FLOWER-GARDENS AND PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 



261 



bed to the depth of 1 foot, and in the case of 

 subtropical beds a mass 2 feet in thickness is 

 not too much. 



For subtropical plants it is not only necessary 

 that the land should be thoroughly drained, but 

 the bottom of the beds should be so constructed 

 as to form a continuous drain by which the water 

 may be carried away as through a sieve, the 

 sun's warmth following the course of the water 

 through the soil. This ought to be from 1J to 

 2 feet in thickness, and of a light and porous 

 nature, consisting largely of decomposed vege- 

 table matter, such as peat, leaf-mould, spent 

 hops, and fibrous turfy loam, combined with 

 sand in sufficient quantity to keep the whole 

 sweet and porous. 



For bedding plants in general the soil should 

 be not less than 15 inches in depth, with, for 

 most subjects, except strong-growing ones such 

 as Zonal Pelargoniums, a layer, 2 inches in 

 thickness, of manure at the bottom to afford 

 nutriment to the plants during dry weather. 

 When the natural soil requires an addition of 

 some that is lighter, if peat happens to be 

 plentiful in the neighbourhood it may with 

 advantage be used; for most plants that do not 

 absolutely require such soil, do well in a mix- 

 ture consisting of it and loam. Peat also has 

 the property of retaining moisture for a longer 

 period in dry weather than loam alone, and is 

 so far useful in very dry seasons. Thoroughly de- 

 composed leaf-mould, that will shrink but little 

 afterwards, is a good material for lightening 

 heavy land, and for the purpose under considera- 

 tion it may be used in considerable quantities. 

 If, on the other hand, the soil is too light and 

 poor, it should have enough of a stronger and 

 better description added to it, such as clay or 

 heavy loam or lime. 



Water. — There is one great requirement too 

 often wanting in many gardens, namely, an ade- 

 quate supply of water, stored at such a height 

 as to be available everywhere without having 

 recourse to hand-pumping. There is, indeed, 

 less provision made in this matter in the south 

 of the kingdom than in the north, where from 

 the greater rainfall it is less required. In no 

 department is this lack of water more felt than 

 in the flower-garden, where, from the surface- 

 rooting nature and quick growth of many of 

 the plants, it is much required, and where to 

 apply it in driblets — as must necessarily be 

 the case when it has to be carried by hand or 

 conveyed in the ordinary water-barrow — is 

 even worse than not at all. Every flower- 

 garden of any pretensions should be furnished, 



according to its dimensions, with a certain 

 number of hydrants and stand-pipes connected, 

 by means of underground iron or lead pipes, 

 with a sufficient head of water to furnish an 

 ample supply in the driest weather. These 

 stand-pipes should be so arranged that portable 

 hose-piping can be attached, as to enable the 

 gardener to thoroughly moisten the beds when 

 they require it. There are few gardens where 

 water could not be made available by means of 

 an hydraulic ram, water-wheel, or small engine 

 driven by steam, gas, or horse-power, pumping 

 it to a point sufficiently high to give a head 

 that would do away with the greater part of 

 the ordinary manual labour, and its accompany- 

 ing extravagance and inefficiency. In hundreds 

 of places where the garden has now a deficient 

 water-supply, there are streams at hand, down 

 which millions of gallons run yearly to waste, 

 which at comparatively small outlay for pipes to 

 convey it from a point higher than the garden, 

 might, without any expenditure in mechanical 

 appliances, be made available. 



Where there exists a stream below the 

 garden level, sufficiently large that it may be 

 depended upon for a supply in dry seasons, a 

 pump driven by a water-wheel, or a ram, would 

 afford an inexpensive means of providing the 

 quantity required, but in that case it would be 

 necessary that the supply should be plentiful, as 

 the quantity required to drive the wheel or ram, 

 which escapes, is considerable. Where the avail- 

 able supply of water is limited, the ram affords 

 the more efficient means of raising it to a higher 

 level, the waste of water being less than is the 

 case with a pump driven by an undershot or 

 overshot wheel. There are likewise pumps 

 driven by wind, which in some places might be 

 found of use, only, the power being intermittent, 

 involve the erection of larger storage tanks 

 than are called for by the ram or water-wheel. 

 With a small but continuous stream, a ram will, 

 by its incessant action, throw a large body of 

 water to a considerable elevation. A small 

 engine, say of two or three horse-power, worked 

 one day or so each week, will lift an immense 

 volume of water. If any of these appliances are 

 adopted it will be necessary to provide sufficient 

 storage in the shape of large tanks or reservoirs : 

 but where there exists a supply of water at such 

 an elevation that it can be conveved through 

 a simple pipe by its own gravity to the point 

 required, the cost is usually small. 



Style. — The site being selected, and the pre- 

 liminary preparation of the ground in the shape 

 of drainage, levelling, position of the walks, &c, 



