Book I. LAYING OUT THE AREA. 475 



over; then an inch of clean pit or river gravel, which also pass the roller over; another 

 inch of earth, as above, which also roll ; and, lastly, an inch of gravel, also, as above. 

 This should be done with the materials rather in a dry state ; but now moisten the whole 

 moderately with a watering-pot, and roll until the surface acquires a hard sinning con- 

 sistency. Keep rolling and watering alternately, till the whole becomes firm and 

 glazed, and till the earth and gravel be intimately mixed and incorporated. Thus may 

 a bed be formed for the roots of fruit-trees, much superior to one of stone or brick, and 

 at an expense greatly less ; of a nature more kindly, and which no root will penetrate. 



2486. Prepared soil for borders should be thrown in, having been previously laid up in 

 a ridge, along the outer edge of the border, before the floor thus made get damaged by 

 wet, or other accidents ; and care must be taken that at no future period it be disturbed 

 in digging or trenching the border. 



2487. A fit composition for apples, apricots, cherries, and figs is, three fourths hale 

 lightish earth, and one fourth strong loam ; being properly composed, and moderately 

 enriched with cow-dung, or a mixture of cow and hog dung, or of cow and stable dung ; 

 avoiding the latter, however, if the two former can be obtained, for the cooler dungs 

 answer best for fruit-trees. The average depth of the borders for these kinds should be 

 thirty inches. 



2488. A very fit soil for peaches, pears, and plums is, three fourths loam, and one 

 fourth sandy earth, being well mixed, and moderately enriched, as above. The depth 

 for peaches and nectarines may be thirty inches, as above ; but for pears and plums, it 

 should not be less than three feet on the average, that is, two feet nine inches at the walk, 

 and three feet three inches at the wall, or thereby. (Kcd. p. 153.) 



2489. Where the expense of forming proper soils for fruit-tree borders is not incurred, it is 

 necessary to adapt the kind of trees to the soil. On soils, Neill observes, "naturally very 

 light, gravelly, and sandy, peach and nectarine trees do little good ; it is better to plant 

 apricots, figs, or vines, which agree with such soils, and, when trained against a 

 wall having a good aspect, will, in the southern parts of the island, afford excellent crops 

 of fruit. On such soils, even espalier and dwarf standard apple-trees are short-lived, 

 subject to blight, and produce only stunted fruit. Next to renewing the soil, the best 

 remedy is to engraft and re-engraft frequently, on the best wood of the trees, giving the 

 preference to grafts of those kinds which experience has shown to be the most productive 

 and healthy in that particular place. In shallow soils, some have been in the practice of 

 making troughs or hollows, and filling them with rich earth, for the reception of the trees; 

 but this is not to be approved of; the roots of the trees will probably be confined to the 

 trough, and it is possible that water may be retained in it." (Edin. Encyc. art. Hort.) 



2490. The number and breadth of walks, Marshall observes, "must, in a great measure, 

 be determined by the quantity of allotted ground, exceeding in these particulars where 

 there is room. But few and wide walks are preferable to many contracted ones. If the 

 garden is small, one good walk all round is sufficient ; and if long and narrow, the cross 

 walks should not be many: six or eight-feet walks are not too wide for a moderate-sized 

 garden. " The middle walk, according to Forsyth, " should be about seven feet, which 

 is wide enough to admit a cart ; and the others about three or four feet broad, with a 

 border on each side, five or six feet wide, at least, between the walk and the fruit-trees." 

 "If the garden Jbe very extensive," Neill observes, "the centre is traversed by a 

 broad walk. If it be of the largest dimensions, and possess a cross wall or cross walls, 

 the arrangement of the walks falls to be altered accordingly ; a main walk proceeding 

 directly to the door, in the centre of the cross walls." 



2491. A walk should always proceed from the main entrance to the main object of the 

 garden. The entrance, as already observed (2388.), should either be in the centre 

 of the south-east or west walls. Where there are hot-houses, it should, if possible, be in 

 the south wall, and from thence a broad walk with suitable borders should proceed direct 

 to the centre of the garden, and across it to the centre of the range of hot-houses. Main 

 walks in square or parallelogram gardens, entering from whatever point, should, in 

 general, proceed to the centre ; but in long octagons or irregular gardens, diagonal walks, 

 though they occasion a little more trouble in culture, have a noble effect. It is almost 

 needless to observe, that no main walk ought ever to terminate abruptly, or look to a 

 mere blank, a defect, or an unsightly object. These and various other points of the 

 greatest consequence as to future effect, must be left to the taste of the designer. 



2492. Gravel is almost universally considered the best material for walks ; but there are 

 various substitutes. " Sand," Marshall observes, " may be adopted for walks, and there is a 

 binding sort of it that does very well ; but lay not any of it too thick, as it is the less 

 firm for it. Drift-sand is a good substitute for gravel. Coal-ashes, strewed thinly in 

 the alleys, are better than nothing, as they at least serve to keep the feet dry and clean. 

 If the garden be a strong soil, these ashes (when worn down) should be thrown out of 

 the walks, with a little of the earth, and will prove a good manure for the compartments." 

 (Introd. to Gard. p. 35.) A binding sand, Forsyth says, " makes good walks, and they 



