260 GARDENS: THEIR FORM AND DESIGN 



of every fruit-tree, the date of planting, name, and even 

 any special treatment it receives, could be set down. 

 Such particulars would be invaluable when pruning- 

 time came round, for trees should be hard or light 

 pruned according to the variety ; whereas often, owing to 

 their names being forgotten, all are treated alike. When 

 apples, too, are picked in autumn for storing, the work is 

 done so much more quickly if the names and positions of 

 late and early kinds are known. Then another great help 

 to the fruit-grower would be what so far has only been 

 done accurately in small gardens. A careful yearly 

 drawing or painting of the branches of well-trained trees 

 could be made. In a very large garden where there are 

 over a hundred peaches, nectarines, cherries, and plums 

 grown upon walls, it would be a stupendous task to 

 make a detailed drawing of how each branch is 

 pruned. It is different in a small garden, where the 

 owner himself, perhaps, lends a hand or is interested. 

 Much can be learnt by this yearly review of work done, 

 and a student would acquire valuable knowledge by 

 introducing such an idea into any small gardens which she 

 regularly supervises. 



Yet another record of our garden archives would be a 

 map-like plan of the herbaceous border, so that the 

 position of plants can at once be found. Many interesting 

 ones, perhaps the gifts of friends, or sent from distant 

 countries, are handed over to the faithful retainer Spud, 

 and planted with all the honours of victory. Possibly at 

 planting-time they are watched over by the owner and his 

 family : yet later they are forgotten. Should any unfore- 

 seen fate remove Spud to a remote region, either in this 

 world or the next, there may be no record of the exact 

 position these plants occupy in the borders. A sort ot 

 inventory of all precious trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, 



