THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT 



CHAPTER I. 



FORMATION OF THE FRUIT AND KITCHEN 

 GARDEN. 



Site for the Garden— Soil — Size — Form — Shelter- 

 Levelling the Ground — Draining — Borders for 

 Fruit-trees — Soil for Fruit-tree Borders — 

 Preparation of the Ground — Walks. 



The principal points to be considered in the 

 formation of the Fruit and Kitchen Garden 

 are — 1. Site. 2. Soil. 3. Size. 4. Form. 

 5. Shelter. 



1. Site. — In choosing the site, it is desirable 

 that the ground should either be level, or slope 

 gently to the south, south-east, or south-west. 

 If level, it should not be so low as to prevent 

 proper drainage. A slope to the east of south, or 

 so as to face the sun at about eleven o'clock in 

 the forenoon, is to be preferred. Steep slopes 

 should be avoided, especially in parts of the 

 country where the annual rainfall does not ex- 

 ceed an average of 24 inches, where the ground 

 selected should either be level, or not sloping 

 more than 1 foot in 50. In wet climates, a fall 

 of 1 foot in 30 may be advantageous for early 

 crops; but for walled -in gardens such steep 

 slopes are inconvenient. The lower part of a 

 slope is the best situation, as there the soil is 

 generally of good quality, owing to the washing 

 down of the richer parts from the higher ground, 

 and the greatest benefit is derived from the rays 

 of the sun. A flat, low-lying situation should be 

 avoided, the subsoil in such places being usually 

 damp and sour, and it cannot be easily drained. 

 Hoar-frost also prevails on such spots, and it 

 often proves ruinous to the crops. 



An excellent form of garden is one with a 

 regular declivity from north to south, in which 

 direction a walk divides the area into two equal 

 portions, each of which slopes uniformly from 

 the side inwards to the central walk. The 

 garden is thus generally inclined to the south, 

 whilst the one-half has an eastern inclination, 

 the other a western. In this way the sun's rays 

 vol ii. 



have greater effect, and water runs off freely, 

 but not too rapidly. If the ground was level 

 from north to south, and sloped only from the 

 sides to the central walk, then the water would 

 naturally run direct from the sides towards the 

 walk; but when the ground likewise slopes from 

 north to south, the water will follow a diagonal 

 course, and will be much more effective in re- 

 freshing the crops. 



If the mansion is already built, and the orna- 

 mental grounds laid out, the fruit and kitchen 

 garden should be placed in the best situation 

 that the circumstances permit. When a mansion 

 has to be built and gardens formed, the gardener 

 ought to be consulted as to the position the dif- 

 ferent sections of the garden are to occupy. 



Usually the front of a country mansion faces 

 the south; but whatever its direction may be, 

 the ground usually slopes from it. This position 

 would be much too conspicuous for the kitchen 

 garden, and it could not be easily screened. The 

 north or reverse side of the mansion generally 

 trends upwards in the view, and in such circum- 

 stances an eligible site for a garden is not often 

 I found in that quarter, or at a higher elevation 

 ' than the mansion. A position in an easterly or 

 a westerly direction from the mansion is more 

 generally available, and it is undoubtedly pre- 

 ferable. 



In whatever direction the garden may be 

 placed, it should be effectually masked from 

 view from the principal windows and front of 

 the mansion either by natural undulations of 

 the ground or by plantation of trees and shrubs. 

 It should also be screened from view from the 

 pleasure-grounds by the same means, as well as 

 from the main carriage-drives. The distance at 

 which it may be placed must depend upon the 

 size of the mansion, and the extent of the sur- 

 rounding pleasure-grounds. When these are 

 extensive, the garden will require to be situated 

 at a quarter of a mile or more from the mansion, 

 but a shorter distance is desirable, both for the 

 convenience of the proprietor and for the easy 

 transfer of the garden produce to the mansion. 



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