OUR COUNTRY LIFE 



sad state of disrepair. How the boundary wall against 

 the sea was made good, the worthless trees felled and 

 young ones planted, light pergolas constructed over 

 the paths to support rose and grape, sea-shells by the 

 boatload brought from the Lido to make paths, which 

 were then bordered with box or bricks — all this 

 foundation work is most entertainingly set forth in a 

 volume modestly called, A Garden in Venice. Here 

 also are related the experiences of this pleasant pair 

 with different kinds of helpers, their difficulties in 

 obtaining proper water, their curious discoveries 

 (among others that the salt soil absolutely forbade any 

 deep-rooted trees or plants), their blending of features 

 from many much loved places, and their acceptance of 

 traditions and ancient customs. For example: 



These mulberries are a source of income. We have five trees 

 large and widespreading. In their season, Jul}', they are purple- 

 black with delicious fruit, their branches so laden that they are 

 sometimes broken with the weight. When I bought the garden I 

 found that a family of Furlani (men who live in the mountains in 

 summer and come down in winter to Venice and the neighboring 

 towns to earn money) came yearly from the mountains of Friuli, 

 paying a rent of seventy lire for the right to pick and sell the fruit; 



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