FORMATION AND MANAGEMENT OF GARDENS. 15 



for forwarding early crops. An oblong shape has the 

 further advantage of giving longer rows for the plow or 

 cultivator. 



Laying out. — A convenient plan is given in figure 1, 

 showing the hedge enclosing the whole; and the adjacent 

 border, b b, which should be about twelve feet wide. The 

 remainder of the space is taken up with walks and the 

 plots, a a a a. The walk next the boundaries should not 

 be less than four and a half feet in width. The long cen- 

 tral walk should be at least five or six feet wide, and in 

 large gardens still wider, so as readily to admit a cart. 

 In this case the main walk 

 should proceed as in the figure, 

 from the entrance until near 

 the farther border, where a 

 larger portion than in the 

 plan should be taken oif the 

 adjacent plots, to form a cir- 

 cular turning place, around an ^S* 1.— garden plan. 

 arbor or tool-house. If the ground is to be cultivated 

 with the plow, the central cross-walk should be omitted, 

 making two instead of four oblong plots. In this case 

 the borders should be made of sufficient width to give 

 room enough for all those vegetables that will not admit 

 cultivation with this implement. 



The other vegetables may be successfully cultivated in 

 these two plots in long rows. Where only the spade and 

 hoe are used, these plots may be further subdivided into 

 smaller ones by walks three to four and a half feet wide, 

 extending from the borders to the main walk ; and a por- 

 tion of these should be laid out each year by very narrow 

 alleys into beds four feet wide, for onions, beets, carrots, 

 etc. The earth should be dug out of the main walks, four 

 inches deep, and spread evenly on each side over the ad- 

 jacent ground. The walks may be filled with gravel, so 

 as to be dry and comfortable, or fresh tan, if accessible. 



