that it was not known at table from which 

 trees, whether from those against the north or south wall, the 

 fruit had been gathered. The time, too, of ripening was marked 

 by little difference between them. The greatest eSeot of the 

 raising of the wall was that two Vines brought forth Grapes, 

 and a Fig tree its Figs ripe and luscious. 



That the difference was caused by raising the wall, is in soma 

 sort confirmed by the results of raising the east and west walls, 

 the height of which was insufficient for the trees, these extend- 

 ing beyond it every year as much as 2 feet or more, all o£ 

 which growth had to be cut away partially at the summer 

 pruning, and again completely at the winter pruning. The 

 result in this case was, that Pears that formerly on the same 

 trees cracked and spotted, ceased to do so, and they were larger 

 and better coloured. 



I could give further illustrations of the greater certainty of 

 crops, and of the fiuer quality of fruit grown by trees against 

 high walls than against low ones ; but the beneficial effects of 

 high walls are so apparent, that any one having paid the slightest 

 attention to the subject must have been impressed with the 

 greater advantages afforded Vjy them. 



^ In cold localities high walls are not only desirable, but essen- 

 tial ; for the fruit that would ripen against a low wall in a warm 

 locality, will, in order to come to perfection, require a high wall 

 in a cold one. In the south, walls 10 feet iu height answer very 

 well, and Peaches will, undoubtedly, ripen against walls of less 

 height ; but walls 12 feet in height are not too high for the 

 southern parts of the kingdom, whilst for the east and west, 

 and the least northerly counties, north and south walls of less 

 than 10 feet would he practically of no great use. In elevated 

 situations, and in the northern counties, walls 1.5 feet in height 

 are not too high ; indeed, they would be advantageous. 



In disposing the walls in a garden, the wall to the north 

 ought to be higher than all the others, except iu cases where the 

 ai-ea enclosed is extensive, then the walls may be of one uni- 

 form height. The area to be enclosed by walls being one acre, 

 I would have a wall 15 feet in height to the north ; the cor- 

 responding one to the south might be 12 feet, and the east 

 and west walls of the same height as the south wall. Gardens 

 of less extent than one acre may have a wall to the north of 

 15 feet. If the garden is less than half an acre the height to 

 the north will not signify as to the wall shading the ground on 

 the north side ; but if the extent of ground is considerably less 

 than half an acre, a high wall will look very unsightly. The 

 height of the north wall in this case may be 12 or 13 feet, the 

 south wall 10 feet or less, and the east and west walls will look 

 well if of the mean height of the north and south walls. The 

 north wall being 15 feet in height, the south, east, and west walls 

 may bo 12 feet in height. In the south of England they will 

 answer if less in height ; in the north they might be higher. 



As to the direction of walla, that will be to some extent over- 

 ruled by the ground ; but where practicable (and it is so in the 

 majority of cases), they should run north and south, east and 

 west, and the nearer their ends point to the four cardinal 

 points, the less waste there will be of surface. Care should 

 be taken to give as great an extent of south wall as possible, 

 that being secured by disposing the ground in the form of a 

 parallelogram, the longest sides being on the north and south. 



The walls that run east and west are the most valuable, a« 

 they a&ord one surface to the south, which is the best possible 

 aspect, bat one face must necessarily present itself to the north. 



