THE PEACH AND NECTARINE. 1 43 



DRAINAGE, DEPTH, AND WIDTH OF BOEDEE. 



When the peach-house occupies a site where the soil 

 and subsoil are uncongenial, such as poor sand, an irony 

 gravel, or a cold stiff clay, the whole should be removed 

 to the depth of 3 feet, and the entire site surfaced with 

 a 3-inch layer of concrete, giving it an even slope from 

 the back wall to the front of the outside border in the 

 case of lean-to houses ; the slope to be from the middle 

 of span-roofed houses to the front on each side, as shown 

 in span-roofed vinery, fig. 7. Over the concrete run tile- 

 drains at right angles across the border, 8 feet apart, into 

 a main drain in front, below the level of the cross drains. 

 Over these drains and the whole concrete lay 8 or 

 9 inches deep of broken bricks, or coarse gravel with the 

 sand sifted out of it, and blind the whole with finer 

 gravel ; over this lay a thin turf, grassy side downwards, 

 and the site is ready for the soil. This leaves about 2^ 

 feet up to 3 inches above the front lintels or arches 

 of the house for soil, and allowing for the necessary 

 slope of the border, at the extremity or front it will be 

 a little less than 2 feet. I am not an advocate for very 

 shallow borders, when the drainage is as efficient as has 

 been described. This matter should, however, be de- 

 cided to a certain extent by bhe amount of rain that falls 

 in the locality. When very wet, the borders will be deep 

 enough at 2 feet. Their width should be regulated by 

 the width of the house. A lean-to house 16 feet wide 

 will require an outside border 16 feet wide, thus giving 

 16 feet for each of the two sets of trees, the one set on 

 the back wall and the other on the front trellis. 



Where the subsoil consists of a clean open gravel. 



