OF A GARDEN. ^97 



are long, it will be necessary to strengthen them 

 with piers from forty to sixty feet apart ; and these 

 piers should not project above half a brick beyond 

 the wall. 1 do not approve of fixed copings, es- 

 pecially when they project so far as they are gener- 

 ally made to do ; I would rather advise to have a 

 moveable wooden coping, fixed on with iron hooks, 

 fastened to pieces of wood built into the top of the 

 wall y these copings would also be found very con- 

 venient to fasten the nettings, &c. to in Spring, for 

 sheltering the fruit-trees. If, however, any should 

 prefer fixed copings, they should not project above 

 an inch on each side of the wall ; this small projec- 

 tion will be sufficient to preserve the wall, and will 

 not prevent the dew and rain from falling on the 

 upper parts of the trees, which is of great service 

 to them. Some copings are made of bricks, convex 

 on the upper side ; but I have lately seen a very 

 good coping at Ashted Park near Epsom. It is 

 made of a sort of Welch slate, to be had, of dif- 

 ferent sizes, at Mr. Samuel Wyatt's slate-yard, 

 Christchurch, near Blackfriar's Bridge. This is 

 made to project about one inch, and answers ex- 

 ceedingly well. Flat copings should have a little 

 slope towards the North or East, according to the 

 aspect of the wall ; this will carry the wet from 

 the South and West sides, which otherwise would 

 be apt to injure the early blossoms and fruit on the 

 South and West walls in cold nights. 



When bricks can be had, I would advise never to 

 build garden walls of stone j as it is by no means 



