10 



GARDENING FOR PLEASURE. 



before said, in some of my writings on this subject, that 

 the soil best suited for all garden purposes, is what is 

 known a^ " sandy loam," not less than ten inches deep, 

 oyerlying a subsoil of sand or gravel. Such a soil 

 rarely requires drainage, is easier worked, and gives bet- 

 ter results than that known as " clayey loam," which 

 overlays a putty-like subsoil of blue or yellow clay, 

 which must be drained thoroughly before a seed is sown 

 or plant set out, or there will be no satisfactory reward 

 for the labor. The location, if choice can be made, 

 should be such as will allow the garden to slope gently, 

 (say one foot in a hundred), to the south or south-east, 

 and if protected by hills or timber to the north-west, 

 so much the better. If not protected naturally, a hedge 

 of Hemlock Spruce, or Norway Firs, planted on the 

 northern and western side of the site intended for the 

 garden, would be of great advantage. These evergreens 

 can be bought from 2 to 3 feet high, at from $15 to $25 

 per 100 ; and should be planted according to size, from 2 

 to 3 feet apart, making a cheap and ever improving screen 

 or fence, which may be trimmed to any required hight 

 or thickness. 



CHAPTER II. 



DRAINAGE. 



As drainage will be in many instances indispensable to^ 

 success, I will briefly state a few of the simplest methods 

 that may be adopted, premising that it is utterly useless 

 to expect to cultivate any soil satisfactorily that does 

 not freely and rapidly carry off the surface water. An 

 expert in soils can determine almost to a certainty by 

 digging down two or three feet, whether or not a soil 



