72 PRACTICAL GARDENING. 



belongs to the very first operations after we get possession 

 than to any of the after details ; and the entire space, what- 

 ever be its destination, should undergo the process, before we 

 even begin to lay it out. 



The draiaage of the fruit-borders is so essential, that it is 

 frequently done when no other part of the ground is drained ; 

 and the bottoms are often formed of hard, dry substances, 

 such as flints, stones, brick-rubbish, or other material imper- 

 vious to the roots of the trees; and a good drain carried 

 along under the path, with large draioing-tiles, or, for want 

 of such material, with boulders, or stones, to half fill it ; or, 

 in the absence of this, with bushes, through which the water 

 can percolate at all titnes to a regular outlet somewhere : but 

 we have gone more at length into this matter under the head 

 of " General Draining of Land." 



The fruit-borders require two feet of good strong loam. It 

 is the practice of many to make up these borders of compost, 

 frequently procured at great expense; but, generally speak- 

 ing, the top spit of any ordinary land is good enough ; and if 

 not, may be enriched a httle with ordinary dung. In grapes, 

 many persons are extravagant, and employ all sorts of animal 

 manures, to an extent scarcely credible. Sufficient, however, 

 for aU ordinary purposes, will be the top spit of a pasture, 

 with after applications. It is quite certain that vines are the 

 most petted and ill-used plants in the world. They are pam- 

 pered up with every rich ingredient that fancy can contem- 

 plate, or they are thoroughly neglected; and thousands of 

 excellent vines, in fine bearing for as many years back as 

 "the oldest inhabitant" can recollect, have had nothing 

 applied but the pruning-knife ; and perhaps it would be 

 difficult to find their roots, even if the owners wished to 

 dress them. 



Fruit-Borders. — For a newly-formed fruit-border we 

 should be content with two feet of the best soil the orchard 

 could produce, robbing the surface where there were no trees, 

 to make up the necessary thickness of good soil where the 

 trees were to be planted. With a ten-feet wide border thus 

 formed and drained, and even without taking the slightest 

 trouble about the bottom of the border, we should set about 

 planting the wall-trees. 



Trees to Choose. — If we were impatient, we should get 

 aU the trees trained to our hand; but there must be the 



