JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Jnly 6, 1871. 



attending the application of cold spring water to growing crops. 

 Sjme writers have even gone so far as to say that the effect of 

 Buch water is so hurtful, that rather than use it they would 

 withhold water altogether. Now, in arranging the water supply 

 of a new garden, our thoughts naturally tarn to the hot thirsty 

 months of summer, when water is required iu such abundance. 

 Fur several years I have been obliged to use cold spring water 

 in summer, giving it daily to flowers, fruit trees, and vege- 

 tables in large quantities, and in some instances twice a-day. 

 The water is pumped through pipes to the fljwer garden, and 

 carried in waterpots to other parts fresh and cold as it comes 

 up from the spring far down in the earth ; ye^, though the 

 water has been poured upon the soil covering the roots of the 

 plants, the warm soil and rich mulching through which it first 

 passes undoubtedly very materially alter its character before 

 it reaches the spougioles of the plants. Si?eeping assertions 

 are rarely quite sound, and looking fairly at the results of my 

 own practice, I can hardly suppose that those who altogether 

 condemn the use of spring water among growing crops have 

 ever given it a fair trial. It is right to say thit for pot plants 

 this water was exposed to the air f jr a few hours, and then 

 used with most satisfactory results. 



Tiie pipes through which the water passes from ponds or 

 reservoirs should be 1} inch in diameter, and of cast-iron, 

 each length having a socket at one end into which the small 

 end of the next length is thrust and soldered with lead. This 

 main pipe should, of course, b? laid underground deeply enough 

 to be safe from frost, and along the most direct route into the 

 garden, as branch pipes can be connected with it at any point 

 required. There should be plenty of these branches, with stop- 

 cocks and nozzles at different points, so that a short length of 

 hose may suffije for watering the whole of the garden. The 

 laying of so many branch pipes, of course, involves a some- 

 what lurger outlay in the first instance, hut it invariably proves 

 to be the most economical and efficient plan in the end, be- 

 cause a long length of hose is not only unwieldly, but owing to 

 the wear and tear it undergoes it soon requires renewing. The 

 size of the hose should be in proportion to the pressure of the 

 water, but I would not recommend it to be less than five-eighths 

 of an inch in diameter, and if larger the watering will, of 

 course, be done more quickly. It should be of indiarubber, 

 and of good quality ; that bearing the technical name of 2 ply 

 is best, it being really a tube composed of two layers of canvas 

 between indiarubber. 



After the site of the garden is selected and cleared of any 

 trees or other eucnmbrances, the first work to be done is to 

 thoroughly drain it ; in doing this care must be taken to lay 

 the pipes evenly and with suffijient fall to carry off the water 

 quickly. All the tributary or branch pipes should be 2 inches 

 and the mains 4 inches in diameter. The depth at which these 

 drains are laid below the surface must depend altogether upon 

 the nature of the soil. In a light, deep, open soil the water is 

 best kept at 4 feet below the surface, the drains being 30 feet 

 apart, but in heavy tenacious soils half that depth, or even less, 

 is best, and the distance -,1 the drains from each other should 

 be reduced to 20 feet. 



Nest to the draining comes the building of the walls, which 

 should be entirely of the best kiln bricks, and the height should 

 be from 10 to 12 feet above the ground line, and the thickness 

 about 14 inches. Cire must be taken to have enough doors in 

 the walls to afford easy access to the premises and grounds 

 close by. In all gardens exceeding an acre in size there should 

 be a pair of folding gates large enough to give admission to a 

 manure cart. If a broad walk crosses the centre of the garden 

 from these gates, soil and manure may be carted in and distri- 

 buted on all sides with much ease and expedition. Supposing 

 this central walk to be 9 feet wide, all the other walks should be 

 about 5 feet wide, and made thoroughly hard and sound with 

 a depth of 9 inches of gravel, or broken stone surfaced with 

 gravel. For edgings to the walks nothing can be better or 

 neater than the dwarf-growing Box. Edging tiles present a 

 very neat and finished appearance for a time, but much of 

 this is lost when the tiles become displaced and broken from 

 the sinking of the earth and other causes. It the gradients of 

 any of the paths are very sharp, as they are made drains and 

 gratings should be laid. Such drains can, of course, be easily 

 connected with the regular garden drains. The making of 

 these drains will be more fully explained in a future paper on 

 road-making. 



If the glass houses are built in the garden they should be 

 arranged in a neat compact block, so as to encroach upon the 

 space as little as possible, and also because when so arranged 



they present a more imposing appearance, and are heated much 

 more easily and economically than they could be if placed in 

 the haphazard and loose fashion too often to be seen. The 

 building of glass houses is a matter requiring much care and 

 forethought, especially when the work is not done by a regular 

 horticultural builder. In a well-built house we have an excel- 

 lent combination of strength, lightness, and elegance ; consider- 

 able mechanical ingenuity is also displayed in the details of 

 such buildings. In order that the plants cultivated in them 

 may enjoy a higher and more equable temperature than our 

 climate affords, we should bo construct them that while all 

 chilling draughts or cold showers are entirely excluded, copious 

 supplies of fresh air may be given at will, and as little obstruc- 

 tion as possible be offered to the sun's rays. The best houses 

 for all purposes are those having all the framing and sash-bars 

 of light woodwork, to which sufficient stability is imparted by 

 suitable ironwork judiciously fitted to the interior. Such 

 houses are far superior to those which have the framework and 

 fittings entirely of iron, as they are not so much affected by 

 extreme heat or cold ; they are much cheaper and are equally 

 durable. 



The preparation of stations for the fruit trees is an important, 

 and in poor soils a somewhat costly, undertaking if well done ; 

 for unless the young trees have an abundant supply of rich 

 loam to feed upon they are quite certain to fail to make a satis- 

 factory growth. In carrying out this operation I can offer no 

 better advice than that given by Mr. Errington under the head- 

 ing of " Siations for Fruit Trees." 



After marking out the desired position for the stations, the 

 first thing to be considered is whether the ground is naturally 

 too wet or too dry. If the former, the hole need only be half 

 the prescribed depth ; the other halt may rise above the ordi- 

 nary ground level. If too dry there is no occasion to elevate 

 the surface, only care must be taken not to place the collar of 

 the tree too deep, which is a serious fault under all circum- 

 stances. The stations should be made to extend 3 feet on each 

 side of the position for the tree, thus producing an excavation 

 of 6 feet square. A depth of 2 feet is amply sufficient for 

 any fruit tree, and especially for a dwarfing plan. The soil 

 should then be thrown entirely out, and 4 or 5 inches more 

 must be allowed for some impervious material, which shall 

 presently be described. In throwing out the soil care must be 

 taken to place it in samples, or both labour and material will be 

 wasted. It very frequently happens that three distinct samples 

 of soil or subsoil will come to hand during the operation. Of 

 course all clayey, or sour, and badly-coloured subsoil must be 

 rejected, and its amount will be supplied by the new material 

 to be introduced ; and if this is scarce, any ordinary surface 

 soil may be in part substituted. In filling the materials back 

 again the best of the original surface soil must be kept down- 

 wards, mixing it thoroughly with the new soil ; the inferior or 

 second-rate soil may be kept to dress the surface with. As to 

 character of soil to be introduced, that depends partly upon 

 the soil already existing in the garden, as well as on the kind 

 of fruit tree about to be planted. If the soil is naturally sandy 

 and dry, a very stiff or clayey loam should be selected ; if natu- 

 rally clayey, any fresh, mellow, sandy loam, or even the parings 

 of roadsides, commons, or lanes will prove excellent material. 

 The furrowings of old leys from what is considered good wheat 

 soil are, however, of all other soils the best adapted for general 

 fruit culture. Whatever materials are used, let it be remem- 

 bered that the more of turfy matter that can be introduced the 

 longer will the compost endure. Any sort of turf, even from 

 hungry situations, is most relished by fruit trees. If, never- 

 theless, no turf can be obtained, and the soil is loose and poor, 

 it is well to introduce any refuse vegetables of a dry character, 

 such as decayed bean or pea haulm, ordinary straw, old thatch, 

 or indeed anything of a decaying vegetable character which 

 is strong in fibre and enduring. If any manure is thought 

 necessary, it should be fresh from the stable or cow-ahed, 

 as such will endure longer in the soil, merely using one 

 barrowful of mellow and rather rich soil to plant the tree in. 

 As before observed, the inferior portion of the soil may be 

 reserved to dress the surface of the station with, after the 

 tree is planted ; here it will do no harm, and will be in an 

 improvable position. 



We now come to the hard materials for the bottom of the 

 hole, 4 or 5 inches in depth, as before stated. It matters not 

 what this is composed of : broken stones from quarries, brick- 

 bats, chalk, cinders, or clinkers, &c., all are eligible. These 

 being rammed hard, throw a coating of fine-riddled cinders or 

 very fine gravel over the vbole : this secures drainage, and 



