CHAP, vn.] WALL FRUIT TREES. 167 



should have a slight stone coping; and, where 

 the trees are likely to want protection, strong 

 hooks, or holdfasts, projecting from the wall, 

 should be built in at regular distances, for the 

 convenience of suspending the mats or bunting 

 that may be employed, or of supporting a deep 

 wooden coping. Hot or flued walls are not 

 desirable, as they are very expensive and 

 troublesome, and of very little use. 



Tlie walls should be built on good, sound, 

 and deep foundations, but on no account on 

 arches ; as it is of importance to the gardener 

 to confine the roots of the fruit trees to the 

 border in front of the wall, which is under his 

 control, instead of suffering them to spread 

 through the arches to the other side of the 

 wall, where they are entirely removed from 

 him. 



The essential point to be attended to in the 

 construction of a fruit border is, that, the soil 

 shall not be more than eighteen inches deep on 

 a hard bottom. If the subsoil be hard gravel 

 or rock, covered with mould to the depth men- 

 tioned, nothing more can be desired ; but if the 

 subsoil be wet clay, or sand over gravel, or in 

 short anything that will allow of roots pene- 

 trating into it, artificial means should be re- 

 sorted to, to keep the roots near the surface of 

 the ground. The most common method of 

 forming a border is to excavate the ground to 

 the depth required, and to pave the bottom of 

 the excavation with large stones or pebbles ; 

 but bricks, cement, asphalte, or in short any 

 other substance which appears likely to attain 

 the end in view, may be employed ; taking 



