WALL. 



they levelled it unlh the ground ; and in fubfequent times 

 it was fo far diCregarded, that it became the common quarry 

 for more than looo years, and of which all the towns and 

 villages around were built ; and it is now fo entirely ruined, 

 that the moft patient and penetrating antiquarian can 

 hardly trace its vanifhing foundations. Henry's Hiftory, 

 vol. ii. See Picts Wall, and Scotland. 



Walls, Sea. See Dike. 



Wall, in Fortification. See Rampart. 



Wall, in Gardening, a fort of fence ereftion in gardens, 

 compofed of hard materials, built for the purpofe of ripen- 

 ing all fuch fruits as are too delicate to be perfefted in this 

 cUmate, without fuch airillance. Walls are raifed with dif- 

 ferent kinds of materials, as ftone, brick, earth, or mud, &c. 

 according as they can be bell procured, and at the cheapeft 

 rate. But for fruit-trees, brick is the beft, as being not 

 only the bandfomeft, but the warmeft and kindeft for the 

 ripening of fruit, as well as affording the beft convenience 

 of nailing ; for fmaller nails will ferve in them than in ftone- 

 walls, where the joints are larger ; and brick-walls, with 

 copings of free-ftone, and ftone pilafters or columns at pro- 

 per diftances, to feparate the trees, and break off the force 

 of the winds, make not only the moft beautiful but the moft 

 profitable walls that can be erefted. 



Rammed earth-walls, as well as thofe formed of muddy 

 clay, anfwer very well in fome intentions, being very clofe, 

 corapaft, and warm. 



Sometimes walls are built of mixed materials, as ftones 

 and bricks ; but in this way they fhould be carefully built, 

 or the brick front will feparate from the ftone behind. 



Where walls are built entirely of ftone, there fhould be 

 trellifes fixed up againft them, fer the more convenient faf- 

 tening the branches of the trees : the timber of thefe 

 efpaliers need not, however, be more than an inch and a 

 half thick, and about two inches and a half broad. Thefe 

 fhould be fixed acrofs each other, at about four inches dif- 

 tance ; for if they are at a much greater diftance, it will be 

 difficult to faftcn the fhoots of the trees properly. As this 

 trellis will be laid clofe to the wall, the branches of the trees 

 will he about two inches from the wall ; in which pofition 

 the fruit ripens better than when it lies quite clofe to the 

 wall. 



Many improvements have been attempted in building 

 walls in different forms, as in femicircular methods, in angles 

 of various forms, and projecting more towards the north, to 

 fcreen off the cold winds ; but not any method has yet been 

 found which fucceeds fo well as that of making them 

 ftraight, and building them in an upright manner. Some- 

 thing of the long-oval from eaft to weft might probably be 

 beneficial in the produAion of fruit, as there would be the 

 fmalleft fpace of it hid from the influence of the fun at any 

 one time. 



Many other fchemes of expediting the ripening of fruits 

 on walls have been tried, fuch as painting them black, or of 

 a dark colour, as the dark colour is fuppofed to imbibe 

 more of the fun's rays, and retain the warmth longer. 

 This has, however, on the fame principle, anfwercd better 

 in theory than praAice. 



Walls, where fubftantially built, anfwer much better than 

 thofe which are flight, not only in their duration, but alfo 

 in their warmth. A wall two bricks thick will lie found 

 to anfwer better tiian one brick and a half; and if, in the 

 building of garden-walls, they arc grouted with foft mortar, 

 to fill and clofe all the joints, the walls will be much ilrongrr, 

 and the air not fo eafily penetrate through them, as it does 

 through thofe which are built in the ufu.il manner. 



In rcfpe£l to the afpedi for walls in this chmate, thofe 



which have one point to the eaftward of the fouth arc the 

 beft, as they enjoy the benefit of the morning fun more, and 

 are lefs expofed to the weft and fouth-weft winds, which a- c 

 very injurious to fruits, than thofe which are built due 

 fouth : and the next beft afpedl is due fouth, and after that 

 the fouth-eaft. But as there will, for the moft part, be 

 fouth-weft and weft walls, thefe may be planted with fome 

 forts of fruit which do not require fo much heat to ripen 

 them as thofe defigned for the beft walls: but wherever 

 there are north walls, thofe will only be proper for baking 

 pears, plums, and morello cherries, for preferving ; or duke 

 cherries may be planted againft thefe walls, to continue them 

 longer in the feafon. 



The ufual thicknefs of building walls with brick is thirteen 

 inches, or a brick and a half; but this fhould be propor- 

 tionable to the height : for if they are built twelve or four- 

 teen feet high, or more, as is often praftifed, then the 

 foundations of the walls fhould be at leaft two bricks and a 

 half in thicknefs, and brought up a foot or more above the 

 level of the furface of the ground, of the fame thicknefs ; 

 then be fet off two inches on each fide, which reduces them 

 to two bricks ; and five or fix feet above the furface of the 

 ground, they may be diminifhed on each fide, to reduce 

 them to the thicknefs of a brick and a half, which muft be 

 continued to the top. The piers in thefe high walls fhould 

 alfo be proportionably ftronger than is commonly allowed to 

 lower walls ; for, as being more expofed to ftrong gales of 

 wind, if they are not well built, they are in danger of being 

 blown down. The piers in thefe cafes ftiould be projefted 

 the length of a brick in the back fide, and the thicknefs of 

 a brick in the front, and be built about ten or twelve feet 

 afunder. There is, however, no neceffity for building walls 

 higher than nine or ten feet, unlefs for pears. Mr. London, 

 however, thinks that garden-walls fhould feldom be made 

 lower than twelve or thirteen feet, and that they never need 

 be higher than fixteen, except where they are connedled 

 with buildings of the hot-houfe kind. 



In building of hot-walls, the ordinary height is ufually 

 about ten feet, which is fufficient for any of thofe forts of 

 fruits that are generally forced ; for by forcing the trees, 

 they are moftly weakened in their growth, fo that they do 

 not grow fo vigoroufly as thofe which are expofed to the 

 open air; 5nd where there is not a quantity of walling 

 planted fufficient to let one part reft every other year, the 

 trees are never very healthy, and laft but a few years. In 

 thefe walls the foundations fhould be made four bricks and 

 a half thick, in order to fupport the flues ; othcrwife, if 

 part of them reft on brick-work, and the other part on the 

 ground, they will fettle unequally, and foon be out of order : 

 for wherever there happens any crack in the flues, through 

 which the fmoke can make its efcape, it will prevent their 

 drawing ; and if the fmoke gets within the glaftls, it will 

 greatly injure the fniit, and give it a fmoky tafte. This 

 thicknefs of w.ill need not be continued more than fix inches 

 above the ground, where the foundation or the bottom of 

 the firft flue fliould be, whirh will be fufficient to raife it 

 above the damps of the earth : then the wall may be fet off 

 four inches on each fide, which will reduce it to the thick- 

 nefs of three bricks and a half, fo that llie back wall may be 

 two bricks thick, which is abfolutely iiecefTary to throw the 

 heat out more in front ; for when the back walls are built 

 too thill, the heat cfcapes thrmij;h them. The wall in front 

 next to tlie fruit fhould be only four inches thick, whereby 

 there will be an allowance of nine inches for the flues, which 

 may be covered with twelve-inch tiles ; for if they have an 

 inch and a h.df bearing on each fide, it will be fufficient. 

 The places in which the fires arc made muft be contrived on 



the 



