Book I. 



FORMATION OF A KITCHEN-GARDEN. 



455 



2379. There are other terms applied to gardens and gardening ; as nursery, market, 

 physic, &c. gardens, and nursery-gardening, market-gardening, &c. ; but these concern 

 gardening as a trade, rather than as an art, and their discussion is referred to the succeeding 

 part of this work, in which gardening is considered statistically. 



BOOK 1. 



HORTICULTURE. 



2380. In treating of horticulture, some, as Nicol and Abercrombie, have neglected its 

 local unity, and adopting its technical subdivisions, treated of the culinary fruit and 

 forcing departments, as if they were separate gardens. But as these departments are all 

 generally carried on within the same ring-fence, and as it is impossible to form and ar- 

 range a kitchen-garden, without at the same time forming and arranging the walls and 

 borders destined to receive the most valuable part of the fruit garden, and equally so to lay 

 out the area enclosed, without determining the situation and extent of the forcing- depart- 

 ment, we deem it preferable to treat of Horticulture as actually carried on, and in the fol- 

 lowing order : viz. — The formation of the kitchen-garden. The distribution of the fruit- 

 trees. The forming and planting of a subsidiary orchard. The general culture of the 

 kitchen-garden. The general culture of the orchard. The construction of buildings used 

 in the forcing-department. The general culture of the forcing-department. Catalogue of 

 plants and trees used in horticulture. A monthly table of horticultural productions. 



Chap. I. 



The Formation of a ICitchen-garden. 



2381. The arrangement and laying out of a kitchen-garden, embraces a variety of con- 

 siderations, some relative to local circumstances, as situation, exposure, soil, &c. ; others 

 depending on the skill of the artist, as form, laying out the area, water, &c. : botli require 

 the utmost deliberation ; for next to a badly designed, ill placed house, a misplaced, 

 ill arranged, and unproductive kitchen-garden is the greatest evil of a country-residence. 



Sect. I. Situation. 



2382. The situation of the kitchen-garden, considered artificially or relatively to the other 

 parts of a residence, should be as near the mansion and the stable-offices, as is consistent 

 with beauty, convenience, and other arrangements. Nicol observes, " In a great place, 

 the kitchen-garden should be so situated as to be convenient, and, at the same time, be con- 

 cealed from the house. It is often connected with the shrubbery or pleasure-garden, and 

 also placed near to the house. There can be no impropriety in this, provided it be kept 

 in good order, and that the walls be screened by shrubbery from the immediate view of 

 the public rooms ; indeed it has been found, that there is both comfort and economy in 

 having the various gardens of a place connected, and placed at no great distance from 

 the house. In stepping from the shrubbery to the flower-garden, thence to the orchard, 

 and lastly to the culinary garden, there is a gradation both natural and pleasant. With 

 such an arrangement, in cases where the aspect of the ground is answerable, and the 

 surface, perhaps, is considerably varied, few faults will be found." 



2383. Sometimes we fnd the kitchen-gardejt jjlaced immediately in front of the house, 

 •which Nicol " considers the most awkward situation of any, especially if placed near, and 

 so that it cannot be properly screened by some sort of plantation. Generally speaking, 

 it should be placed in the rear or flank of the house, by which means the lawn may not 

 be broken and rendered unshapely where it is required to be most complete. The neces- 

 sary traffic with this garden, if placed in front, is always offensive. Descending to the 

 consideration of more humble gardens, circvimstances are often so arbitrary with respect 

 to their situations, as that they cannot be placed either so as to please, or give satisfaction 

 by their products. There are cases where the kitchen-garden is necessarily thrust into a 

 corner, and perhaps is shaded by buildings, or by tall trees, from the sun and air ; where 

 they are placed on steep hangs in a northern aspect, the sub-soil is a till or a cankering 

 gravel, and the site cold and bleak. Such situations as these are to be avoided, and 

 should be considered among the worst possible. Next are open, unsheltered plains. But 

 even there, if the soil be tolerably good, and the sub-soil be not particularly bad, shelter 

 may be reared, so as that in a few years the garden may produce a return for the expense 

 laid out in its improvements." (Kalendar, p. 8.) 



2384. To j)lace the fruit and kitchen gardens at perhaps half a mile's distance or more from 



Gg4 



