FRUIT-TREE BORDERS. 



29 



highest authority we have in all matters 

 relating to fruit trees. 



We have elsewhere shown the pro- 

 priety of elevating hothouses upon ter- 

 races to give effect to them, as well as 

 for the more completely forming the 

 external borders for the roots of peaches 

 and vines. If the rule is good in the one 

 case, it is certainly so in the other, as 

 walls form, next to hothouses, the most pro- 

 minent features in a well-designed garden. 



We have on a former occasion (vide 

 " Practical Gardener," 2d edition, p. 227) 

 recommended paving the bottoms of bor- 

 ders with "tiles, paving bricks, or flag- 

 stones, at least for all the better kind of 

 trees." This recommendation we do not 

 rescind, but would add the drainage just 

 described, above this paving. Whatever 

 bottom may be made, it is absolutely 

 necessary that it should be so constructed 

 that all superfluous water may be effec- 

 tually carried off. This is the more 

 necessary in strong retentive soils, where 

 digging out the border and placing under 

 it an impervious flooring, without proper 

 attention being paid to the drainage, is 

 little better than forming an ill-con- 

 structed water-tank. We saw this very 

 lately exemplified in a very conspicuous 

 degree, in the case of a gentleman who 

 consulted us upon the failure of his vines, 

 and who had made his border, as he said, 

 exactly upon the plan laid down in the 

 " Practical Gardener." When the border 

 was opened up, it was at once seen he had 

 most effectually rendered the bottom 

 water-tight, the sides being naturally a 

 strong clay as well as the natural bottom ; 

 but he had entirely neglected running a 

 drain along the front to take away the 

 superfluous water, so that the whole mass 

 of border was a complete puddle, and the 

 longer it continued the worse it would 

 become. How he could have mistaken 

 or overlooked the directions in the work 

 above named is rather singular, for at 

 p. 225 it is thus written — " In preparing 

 borders for fruit trees, the first considera- 

 tion is to render the bottom perfectly dry 

 by draining; indeed, this precaution 

 ought to be taken to a certain degree, 

 even where the bottom is naturally dry, 

 in order to guard against accidental floods 

 of water, or a long series of wet weather 

 in autumn, as their roots are very impa- 

 tient of too much wet. Where the bor- 



ders are to be well done, the natural soil 

 should be entirely taken out, to the 

 depth, under the ground level, of 30 

 inches or 3 feet: the bottom should be 

 rendered smooth, with a considerable fall 

 from the wall, sufficient to allow any 

 water that may collect to run freely off 

 towards the walk, under which should be 

 a well-formed drain of the best materials 

 the place can afford." Those who profess 

 to rely on the directions laid down by 

 authors, should in fairness follow those 

 directions to the very letter. 



In regard to the depth of fruit-tree bor- 

 ders, opinions are at variance — some advo- 

 cating deep ones, while others prefer 

 those that are shallow. Of course, a good 

 deal depends on climate and situation, and 

 also on the kind of trees to be planted. 

 For example, the pear requires both a 

 stronger and deeper soil than the vine, 

 and the plum rather more than the apri- 

 cot, although these two are much more 

 nearly related. 



The following proportions of depth for 

 different fruits are those given by diffe- 

 rent authorities : For peaches and nec- 

 tarines, Nicol recommends 30 inches; 

 for pears and plums, not less than 3 feet 

 on the average — that is, 2 feet 9 inches at 

 the walk, and 3 feet 3 inches at the wall, 

 or thereby ; for apples, cherries, and figs, 

 an average depth of about 30 inches. On 

 this subject Forsyth, in his " Treatise on 

 Fruit Trees," scarcely offers an opinion; 

 and even Harrison is next to silent on it, 

 only remarking, in a general way, that the 

 " depth should be 3 feet at the wall, and 

 2 feet 6 inches at front." No border 

 should be made deeper than 1^ foot, 

 according to Rogers. The majority of 

 modern writers on this subject agree in 

 making borders much shallower than 

 formerly was the case. The principal 

 argument in favour of this theory is the 

 great advantages of getting the roots of 

 the trees in some degree under our com- 

 mand, and brought within the influence 

 of solar heat. 



The writer of the Calendar of Opera- 

 tions in the " Gardeners' Chronicle," 1842, 

 (p. 712,) makes the following sensible re- 

 marks : — " For the formation of fruit-tree 

 borders no general rule can be laid down 

 which would be applicable to all cases: 

 the practice must be regulated by the 

 quality of the soil and the nature of the 



