46 THE BOOK OF GARDEN DESIGN 
sufficient size to compete with the wall; it is useless as 
a support for fruit-trees, and its roots deprive the crops 
in neighbouring borders of much of the fertility which 
is rightly theirs. The highest walls should face the 
coldest quarters, the north, east and west. A good 
height for a north wall would be twelve or even fourteen 
feet; for the two side walls ten feet, and for the south 
wall six or seven feet. A coping, either of stone or 
bricks set at an angle, should always be found on kitchen- 
garden walls, the projection on either side being at least 
two inches. The face of the wall should be perfectly 
smooth to facilitate the training of trees, but on the 
outer side buttresses or any ornamental details harmonis- 
ing with the architectural work in the rest of the garden, 
may be employed to obviate monotony. Detailed 
descriptions of mural work would be out of place here, 
but the owner is advised to see that the wall is well 
pointed, so that there shall be no crevices likely to 
harbour vermin. ‘Training wires are much better than 
nailing the branches to the wall, a practice which 
weakens the brickwork and involves more trouble and 
risk of injury. The eyelets, at anyrate the chief ones, 
to which the wires will be attached and strained, should 
be built into the wall and not driven in subsequently. 
They will thus be much firmer in position, and the wall 
will remain uninjured. Suitable irons, from which nets 
may be hung as a protection from frost and birds, may 
also be fixed at the same time. 
In a stone country, this material will take the place of 
bricks, as being more in keeping for garden walls. 
A delightful approach to the kitchen-garden may be 
made by way of a deeply-arched opening in the wall; 
a pair of bent iron gates would look charming set in 
a grey stone wall, much better than a door. Too often 
the kitchen garden is gained by passing through a door- 
way which suggests the entrance of a prison cell: these 
