G A 



If the Situation be on a Plain 

 or Flat, it has feveral Advantages i 

 Floods and Rains make no Spoil : 

 The Air is even more pure than 

 upon the Side of an Hill : There is 

 a continu'd Profpedl of Champains, 

 interfered by Rivers, Ponds, and 

 Brooks, fine Meadows, and Hills 

 cover'd with Buildings or Woods. 

 The level Surface is lefs tirefome 

 to walk on, and lefs chargeable 

 than that on the Side of an Hill, 

 Terrafs-Walks and Steps not being 

 neceffary. 



2dly, The fecond thing to be 

 conlider'd is chufing a Plat for a 

 Garden, in a good Earth or Soil. 



It is fcarce polTible to make a 

 fine Garden in a bad Soil : And 

 tho' there are Ways to meliorate 

 Ground, they are very expeniive : 

 And fbmetimes, when the Expence 

 has been beftow'd, of laying good 

 Earth three Feet deep over the 

 •whole Surface, when the Roots of 

 the Tree have reach'd the Natural 

 Bottom, a whole Garden has been 

 ruin'd. 



A good Soil is that which of its 

 own Nature is rich and fruitful: 

 And if the Expofure be foutherly, 

 and healthful, and pollefs'd of all 

 the Advantages before mentioned y 

 yet ftill, if it has not a good Body 

 of Earth, and that which is fertile 

 in it felf, it is to be fear'd, that 

 whatever is planted in it, will, in 

 .a while, droop and die away. 



To judge of the Quality of the 

 Soil, obferve whether there be any 

 Heath, Thiftles, or other Weeds 

 growing fpontaneoufly therein, 

 which are certain Signs that the 

 Ground is poor. Likewife, if 

 there be large Trees growing there- 

 abouts, obferve whether they grow 

 crooked, ill-fhap'd and grubby, of 

 a faded Green, and full of Mofs, or 

 infefted with Vermin i if lb, the 



G A 



Place IS to be rejeded : but, on 

 the contrary, if it be cover'd with 

 good Grafs fit for Pafture, then 

 you may be encourag'd to try the 

 Depth of the Soil. 



To know this, dig Holes in fe- 

 veral Places fix Feet wide, and four 

 Feet deep : if you find three Feet 

 of good Earth, it will do well, 

 but lefs than two will not be fuf- 

 ficient. 



The Quality of good Ground, h 

 neither to be ftooy, nor too hard 

 to work j neither too dry nor too 

 moiftj nor too fandy and light j 

 nor too ftrong, as rank and clayey, 

 which is the worfi: of all for 

 Gardens. 



^dly. The third Requifite is Wa- 

 ter. If this be wanting to a Gar- 

 den, it is one of the greateft Incon- 

 veniencies that can attend it, and 

 will bring a certain Mortality upon 

 whatever is planted. By watering, 

 the great Droughts in Summer are 

 allay'd, which would othcrwife 

 burn up all the Plants ; befides the 

 Ufefulnefs of it in fine Gardens, for 

 making Jets d'Eau, Canals, Caf- 

 cades, Sec. which are the greateft 

 Ornaments of a Garden. 



4thly, The fourth thing required 

 in a good Situation, is the View 

 and Profped of a fine Country j 

 and tho' this is not fo ablblutely 

 neceflary as the preceding, yet it is 

 one of the moft agreeable. 



If a Garden was planted in a low 

 Place that was bury 'd, and that had 

 no kind of ProfpecSt, it would be 

 both difagreeable and unwholfome ; 

 the Trees them {elves being too 

 much fhaded and obfcur'd, would 

 not look near fb beautiful: Where- 

 as a fine View, and the Profpedl ofv 

 a nohle Country, are as agreeable En- 

 tertainments as a Garden can afford.- 



In fhort, a Garden neceffarily re- 

 quires the Sun, a good Soil, the 



Care 



