ON THE CHOICE OP A GARDEN SITE. 29 



GRUITT, Society, being taken for granted ; the whole resulting in the 

 highest possible amount of happiness. 



79. Securit}/ is still the first consideration ; for, even in our peaceful dnys, 

 the first thing generally done after fixing on a site is to inclose it. In 

 the olden time, the idea of safety was the chief thing considered, and 

 the site for a house and garden was chosen much upon the same principle as 

 the site of a fortress is now fixed on. In those days every man's — at least, 

 every gi'eat man's — house was his castle in a very different sense to what it is 

 now. Homes were then not so much sacred retreats from vulgar intrusion as 

 citadels of defence, or the strongholds of petty tyrants. Hence houses were 

 erected on the summits of bleak rocks, or in deep and secluded valleys, where 

 artificial barriers of rocks almost perpendicular, strong walls, and a broad 

 and deep moat, rendered them almost impregnable. These moats, when they 

 came to he filled up in more peaceful times, supplied to some of these strong- 

 holds gardens of a most picturesque character ; for many of these feudal 

 fortresses were built in situations of great natural beauty. Now, although the 

 idea of safety from danger and security from intrusion still lends a charm to 

 every happy home, it need no longer be the primary object of selection ; for, 

 thanks to advancing intelligence, efficient laws, and improved morals, every one 

 can now dwell in peace under his own vine and fig-tree, none daring to make 

 him afraid. It is very pleasant, however, not to be overlooked while sitting 

 there ; and therefore a site for a house, as well as a garden, should be 

 thoroughly inclosed, — not too close to a public path, and as much within its 

 own grounds as possible. 



80. Salubrity. — The second, and, indeed, the most important point, is 

 the healthiness of the situation. Without health nothing can be enjoyed ; 

 ■with it, the humblest home and smallest garden may become a perennial 

 source of happiness. Men rarely build a house or form a garden more than 

 once in a lifetime ; and an unfavourable choice will not only cause 

 disappointment, but engender petty misery throughout an entire life- 

 time ; and too much caution cannot be exercised on this point. Data 

 should be collected from the bills of mortality, by visits to the grave- 

 yards, by converse with the people, by observing the number and condition of 

 the aged inhabitants, by the presence or absence of epidemic diseases, by the 

 nature of the soil and subsoil, by the state of the ci-ops, and by the physical 

 stamina and moral condition of the inhabitants. No advantageous ofi"er of a 

 cheap plot of land ; no contiguity to a town or railway ; no desire even to be 

 near your business, beyond what necessity requires ; or to be near old friends ; 

 no theoretical fancies about the ameliorating influence upon climate of thorough 

 drainage, or the effect of scientific cultivation, should induce you to build in an 

 unhealthy locality. Four sufficiently striking characteristics will generally 

 distinguish a healthy site. It will be dry, warm, liberally supplied with pure 

 ■water, and elevated more or less above the surrounding country. 



81. A Dry Soil and Sulsoil is the first condition of a healthy situation. 

 The former can be made dry by drainage ; the latter can scarcely be altered 



