136 GARDEN MALLS. 



Garden walls are usually built higher or iower. 

 uccording to the size of the garden itself. They may 

 be too low, and they may be very much too high. 

 From eight to ten feet from the offset at the bottom, 

 to the under side of the coping, is height enough for 

 a garden containing from two to four acres. The 

 foundation nuist be more or less in depth, according 

 to the nature of the ground on which it is to be 

 built. A firm and solid subsoil must be found, to 

 bear the wall without danger of sinking. The foun- 

 dation may be twenty -two-inch work ; and raised, 

 until two courses are above the natural surface of the 

 ground. Garden walls have been built on arches, 

 for the purpose of allowing the roots of the trees to 

 extend themselves in all directions ; but this can 

 answer no good purpose, because there is quite 

 scope enough for the roots of a wall tree in the 

 border in front, without inviting them into the 

 border behind. Arched walls are only necessary 

 for the front w^alls of vineries or peach-houses. 



A wall, ten feet high from the offset, should be 

 sound fourteen-inch work ; the bricks well burnt, 

 and of the best quality. The mortar should be com- 

 posed of lime and sand, such as is made for building 

 malt-houses and the like. The coping should be 

 stone or bricks, projecting one inch on each side 

 over the face of the wall. For the safety of the 

 walls, they should be built with piers or pilasters 

 behind, twenty or thirty feet apart, and projecting 

 four inches from the face of the w^all. 



Low walls are much more convenient in the 



