PEACH AND NECTARINE TREES. 257 



forward without any check, f See observations 

 in the formation of Espalier and fruit tree 

 borders.) 



The border outside the house ought to be 

 at least twenty-one feet broad, five feet 

 deep at the back part, and two feet six or 

 three feet at the front. Particular attention 

 must always be paid to the formation of the 

 substratum, so that the border be well drain- 

 ed. Let the substratum have an inclination 

 of at least one foot from the house to the 

 front of the border. A drain must be made 

 close along the front of the building, and 

 another at the front of the border to run 

 parallel with the house. Other cross drains 

 must also be made, the tops of these drains 

 (which must be open stone drains) must be 

 three inches above the level of the substra- 

 tum. If the bottom of the border be natu- 

 rally dry, after the drains are made nothing 

 more is required than to spread about two 

 inches thick of moderate sized gravel, or 

 stones broken small, over the whole of it, 

 which must be rolled to an even surface, but 

 not so as to bind them too closely together. 

 If the bottom of the border be wet, in addi- 

 tion to the drains being made, let about six 

 inches thick of broken stones, brick bats, &c. 

 be spread over the whole substratum ; upon 

 these lay an inch or two of smaller stones, 

 or gravel, and let them be rolled to an even 

 surface. This is a great deal preferable to 



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