10 



JOURNAL OP HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



[ January 2, IBEg. 



and this is of the least importance ; but the superior reauUt 

 obtained from the southern side more than counterbalance thi 

 loBB. Walls running north and south will have each a wesi 

 and east aspect, and the first is the more desirable. The facf 

 of a wall looking north has a north aspect, and whatever point 

 of the compass a wall presents its surfaca to at right angles, 

 that is the aspect therecf. 



As regards the materials of which walls are generally built— 

 namely, bricks and stone, the first are the most suitable. 



Bricks vary both in quality, softness, and hardness, and also 

 in colour. 



As to quality, bricks should have an even smooth surface, be 

 ol uniform thickness, length, and breadth, as if not so it is im- 

 possible to make good work with them. 



With regard to hardness or softness, that depends upon the 

 clay, and upon the burning. Some clay is so full of limestone 

 as to cause the bricks after they are sot to burst upon their be- 

 coming wet, and this produces an uneven surface, and such bricks, 

 therefore, are not to be recommended for garden walls. Ordi- 

 nary slop bricks if free from limestone are good, and being well 

 burned and made quite hard, are eicellent for a wall. If badly 

 burned they absorb too much moisture, and besides being 

 subject to injury from frost, very much encourage the growth 

 of moss, and soft bricks in this respect often become very un- 

 sightly. Fire bricks make excellent garden walls, but those 

 ■which are white are quite as liable to moss as soft slop bricks ; 

 indeed, well-burned slop bricks are superior to badly-burned 

 ■white fire bricks. Hard-burned fire bricks, when the burning 

 is to the extent of glazing them, are not desirable for garden 

 ■walls, as they absorb heat but slowly. Some idea may be 

 formed of the hardness of the burning of a brick by placing one 

 in a bucket and pouring over it a pint of water. If soft it will 

 absorb it all, and even more, whilst a havd-burned brick will 

 not do more than absorb two-thirds of a pint of water. The 

 latter will stand any weather, and such only should be selected. 

 A well-bumed fire brick will absorb nearly, if not quite as much 

 water as slop bricks, but it requires twice the length of time to 

 do it, and it retains the water absorbed a much greater length 

 of time. Well-burned bricks, then, should be used in the con- 

 struction of garden walls, but the extreme of hardness is as 

 much to be avoided as the opposite extreme of softness. A good 

 hard ringing brick is the proper sort. 



As to colour, very dark coloured bricks, as blue fire bricks, or 

 blue bricks of any sort, are not good, for, from their near approach 

 to black, thev become hot during sunny weather, in consequence 

 of their absorbing the heat instead of refiecting it as white does, 

 and trees against them are unduly excited, and rendered more 

 susceptible of cold, and, therefore, a check is given when sun- 

 less weather intervenes. The blossoms of trees upon dark- 

 coloured walls open earlier than against either red or white ; 

 but the fruit does not ripen any earlier. The forwarding of the 

 blossoms is no advantage, but the contrary in our climate. 

 White has been highly spoken of as the best colour for a wall, 

 but that refiects more of the sun's rays than any other colour, 

 and it, of course, absorbs less heat. Bed bricks are great ab- 

 sorbers of heat, and of moisture also, and the colour is glaring. 



Pale-coloured bricks arc best, but any light-coloured bricks will 

 prove eligible, preference being given to them over dark shades. 

 Stone is an excellent material for garden walls, but the stones 

 should not be large, as in that case it is difficult to train the 

 trees. The courses should be regular, and ought not to exceed 

 6} inches, or two courses of bricks when set, and this will be 

 found a convenient distance for the training of the trees. If 

 the courses are irregular, and the stones large, to have a well- 

 trained tree the wall must be wired longitudinally, or have a 

 wire trellis fixed against it, which is an expense that might, 

 by a little contrivance at the time of putting up the wall, be 

 saved. — G. Abbey. 



(To be continned.) 



PEARS. 



Wf. propose, for facilitating identification, to publish out- 

 line full-sized portraits of the chief varieties of our hardy 

 fruits. Wo commence with the Pears. Our notes upon each 

 variety will be very brief, and those of our readers who wish for 

 detailed descriptions can refer to Dr. Hogg's " Fruit Manual." 



1. AcHAN. — This is a truly north-country Pear, for though 



