FORMATION OF THE FRUIT AND KITCHEN GARDEN. 



estimating the brickwork at £16 per rod, the 

 expense of enclosing — 



1 acre would be about £736 



2 acres ,, 1,040 



3 „ „ 1,276 



4 „ „ 1,472 



5 „ „ 1,647 



6 „ ,, 1,800 



From this it appears that the enclosure of a 

 single acre, according to the above estimate, 

 costs £736; but when 6 acres are enclosed to- 

 gether, the amount is £1800, or at the rate of 

 only £300 for each acre enclosed. It will be 

 evident, from what has been stated, that where 

 it is an object to enclose a certain area with the 

 least extent of wall, the garden, presuming that 

 it is to be four-sided, must be in the form of a 

 square. If, on the contrary, the object is to 

 have a large extent of wall in proportion to the 

 area enclosed, then the garden must deviate 

 accordingly from the square, and be made to 

 assume the form of a rhombus, the sides being 

 equal; of a rhomboid, an oblong figure with the 

 ends oblique; or of a parallelogram. 



The southern aspect is so advantageous for 

 the ripening of fruit that it ought to be kept 

 chiefly in view in forming a garden. In bad 

 seasons other aspects may fail in bringing fruits 

 to perfection, and in such seasons, well-ripened 

 fruit is more especially valuable, and the best 

 chance of obtaining it is from a southern aspect. 

 On that account it is desirable that the garden 

 should be of a form which affords a greater 

 extent of wall with a south than any other 

 aspect. 



The form may therefore be that of a parallelo- 

 gram, of which the length is as five to three. 

 Fig. 793 is very nearly in this proportion, and 



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Scale of Feet. 

 Fig. 793. 



represents a small garden, 27 2 \ feet from east 

 to west, and 160 feet from north to south; 

 consequently it contains exactly an acre. On 

 referring to the figure, it will be observed that 

 it admits of nearly double the number of trees 



on the south aspect, as compared with each of 

 the others; and it allows a greater extent of 

 espaliers to face the south, which is also import- 

 ant, as the fruit is more fully exposed to the 

 sun throughout the hottest period of the day 

 than it is in espaliers running north and south. 

 Moreover, the figure admits of being divided 

 into eight principal compartments, each of which 

 forms nearly a square, after allowing for the 

 space occupied by espaliers. Although it is not 

 absolutely necessary to adopt exactly the above 

 proportion of five in length to three in breadth, 

 yet it will be found well suited for the con- 

 venient working of the ground, and for the 

 ripening of fruits on walls and espaliers. The 

 main area of the royal gardens at -Frogmore is 

 nearly in the above proportions, being 760 feet 

 from east to west, and 440 feet from north to 

 south. 



Various other forms of gardens have been 

 recommended, as well as different directions of 

 the walls. Most authorities, however, agree 

 that a square or parallelogram is the most con- 

 venient; but they differ in regard to the direc- 

 tion of the walls, and as to whether the length 

 of the garden should be east and west, or north 

 and south. Some recommend the walls on the 

 eastern and western sides to face directly east, 

 or between east and south-east, in order to have 

 sun for a longer period during the early part of 

 the day; we have already stated our reasons for 

 differing from this. Others make the length of 

 the garden run north and south, in order to 

 have comparatively little extent of north aspect. 

 As already explained, we prefer to have a con- 

 siderable extent of aspect decidedly good, rather 

 than a small extent possessing this character, 

 together with a large proportion indifferent in 

 that respect. 



Taking all things into consideration, perhaps 

 on the whole a parallelogram such as fig. 793 

 is the best form that can be generally recom- 

 mended. It has, at least, the advantage of 

 being rectangular and of a compact form for 

 being economically worked; and whilst it pre- 

 sents a large proportion of walls with the very 

 best aspect, it possesses very little with a 

 decidedly bad aspect. 



5. Shelter. — In selecting the most desirable 

 site for a garden, that affording the best natural 

 shelter should be taken advantage of, where it 

 can be done consistently with other necessary 

 arrangements which must also be kept in view. 

 But where the natural disposition of the ground 

 affords little or no shelter, recourse must be had 

 to artificial means for supplying it. Walls it 



