ESPALIER-RAILS—AOIL,. 31 
simplest form, they are merely a row of slender stakes of 
ash or Spanish chestnut, driven into the ground, and con- 
nected by a slight rod or fillet at top. In some gardens 
the perpendicular rods are fastened into two horizontal 
rails, supported by strong posts, which are battened into 
stones. Cast-iron rails have also been proposed. The 
framework is sometimes inclined to the horizon, or adapted 
to a sloping bank, as in the gardens of the Earl of Selkirk, 
at St. Mary’s Isle; where some of the trees, although so 
trained more than sixty years ago, are still in a healthy 
condition, bearing abundant crops of fruit. In other cases 
the framework is placed flat like a table, and when there is 
plenty of room, this proves a good arrangement. spalier- 
rails, especially the more elaborate sorts, are expensive and 
formal ; and, therefere, in many instances, have given place 
to dwarf standard trees, which are equally productive, and 
far more elegant in their appearance. 
Soil.—It is of great importance that the ground select- 
ed for a garden should be naturally of a good quality. A 
hazel-colored loam, of a light or sandy texture, is well 
adapted for most crops, whether vf fruits or culinary vege- 
tables. Porosity is indispensable not only for the transmis- 
sion of moisture, but of air, to the roots of plants. As it 
is more easy to render a light soil sufficiently retentive 
than to make a tenacious clay sufficiently porous, a light 
soil is preferable to one which is excessively stiff and heavy. 
It is advantageous to possess a variety of soils; and if the 
garden be on a slope, it will often be practicable to render 
the upper part light and dry, while the lower remains of a 
heavier and damper nature. The soil should be good to 
the depth of two feet, and any necessary additional deep- 
ening by manures or otherwise should not be neglected. 
The nature of the subsoil demands particular attention. If 
