W A L 



W A L 



cular methods, in angles of various forms, and allowed to lower walls ; for, as being; more ex- 



piojecting more towards the north, to screen off posed to strong gales of wind, if tliev arc not 



the cold winds ; but not any method has yet been well built, they are in danger of being blown 



found which succeeds so well as that ofmak- down. The piers in these cases should be pro- 



iuii; them straight, and buildmg them in an up- jected the length of a brick in the backside, and 



right manner. the thickness of a brick in the front, and be 



Other schemes of expediting the ripening of built about ten or twelve feet asunder. 



fruits on walls have been tried, such as painting 

 them black, or of a dark colour, as the dark 

 colour is supposed to imbibe more of the sun's 

 rays, and retain the warmth longer. This has, 

 however, on the same principle, answered better 

 in theory than practice. 



Walls, where substantially built, answer 

 much better than those which are slight, not 

 only in their duration, but also in their warmth. 

 A wall two bricks thick will be found to an- 

 swer better than one brick and a half; and if in 

 the building of garden walls they are grouted 

 with soft mortar, to fill and close all the joints, 

 the walls will be much stronger, and the air not 

 so easily penetrate through them, as it does 

 through those which arc built in the usual man- 

 ner. 



There is, however, no necessity for building- 

 walls higher than nine or ten feet, unless for 

 pears. 



In building of hot-walls, the ordinary height 

 is usually about ten feet, which is sufficient for 

 any of those sorts of fruits which are generally 

 forced ; for, by forcing the trees, thev are mostly 

 weakened in theirgrowth, so that they do not grow 

 so vigorously as those which are exposed to the 

 open air ; and where there is not a quantity of 

 walling planted sufficient to let one part rest 

 every otlier year, the trees are never very healthy, 

 and last but a few years. In these walls the 

 foundations should be made four bricks and a 

 half thick, in order to support the flues ; other- 

 wise, if part of them rest on brick-work, and 

 the other part on the ground, they will settle 



In respect to the aspect for walls in ihisclimate, unequally, and soon be out of order ; for, v^here- 

 those which have one point to the eastwardof ihe ever there happen any cracks in the flues, through 

 south are the best, as they enjoy the benefit of the 

 morning sun more, and are less exposed to the 

 west and south-west winds, which are very in- 

 jurious to fruits, than those which are built due 

 south. 



And the next best aspect is due south, and 

 aficr that the south-east. But as there will, for 

 the most part, be south-west and west walls, 

 these may be planted with some sorts of fruit 

 which do not require so much heat to ripen 

 them as those designed for the best walls : but 

 wherever there are north walls, those will only 

 be proper for baking pears, plums, and morello 

 cherries, for preserving : or duke cherries may be 

 planted against these walls, to continue them 

 longer in the season. 



which the smoke can make its escape, it will 

 prevent their drawing; and if the smoke gets 

 within the glasses, it will greatly injure the fruit, 

 and give it a smoky taste. This thickness of 

 wall need not be continued more than six inches 

 above the ground, where the foundation or bot- 

 tom 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 thick- 

 ness of three bricks and a half, so that the back 

 wall may be two bricks ^thick, which is abso- 

 lutely necessary to throw the heat out more in 

 front; for, when the back walls are built too 

 thin, the heat escapes through them. The wall 

 in front next to the fruit should be only four 



The usual thickness of building walls with inches thick, whereby there will be an allowance 



brick is thirteen inches, or a brick and a half; 

 but this should be proportionable to the height : 

 for, if they are built twelve or fourteen feet high 

 or more, as is often practised, then the founda- 

 tions of the walls should be at least two bricks 

 and a half in thickness, and brought up a foot or 

 more above the level of the surface of the ground, 

 of the same thickness ; then be set off two 

 inches on each side, which reduces them to two 



of nine inches for the flues, which may be covered 

 with twelve-inch tiles; for, if they have an inch 

 and a half bearing on each side, it will be suf- 

 ficient. The places in which the fires are made 

 must be contrived on the backside of the walls, 

 which should be in number proportionable to 

 the length of the walls. The length usually al- 

 lowed for each fire to warm is forty feet, though 

 they do very well for fifty feet: they should be 



bricks ; and five or six feet above the surface of shedded over with brick and tile, to keep out the 



the ground they may be diminished on each wind and rain, otherwise the fires will not burn 



side to reduce them to the thickness of a brick equally ; and as it is quite necessary to have the 



and a half ; which must be continued to the fire-places or ovens below the foundation of the 



top. The piers in these high walls should also first flues, there must be steps down into the 



be proportionably stronger than is commonly sheds, ic come to the mouth of them to supply 



