70 



GARDEN WALLS. 



certain that first-rate fruit is, and has been, 

 produced under copings. For my own 

 part, I am disposed to look on a wall wet 

 with rain in the summer as a disadvan- 

 tage rather than otherwise, such being a 

 robber of heat, which can be ill spared, 

 more especially in peach walls. With 

 regard to the width of copings," he thinks 

 "that from 7 to 9 inches at the least 

 should be provided ; and if twice that 

 width in the months of April and May, 

 it would be a benefit. One-half of this 

 entire width should be movable at plea- 

 sure, and might be composed of boards 

 on brackets." 



The permanent copings in some parts 

 of the gardens at Dalkeith project only 

 half an inch over the walls ; but this is 

 of less consequence there, from the very 

 limited quantity of rain that falls in our 

 locality. It arose from the circumstance 

 that, the copings of the former garden 

 having been in a good state, we were 

 induced to use them on the walls of the 

 new garden ; and as the latter are built 

 hollow, for the purpose of heating them 

 by hot-water pipes, they are somewhat 

 broader than the old ones were. We 

 would not, however, have given more 

 than 2 inches on each side of a projec- 

 tion, had we used new coping instead. 

 We may here, however, remark, that on 

 the western coast, where 

 the rain falls in great 

 quantity, we would re- 

 commend permanent 

 copings, from 4 to 6 

 inches in breadth. The 

 portable coping used by 

 us under these circum- 

 stances is boarding 9 

 inches broad, supported 

 on iron brackets, fig. 

 40, fixed in the wall, to 

 which the boards are 

 secured by screws. The 

 brackets used in the 

 London Horticultural Society's garden, 

 fig. 41, are also permanent, for the sup- 

 port of similar portable copings ; but, as 



Fig. 41. 



our diagram will 

 show, they incline 

 considerably, in or- 

 der more effectually 

 to throw off the 

 water. The best 

 material for copings is decidedly stone 



pavement; and the longer each piece 

 is, the fewer joints there will be. For 

 the mere preservation of the wall, a 

 projection of 2 inches on each side 

 will be sufficient. The pavement may 

 be of any thickness, from 2 to 6 inches, 

 the joints half checked, and jointed 

 with white lead or mastic, and the under 

 edge of the projection throttled — that 

 is, having a groove about a quarter 

 of an inch deep, and as much in breadth, 

 running the whole length, for the purpose 

 of causing the water that falls on the 

 top to drip clear of the wall. To render 

 the coping still more secure — as we have 

 done in the walls at Dalkeith — they may 

 be batted together near the outer edges 

 with leaden instead of iron bats. 



As regards the thickness of copings, 

 we may remark that heavy copings — say 

 6 inches thick — are no doubt the best 

 for the wall, as their weight keeps it 

 more steady ; but then they have too 

 massive an appearance, unless the wall 

 is above the average height, and of an 

 architectural character. Copings under 

 2 inches in thickness, although they will 

 keep the wall as dry, have a meagre 

 appearance, and add little or nothing 

 to its stability, unless cast-iron coping, 

 afterwards to be noticed, is used. 



Caithness pavement is the best stone 

 this country affords for coping walls. It 

 is naturally flat, hard, and tenacious, 

 standing all weathers. It can be got 

 from one quarter of an inch to three 

 inches and a half in thickness; and 

 becomes so hard that masons' irons can 

 scarcely cut it after being exposed to 

 the weather ; but it saws easily, when 

 newly quarried, and, from being truly 

 flat by nature, requires no dressing for 

 ordinary purposes, but only to be cut 

 square with a saw when first taken out 

 of the quarry. To purchase it to advan- 

 tage, the dimensions wanted should be 

 sent to the purveyor, where it will be 

 cut to the size required, and even dressed 

 to a uniform thickness. When used for 

 slabs or pavement for conservatory floors, 

 it may be polished by the stones being 

 rubbed against one another ; and, when 

 finished and oiled, it looks as well as 

 Tourney marble. It stands the heat 

 equally well, and hence is well adapted 

 for flues — as proved by the late Sir John 

 Robison, who heated a portion of this 



