206 PARKS AND PLEASURE-GEOUNDS. 



render the intermediate valleys as little protected as a 

 more open and apparently less protected position. 



And it is needful to remark that the beantiful or 

 the picturesque are not the only considerations to be 

 taken into account, in selecting a proper site for fruit 

 and kitchen-gardens. These desirable properties are 

 more than counterbalanced by the disadvantages aris- 

 ing from a cold exposure and damp soil, which un- 

 failingly render the crops of fruit and vegetables of 

 inferior quality. The site to be sought for, and to be 

 found if possible, is one with a good soil, a dry subsoil, 

 and a sunny exposure, sheltered sufficiently, but not 

 shaded. The ground should be level, or rather, per- 

 haps, with a slight declivity toward the south. A 

 northern exposure should be avoided : we would prefer 

 even a considerable declivity to the south, though steep 

 inclinations require more labor in cultivation than level 

 surfaces. 



A certain amount of shelter is indispensable to a 

 good garden; and where this is not to be had, sites in 

 other respects favorable are to be avoided. _ Some 

 natural protection should be sought for, particularly 

 when the place is destitute of old plantations. Shelter 

 may certainly be obtained by judicious planting ; but 

 it is to be remembered that in exposed situations 

 fifteen or twenty years may elapse before it becomes 

 effective. 



The Drainage of a garden should be perfect — cer- 

 tainlv at least not inferior to that thorough drainins: 

 now employed for agricultural j)urposes. To most 

 horticultural operations a comjDletely drained and 

 therefore warm soil is essential : damp ground yields 

 only inferior vegetables, and supports only diseased, 



