By Mr. Gregor Drummond. 



61 



Vegetables in borders are least injurious to wall trees when they 

 are planted in rows at right angles to the wall, and at double the 

 distance usually allotted ; they do not then so completely shade the 

 soil, and the air is permitted to flow freely through the rows. It 

 will, however, be proper to have them cleared away (when planted 

 opposite to Peach and Apricot trees) about the middle of July, 

 that the borders may have the full benefit of the sun's rays to 

 enable them to ripen the fruit and mature the young wood. After 

 a wet night the borders should also be raked, to aid the drying of 

 their surface. This simple operation will increase the temperature 

 of the surface of the border, and of the wall many degrees. On 

 one occasion, after two days of continued rain in July, 1829, 

 the temperature of the surfaces of the border and wall were the 

 same as that of the atmosphere, viz. 52° at four o'clock in the morn- 

 ing. At six o'clock the weather cleared up, and a considerable 

 extent of the border, opposite to a hot wall, was raked, so as to dry 

 the surface. At one o'clock a thermometer, laid on this raked sur- 

 face, indicated 118° ; and another applied to the wall opposite to 

 106° ; whilst, on the unraked surface of the soil, the temperature 

 was only 86°, and on the corresponding portion of the wall 89°. The 

 operation, therefore, of raking the surface of the border, raised its 

 temperature 32° above the unraked surface, and the temperature of 

 the corresponding part of the wall 17°. 



The London Medal, for 1833, placed at the disposal of the 

 Caledonian Horticultural Society, was voted to Mr. Gregor 

 Drummond for the Communication, of which a copious and correct 

 abstract is here given. 



Patrick Neill, 



See. Cal. Hort. Soc. 



