378 



SCIENCE OF GARDENING. 



Part II. 



number of acres, or acres and parts of acres. Or, on a certain compartment in a garden 

 of given breadth and length, it may be required to sow or plant a certain number of 

 poles of any given crop, &c. 



1935. Where the figures are simple and regular, as squares, parallelograms, triangles, 

 circles, &c., these problems are easily solved ; but where they are irregular, the safest way 

 for practical gardeners, not much in the habit of calculation, is by trial and correction. 

 Thus, supposing it required to find the dimensions and ground-plan of a garden-wall, 

 which shall enclose two acres, the north and south walls to be straight and parallel, and 

 the two ends parts of ellipses. Try a parallelogram, which shall contain 1^ acres, and 

 try and adjust two curves to its ends, which shall each contain i of an acre. If an eighth 

 of an acre does not give sufficiently curved ends, narrow the parallelogram part a little, 

 which will admit an increase to the curved ends. All this being laid down on paper to 

 a scale, when the figure is completed, ascertain its contents by the scale, and vary it as 

 above, till it corresponds exactly with what is required. 



1936. For more intricate figures, first cover the paper with squares, each containing a 

 certain area ; say a yard, a pole, &c., according to the magnitude of the design to be ad- 

 justed. Then, on these squares adjust the form and the contents of the given figure, 

 by alternate delineations of the desired shape, and numbering the squares for the desired 

 contents. When the end appears to be attained, prove the whole by measuring from the 

 scale. 



1937. With res^iect to measui-irigfior cropping co7n2)artments or borders, supposing it is 

 desired to sow three poles of turnips on a compartment 60 feet broad, then the first question 

 is simply, given 60 feet as one side, required the length of anodier requisite to form a pole. 

 A pole contains 30^ square yards, or 273^ square feet; dividing tlie last sum by 60, 

 the quotient, 4 feet 6|, is the length of one pole at this breadth. Or, if by links, then 60 

 feet = 136-2 links, and 625 square links = 1 square pole ; hence 625 -i- 136-2^6-j3o Knks. 

 3x4 feet 6-|- inches, or 3 x links ^13 feet 8 inches, or 20 -^^^ links, tlie length of 

 three poles of the given breadth. 



1 938. For arra?iging ivork done by contract, it is necessary for the gardener to be able 

 to determine the superficial and solid contents of ground, whether it is to be cultivated 

 on the surface, as in digging or hoeing ; turned over to a considerable depth, as in digging 

 drains or trenching ; or removed from its place, as in former excavation for water or 

 foundations. All this is abundantly simple, where the first rudiments of mensuration 

 are understood. The most important part is what relates to digging out large excava- 

 tions, and wheeling the earth to different distances ; and to guide in this, the following 

 rules, known to every canal contractor, may be worth attending to by the gardener. 



1939. For excavating and transporting earth. In soft ground, where no other tool 

 than the spade is necessary, a man will throw up a cubic yard of 27 solid feet in an hour, 

 or ten cubic yards in a day. But if picking or hacking be necessary, an additional man 

 will be required ; and very strong gravel will require two. The rates of a cubic yard, 

 depending thus upon each circumstance, they will be in the ratio of the arithmetical 

 numbers 1, 2, 3. If, therefore, the wages of a laborer be 2s. 6d. per day, the price of a 

 yard will be 3d. for cutting only, 6rf. for cutting and hacking, and 9d. when two hackers 

 are necessary. In sandy ground, when wheeling is requisite, three men will be re- 

 quired to remove 30 cubic yards in a day, to the distance of 20 yards, two filling and 

 one wheeling ; but to remove the same quantity in a day, to any greater distance, an 

 additional man will be required for every twenty yards. 



To find the price of removing any nwtibcr of cubic yards to any given distance : 



Divide the distance in yards by 20, which gives the number of wheelers ; add the two cutters to the quo- 

 tient, and you will have the whole number employed ; multiply the sum by the daily wages of a laborer, 

 and the produce wiU be the price of 30 cubic yards. — Then, as 30 cubic j'ards is to the whole number, so is 

 the price of 30 cubic yards to the cost of the whole. 



Example. "What will it cost to remove 2750 cubic yards to the distance of 120 yards, a man's wages 

 being three shillings per day ? First, 120 -h .20 = 6, tlie number of wheelers ; then, + 2 fillers = 8 men 

 employed, which, at three shillings per daj', gives 24 shillings as the price of 30 cubic yards; then 

 30 : 24 : : 2750 and 24 x 2750 -r- 30 = 110/. 



For elementary instructions in this department, see Hutton's Mensuration, Nicholson's Architectural 

 Dictionary, and the article Canal, in the principal Encyclopcedias. 



Sect. III. Of carrying Designs into Execution, 



1940. To realise alterations j^^ojected or marked out on the groujid, recourse is had to the 

 mechanical operations of gardening. These require to be directed to the following ob- 

 jects. Removing surface incumbrances, smoothing surfaces, draining off superfluous 

 water, forming excavations for retaining water, forming artificial surfaces, and forming 

 walks and roads. 



1941. .Removing surface incumbrances is one of the first operations of improvement in 

 reclaiming neglected lands, or preparing them for ulterior purposes. The obstacles are 

 generally large blocks of stone, bushes, roots of trees, and sometimes artificial obstacles, 

 as parts of walls, hedges, buildings, &c. Where the stones cannot ultimately be ren- 



