788 



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THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



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are generally forced ; for by forcing the trees, they are usually 

 weakened in their growth, and do not thrive so vigorously 

 as those which are exposed in the open air ; and where there 

 is not a quantity of walling planted, sufficient to let one part 

 rest every other year, the trees only last a few seasons, and 

 are never healthy. The foundations of hot-walls should 

 be made four bricks and a half thick, in order to support the 

 flues ; otherwise, if part of them rest on brick-work, and the 

 other part on the ground, they will settle unequally, and soon 

 get out of order ; for wherever there happens any crack in 

 the flues through which the smoke can make its escape, 

 it will prevent their drawing ; and if the smoke penetrate 

 within the glasses, the fruit will acquire a smoky taste, and 

 be much injured. This thickness of the wall need not be 

 continued more than six inches above the ground, where the 

 foundation or bottom of the first flue should be, which will 

 be sufficient to raise it above the damps of the earth : then 

 the wall may be set off four inches on each side, which will 

 reduce it to the thickness of three bricks and a half, so that 

 the back wall may be two bricks thick, which is absolutely 

 necessary, to throw the heat more out in front; for when the 

 back walls are too thin, the heat evaporates. The wall in 

 front next to the fruit should be only four inches thick, 

 which will leave an allowance of nine inches for the flues, 

 which may be covered with twelve-inch tiles; for if they 

 have an inch and half bearing on each side, it will be suffi- 

 cient. The fire-places should be contrived at the back of 

 the walls, and in proportion to their length, which is usually 

 forty feet to each fire, though fifty may be allowed. They 

 should be shedded over with brick and tile, to keep out the 

 wind and rain, otherwise the fires will not burn equally; and 

 as it is quite necessary to have the fire-places or ovens below 

 the foundation of the first flues, there must be steps down 

 into the sheds, to come to the mouth of them to supply the 

 fuel ; of course they should not be narrower than eight feet 

 in the clear. Where the length of walling requires two ovens, 

 they may be in the middle, being included under one shed, 

 to save expense, and allow more room to attend the fires ; 

 as, in this case, the shed must be at least ten feet long, but 

 not more than six in breadth, the steps down being at one 

 end. The lower flue, through which the smoke first passes 

 from the fire, may be two feet and a half deep ; of course 

 the back wall should be at least two feet and a half thick, 

 as high as the top of this flue, and then it may be set off to 

 two bricks, which must be continued to the top of the wall. 

 The second flue, which should return over the first, may be 

 made two feet, the third a foot and a half, and the fourth 

 one foot deep; which four flues with their coverings will rise 

 nearly eight feet high, so that there will be about two feet 

 left for fixing of the frames at the top to support the glasses, 

 for the coping of the wall : these four returns will be suffi- 

 cient to warm the air in the frames. But in the carrying up 

 of these walls some strong iron hooks should be well fasten- 

 ed, at convenient distances, projecting about two inches from 

 the wall, to which the trellis must be fastened, which is 

 to support the trees. The flues must be well pargetted with 

 loam on their inside, and loam should be spread under the 

 tiles which cover them, to the thickness of the hooks, that 

 the flues may be very smooth. At each end of these flues 

 small arches should be turned in the back walls, in such a 

 manner that there may be holes opening, to cleanse the flues 

 from soot whenever it has accumulated. The borders in 

 front of these walls should be four feet wide, which will 

 make a sufficient declivity for the sloping glasses ; and on 

 the outside of them should be low walls, rising four or six 

 inches above the level of the borders, upon which the plate 



of timber must be laid, on which the sloping glasses are to 

 rest. The glasses must be divided into two ranges, being 

 contrived in such a manner, as that the upper row may slide 

 down, and be fastened at suitable distances ; but the lower 

 may be either fixed or moveable ; and ther sloping timbers 

 which support the glass-frames, must be fastened at bottom 

 into the ground-plate in the front of the border, and at 

 the top into strong iron cramps, fixed in the upper part of 

 the wall for that purpose. They should be made of fir, 

 which does not twist like oak and some other wood, where 

 it is laid in such a position ; and on the top should be fixed 

 in a close manner, a strong board, under which the upper 

 row of glasses should side, in order to secure the upper part 

 from being raised by the winds, and to keep the wet from 

 the trees. It may project on the top glasses about two 

 inches. The width of the frames may be about three feet, 

 or according to the extent of the wall, the bars being placed 

 lengthways. See Stove. Hollow, fiued, or forcing walls, 

 are very great acquisitions to fruit-gardens in the northern 

 parts of the kingdom on manv accounts; and it is said to be a 

 great improvement in them, not to have the furnaces placed 

 too close upon the walls, or the Hues to lead too directly for- 

 ward to the front, but the former to be kept back before they 

 reach the front brickwork. Walls in gardens are not only of 

 great utility, importance, and advantage, as serving the pur- 

 pose of defences against external injuries, and as sheltering 

 against cold cutting winds, high stormy blasts, and all sorts 

 of severe exposure; but also as affording the means of having 

 different sorts of fruit-trees trained against them, for the 

 production of finer, more early, and better perfected fruit. 

 Indeed, without their assistance many of the more tender 

 sorts of fruit-trees cannot be made to mature and ripen their 

 fruit in any full perfection in this climate. The Peach, Nec- 

 tarine, Apricot, Vine, and Fig, all stand in need of nearly the 

 best full south walls, to produce their fruit in the fullest and 

 finest proportion, having their branches trained in close, in 

 a regular expanding manner, upon them, in order to have the 

 full benefit of their warmth and protection during the time 

 of their early blossoming, and setting their fruits in the 

 spring months ; and afterwards to obtain the most complete 

 influence and advantage of the sun in bringing them forward 

 in the most effectual manner to the above-noticed state of 

 maturity, in due season, and with the greatest richness of 

 flavour. Walls are also useful for all the more common 

 hardy sorts of fruit-trees, notwithstanding they are capable 

 of producing good fruits abundantly without the walls, still 

 they are thereby afforded more early and in greater perfection. 

 Where any of the better sorts of these have the advantage 

 of being grown against a south, south-west, or east wall, their 

 fruits become ripe early, and in a perfectly mature manner; 

 and usually the early as well as the latter kinds acquire still 

 more improved states of perfection and fineness of flavour, 

 some of them for immediate eating, others for keeping dif- 

 ferent lengths of time. This occurs in the principal sorts 

 of Cherries, in the choicer sorts of Plums, the capital sorts 

 of the finest eating Pears, of the summer, autumn, and winter 

 kinds, and in some of the highly valued sorts of the eating 

 Apples of those different seasons. By planting some of the 

 hardy sorts of fruit-trees against walls fully to the south, 

 others against those which have a westerly aspect, and a few 

 on those towards the east and north, the best sorts of their 

 different fruits will be produced in succession, both at an 

 early and late period. Where walls are situated in the in- 

 terior parts of garden grounds, or near plantations, or near 

 their boundaries, with pieces of ground and boundary fences 

 exterior to them, they may be furnished and planted with 



