SITUATION, SOIL, CHAP. 



FORM AND EXTENT OF THE GARDEN. 



28. IT is desirable to have as much wall facing the 

 south as you possibly can have, without incurring incon- 

 veniences which would attend a long narrow slip. At 

 least, it is desirable to have a good portion of wall facing 

 in that direction. If the garden be already formed, you 

 must keep what you have got -, but if you have to choose, 

 it ought to be more extensive from east to west than from 

 north to south : an oblong square is the proper form ; 

 and it very conveniently happens that the proportions 

 ought to be much about those of one of the sides of this 

 book, when neatly bound and lying upon the table, 

 which is five in length, and three in breadth ; that is to 

 say, a piece of ground to resemble it in form, would con- 

 tain five feet in length for every three feet in breadth. 

 I am about to recommend a garden to be walled in, in 

 the first place, and then surrounded with a hedge. The 

 dimensions within the walls I recommend to be (casting 

 away a trifling fraction) two hundred and fifteen feet 

 long, and one hundred and thirty-two feet wide ; that is 

 to say, thirteen rods long, at sixteen feet and a half to the 

 rod, and eight rods wide, the area being one hundred and 

 four square rods ; sixteen rods short of three quarters of 

 an acre. 



29. The walls (of the construction of which I shall 

 speak presently) would be half thrown away in point of 

 horticultural utility, unless there were a piece of garden 

 ground all round them on the outside, and that piece of 

 garden ground protected by an effectual fence. Of this 



