FORMATION OF THE FRUIT AND KITCHEN GARDEN. 



it fertile. The former is most suitable for the 

 growth of fruit-trees, while the latter is more 

 desirable for early crops of vegetables. A light, 

 free soil is also more amenable to cultivation in 

 all states of the weather, and under proper 

 treatment is as productive as a heavier loam. 

 While the greater part of the vegetable quarters 

 should therefore be composed of a rich, light, 

 friable loam, it would be advisable in most cases 

 to have a portion of a stronger texture in order 

 to suit crops that thrive best in a strong soil. 



The depth of good soil for a fruit and kitchen 

 garden should be about 3 feet. If the situation 

 is damp, the soil may be shallower according to 

 circumstances, but in no case should it be less 

 than 18 inches in depth. When the natural soil 

 is less than 24 inches, it should be made up to 

 that depth by the addition of good surface soil, 

 as it is not advisable to trench up and mix 

 much of the subsoil with it. Indeed, in some 

 cases, gardens have been almost ruined by in- 

 judicious trenching and mixing of the subsoil 

 with the surface mould. 



The subsoil should also be carefully examined, 

 for if it is sour and bad, or contains too much 

 iron, a site should be sought for elsewhere, 

 however suitable the top soil may be. When 

 the surface-soil is good, the trees may grow well 

 for several years, or till their roots penetrate 

 into the bad subsoil, but just at the time when 

 they should be in a full bearing state, they 

 begin to exhibit symptoms of decay; and in- 

 stead of bearing good crops, and attaining a 

 healthy old age, prove a ruinous failure, or ne- 

 cessitate the adoption of a costly process of con- 

 tinuous root -lifting, to maintain a precarious 

 and often disappointing state of fertility. 



The choice of soil is affected by three con- 

 siderations: the quality of the soil itself, the 

 nature of the subsoil, and the position with 

 reference to the mansion, as already indicated. 

 It may fortunately happen that a good soil and 

 subsoil exist in the most desirable situation, and 

 when this is the case, the matter of course is 

 easily settled. But the situation and subsoil 

 may be good, whilst the top-soil is bad, when 

 it may be a question whether the two good 

 qualities should not be taken advantage of, and 

 the top-soil improved. 



The solution of this question will depend on 

 the amount of money alloived to carry out the 

 improvement. If the top-soil is too thin, the 

 necessary thickness must be made up by the 

 introduction of proper soil from other places 

 where it can be spared. The good surface-soil 

 thrown out in digging for the foundations of 



walls, or other buildings, and for the bottoms of 

 walks, should be economized for the purpose. 

 If the requisite additional soil has to be taken 

 from a grass field, the surface should be re- 

 moved in strips, in order that the field may be 

 injured as little as possible. A rich old pasture 

 affords excellent garden soil, and it should be 

 removed in the manner that will do the least 

 injury to the field. If the entire surface is re- 

 moved from, say, half the field, that half in 

 most instances would not soon recover. But 

 if the whole surface is lined off in strips, say 

 15 inches wide, and only every other one taken 

 off a spit deep for the garden, and the field be 

 well manured and trenched across the strips, it 

 will soon recover its loss, which, in fact, by this 

 mode will be scarcely apparent a year afterwards 

 under good management; whereas, the effects 

 of the removal of the entire surface would be 

 plainly visible, under the best of treatment, for 

 many years. 



The area of the garden being known, less that 

 of the walks, and the depth of soil required to 

 be added being also ascertained, the number of 

 cubic yards to be brought in can easily be cal- 

 culated, and estimated for. It then becomes 

 simply a question of expense, as to whether the 

 garden can be formed in the best situation and 

 on a good subsoil or not. It should be borne 

 in mind that pleasure-grounds can be laid out, 

 and altered, if this should prove desirable; but 

 such is not the case with a fruit and kitchen 

 garden, surrounded by walls, and furnished with 

 numerous structures. Therefore, it is most de- 

 sirable to have it established in the best situa- 

 tion, although at some considerable expense for 

 soil in the first instance. Rather than it should 

 not be so placed, a portion of the ground, say 

 a half or one -fourth, including borders and 

 where trees are to be planted, could be done 

 in the first instance; and soil could be collected 

 for making good successive portions, till the 

 whole was completed. 



Where the subsoil is at fault, the remedy is 

 more difficult. If only some portions of it are 

 bad, these may be removed and a better kind 

 substituted. When too much iron is present in 

 the subsoil, the latter may in certain cases be 

 overlaid with concrete, lime, or chalk, for if this 

 be well rammed, the roots of trees will not 

 readily penetrate through it. Or, if the ground 

 be thoroughly drained at a depth of 3 h to 4 feet, 

 and the soil trenched about IS inches deep, 

 placing some inches of good drainage at the 

 bottom, the iron oxide will be washed down, 

 and carried off by the drainage, and the in- 



