218 



TREATISE ON THE CULTURE AND 



may be in the quality, you will have a greater variety of foil 

 adapted to different crops. The bed foil for a garden is, a 

 rich mellow loam ; and the word, a flifF heavy clay. A light 

 fand is alfo a very unfit foil for a garden. 



Sea-coal afhes, or the cleaning of ftreels and ditches, will 

 be found very proper to mix with a flrong foil ; and if the 

 ground fhould be cold, a large quantity of coal allies, fea 

 fand, or rotten vegetables, fhould be laid upon it, in order to 

 meliorate and loofen the foil, and render it eafy to work. 



Lime rubbifh, or light fandy earth from fields and com- 

 mons, will alfo be found of great fervice to lthT clayey 

 ground. 



If the foil be light and warm, rotten neat's dung is the beft 

 dreffing that you can give it. If horfe-dung be ever ufed, it 

 muft be completely rotted, otherwife it will burn up the crop 

 the firft hot weather. 



With regard to the form of a garden, there are various 

 opinions, and it fometimes depends on the fituation ; but 

 where you are at perfect liberty I would prefer a fquare or 

 oblong. As to the fize, it may be from one acre to fix or 

 eight within the wall, according to the demand for vegetables 

 in the family. It fhould be walled round with a brick wall 

 from ten to twelve feet high : but, if there be plenty of 

 walling, which there may be when you are not flinted with 

 refpecl: to ground, I would prefer walls ten feet high, to 

 thofe that are higher, and I am convinced they will be found 

 more convenient. The garden fhould be furrounded with a 

 border, or flip, from forty to fixty feet wide or more, if the 

 ground can be fpared ; and this again inclofed with an oak 

 paling from fix to eight feet high, with a cheval-de- 



frife 



