KITCHEN GARDEN. 9 r 



with or without a fountain, and it is certainly most useful, as giving 

 a supply of aerated water, besides affording a means for the display 

 of hardy aquatic plants. The walks generally should have a tile 

 edging. If expense be not a great consideration, labour is 

 saved and cleanliness promoted if the walks are made of concrete 

 or asphalte instead of being covered with gravel. The wall 

 forming the northern boundary will often vary in height according to 

 the height or extent of the hothouses placed against it. Speaking 

 generally, the colder the climate the higher should be the walls, for 

 these accumulate heat in proportion to their height. It must be 

 remembered that walls not only retain the solar heat, but they afford 

 shelter, and present a surface on which to train fruit-trees. If 

 there are not hothouses to be considered, the walls on the north 

 side may be 12 to 14 ft. high, while the walls on the east, south, 

 and west sides are 10 ft. high. The south wall may be made the 

 same height or less. The walls can be built equally well of stone 

 or brick. The colour should preferably be of a light shade. For 

 10 ft. walls, 9 in. brickwork with piers every 10 ft. will suffice ; but 

 14 in. hollow walls are preferable and very little more costly. The 

 walls, especially if built of stone, should be wired on the side against 

 which fruit-trees are to be trained. This surface should, of course, 

 be plane, and the piers, if any, built on the outside of the wall. It 

 should be remembered that the foundations ought to extend at any 

 rate 3 ft. beneath the surface of the ground. Copings can be of 

 stone or brick, or cement, or tiles and bricks, but they should not 

 project more than 2 1 /,, or 3 in. beyond the face of the wall. Wide, 

 permanent copings are not so good as temporary copings. Mr. R. 

 Thompson writes in the "Gardener's Assistant" that in summer 

 broad copings prevent the foliage from being moistened by dews, 

 the beneficial effects of which cannot be compensated by artificial 

 watering. 



