388 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



June 27, 1826. 



From Loudon's Encyclopedia. 



WATER. 



A copious supply of water is essential to a good 

 kitchen-garden, and, from whatever source it is 

 furnished, should be distributed either in resei-voirs 

 ■jr open cisterns, or in pipes, properly protected, 

 over the garden, ahd in hot-houses. If the sup- 

 ply is from a pond or liver, a system of lead or 

 cast-iron pipes may be adopted, and the delivery 

 effected by cocks at proper distances ; but if from 

 wells or springs, the delivery should be open stone 

 or cast-iron cisterns ; or, in default of these, into 

 tubs or butts sunk in the earth. In Tuscany, 



short space of thne, and with very httle trouble 



One man may go over the whole in two hours. 

 At the same time the borders, and even a consid- 

 erable part of the comi)artments, can be watered 

 with the greatest ease when required. The con- 

 venience and utility of tliis contrivance must 

 at once be perceived by eveiy practical hor- 

 ticulturist. The same plan of introducing water 

 is adopted in a garden which J. Hay planned and 

 executed for Lord V. Duncan, at Lundie-House, 

 near Dundee ; and after the experience of sever- 

 al years, it has been greatly approved of. The 

 water at Limdie is conveyed to the garden from 

 a considerable height, and is thrown from the 



where the mhabitants excel in the manufacture of poi„t of the director with great force, and to a 

 pottery, immense jars of earthen waie are frequent- good distance. 



ly adopted ; in the Royal Garden at Paris, sunk 

 barrels, and cisterns of masonry, lined with ce- 

 ment, are generally in the best gardens on the 

 contment. In these gardens, a system of water- 

 ing is adopted, which, though rendered more ne- 

 cessary there by the chniate, than it can possibly 

 be in this country, yet in various respects deserves 

 imitation. 



Many kitchen-crops are lost, or produced of very 

 Infenor quality for tcant of watering. Lettuces and 

 cabbages are often hard and stringy ; turnips and 

 radishes do not swell, onions decay, cauliflowers 

 die off, and, in general, in dry seasons, all the cru- 

 ciferece become stinted, or covered with insects, 

 oven in rich deep soils. Copious waterings in the 

 evenings, dming the dry seasons, would produce 

 that fulness and succulcncy which we find in the 

 legetables produced in the Low Countries, and m 

 the Marsh Gardens at Paris ; and in this country 



at the beginning and latter end of the season 



The vegetables brought totlie London market from 

 the Neat's Houses, and othgr adjoining gardens, 

 where the important article of ^vatering is much 

 more attended to than in private country-gardens, 

 may be adduced as afforduig proofs of the advan- 

 lage of the practice. 



The watering the foliage of fruit and other trees to 

 destroy or prevent the increase of insects, and of 

 strawberries and other fruit-shrubs to swell the 

 . Iruit, is also of importance ; and though the clim- 



Water in a garden is absolutely necessary, accord- 

 ing to Justice ; well-water is far from being prop- 

 er, but that which is impregnated by the sun's 

 rays is highly conducive to vegetation. He re- 

 commends forming a large pond or basin in the 

 centre of the garden, which shall at the same time 

 contain fish. 



Gardens should he near a river or brook, that they 

 may be ivell supplied with ivater. From these, For- 

 syth observes, " if the garden does not lie too high 

 the water may be conducted to it by drains ; or 

 which is much better, by pipes, taking care to lay 

 them low enough to receive the water in the dri- 

 est season, which is the time when it will be most 

 wanted. If there be no running water near the 

 garden, and if the latter lies on a declivity near 

 a pubhc road, I would advise to make a hollow 

 drain, or a cut, from the most convenient part of 

 the road, to receive the water that washes the 

 road in rainy weather, and convey it to a large 

 cistern, or tank, in the upper part of the garden ;— 

 this, if the road be mended with limestone or 

 chalk, will ])rove fin excolle?it manure. Tlie wa- 

 ter from the cistern, or from the river, may be con- 

 ducted to the different compartments by means of 

 pipes, which, having fpcks at proper places, the 

 water may be turned upon the different compart- 

 ments of the garden at pleasure. Or the water 

 may be conveyed in proper channels, and turned 

 on the compartments in the same manner as in 

 te of Scotland is less obnoxious to great droughts, j watering meadows. These pipes, channels, &c. 

 than that of the southern counties, yet we find i ^iH be a considerable expense at first ; but they 

 that excellent horticultural architect, John Hay, ! ^iU soon repay it, by saving a great deal of time, 

 adopting a system of watering ui various gardens j ^hich would otherwise be speiit in pumping and 



the author observes, "the square basins are not 

 only designed for little stews for fish, but at each 

 corner there are clay and ehn pipes, witli plugs 

 to them that go under the alley, and commimi- 

 cate themselves with the adjacent divisions or 

 compartments, which will, in an instant, float the 

 same, befause the little basins are designed to lie 

 six inches higher than those divisions or compart- 

 ments ; and the whole is so contrived by other 

 larger ehn pipes, that the said little basins are fil- 

 led by the canal and other conveniences." 



Jl source ofioattr is considered essential to a gar- 

 1 den by most writers. London and Wise, Evelyn, 

 Hitt and Lawrence are warm in recommending it. 

 M'Phail observes, that a garden to bring the pro- 

 duce of the soil to the greatest perfection, " should 

 be well supplied with water, to water the plants 

 in dry seasons." Marshall says, "if water can be 

 introduced, and kept clean with verdant banks a- 

 round it, it would be very useful where a garden 

 I is large ; but let it be as near the centre as pos- 

 I sible, being the most convenient situation. It 

 I should be fed fi'ora a spring, and (if it could) be 

 ' made to drip in the reservoir, because its trickling 

 noise is agreeable music in a garden to most ears." 

 "If there be no natural stream that can be con- 

 ducted through a garden," observes Nicol, "water 

 should be conveyed from the nearest river, lake, 

 or pond ; soft water being most desirable for the 

 use of the garden." 



lately formed by him hi the neighborhood of Ed 

 inburg. 



The contrivance for ivatcring or washing the fol- 

 iage of the wall-trees in Dahneny garden, laid out 

 by this artist, desen'es particular notice. Water 

 is supplied to the garden from a reservoir, situated 

 on an emuience, a considerable lieight above the 

 garden walls. Around the whole garden, 4 inch- 

 es below the surface of the ground, a groove, be- 

 tween two and three inches deep, has been form- 

 ed in the walls, to receive a three-quarter inch 

 pipe for conducting the watei-. About fifty feet 

 .listant from each other are apertures through 

 llie wall, two feet and a half high, and ten inches 

 wide, in which a cock is placed, so that on turn- 

 ing the handle to either side of the wall, the wa 



earryuig water. The most convenient tune for 

 turning the water on, is, in general, during the 

 night; and hi dry weather it would then be of the 

 most essential service. If the situation be such 

 that you are obhgcd to punqj the water from deep 

 wells, there should be a large reservoir, in which 

 it should be exposed to the sun a;id air for some 

 days before it is used ; it may then bo turned on 

 as above. If the ground be wet and spewy, it 

 will be proper to make a basm of the most con- 

 venient j)lace to receive the water that comes 

 from the drains, and to collect the rain that falls 

 on the walks. 



fVaier is the life and soul of a garden. Switzcr 

 observes, "it is one of the most essential conven- 

 iences of u country seat, ;ind especially useful to 



ter issues from that side. The nozzles of the cocks kitchen crops ; for, indeed, what can be made of 

 liave screws on each side;, to which is attached at anv ground without it? Anima mea sicut terra sine 

 pleasure a leathern pipe, with a brass cock and aqua, is a good metaphor to express it, as it rcallv 

 director ; roses, pierced with holes of different siz- ' ^ the soul and life of all vegetation ; and whJ- 

 es, being fitted to the latter. By this contrivance, ever does not make that one of liis principal con- 

 aU the trees, both mside and outside the wall, can siderations, deserves blame or pity." Dcscribuig 

 be most ef!ectual!y ^^•a»ercd and washed in a very , his design for the garden of Spy Park as to water. 



STARCH, 



Or Amylurii, is a jireparation from wheat, ob- 

 tained by steephig the flour of that grain in cold 

 water, then strauiing it through a cloth, and suf- 

 fering the farinaceous particles to subside. In 

 many places, however, it is manufactured in the 

 following niamier : 



Pure wheat is put into tubs of water, and ex- 

 posed to the heat of the sun, to induce a proper 

 degree of fermentation ; the water being changed 

 twice every day, for six or eight days, according 

 to the warmth of the season. Wlien properly 

 softened and fermented, it is poured into canvass 

 bags, which arc worked or beaten on a boai-d, 

 placed over an empty vessel, in order to extract 

 the mealy part. When such a vessel is filled 

 with the liquid flour, a reddish fluid appears on 

 the surface, which must be carefully skunmed^ 

 and pure water added ; when the whole ought to 

 be briskly agitated, and allowed to subside. As 

 the sedunent mcreases, the water is gradually 

 drained, and at length the starch is formed into 

 cakes, which are cut in small pieces, and dried 

 for use. 



Good starch, when dry, is pulverulent, taste- 

 less, without odour, insoluble both in cold water 

 and ardent spirit : on the addition of boiling wa- 

 ter, however, it forms paste or pastry, of which 

 the reader wdl find an account. It is one of the 

 constituent jiarts in all mealy or farmii.-eous seeds, 

 fruits, roots, &c. of plants ; though some vegeta- 

 bles contain a much larger proportion of it than 

 others. Thus, the Wake-Robin, and Wliite Bri- 

 ony, afford more starch than potatoes ; and the 

 Salep-roots, especially those of the Meadow-OR- 

 cHts, for the greatest part, consist of that valua- 

 ble substance. 



Starch being the basis of hair-powder, and also 

 of extensive utility for domestic purposes, various 

 experiments have been instituted, with a view to 

 ascertain such vegetables as might be advanta- 

 geously substhuted for wheat. But wc shall onl^ 



