THE FRUIT GARDEN. 



CHAP. IV. 



ON THE FORMATION OF BORDERS FOR FRUIT-TREES. 



As the best sorts of fruit capable of coming to perfection in 

 this climate are reserved for the walls of all gardens, and in- 

 deed the principal object in building walls round gardens is 

 really intended for the production of fruits, which without 

 them would not ripen in this uncertain and variable climate, 

 and as fences of less expensive materials would answer every 

 purpose of protection and shelter obtained from walls ; the 

 preparation of the borders next the walls should be attended 

 to with more attention than is generally bestowed upon them. 

 As our chief object is to produce fine fruit, we must first pro- 

 duce fine trees, and fine trees cannot be obtained in a soil not 

 calculated for their growth. Where no objection exists to the 

 expense of forming good borders, they may be made in almost 

 all places; but where the expense is a consideration, they 

 must be improved as far as circumstances will admit of ; and 

 where the expense is not to be incurred, nor the soil natu- 

 rally good, then only such fruits as are suited to the ground 

 should be attempted. It would be in vain to expect the finer- 

 fruits in a bad soil. !Mr. Neill, an able Scotch horticulturist, 

 observes in the Edin. Encyc. art. Hort. " On soils natu- 

 rally very light, gravelly, and sandy, peach and nectarine trees 

 do little good : it is better to plant figs or vines, which agree 

 with such soils, and when trained against a wall, in a good 

 aspect, will, in the southern parts of the island, afford excel- 

 lent crops of fruit." 



Peach and nectarine trees produce some of the finest fruits 

 brought to the dessert, and the best walls of the highest cul- 

 tivated gardens are reserved for their production. Next to 

 them is the vine, but as few sorts of grapes, even in favorable 

 seasons, ripen sufficiently well with us, any length of wall is 

 seldom taken up with them. The fig is a tree equally tender 

 with the vine, indeed more so, as in many situations the tree 

 is not sufficiently hardy to resist some of our severe winters, 



