G 
THE AMATEUR’S KITCHEN GARDEN. 
of facings so that every end comes over and under a full face. 
By this means a nine inch wall of great strength is obtained, 
and a considerable saving of bricks is effected. 
When a live fence is preferred to a wall, the question will 
arise, what shall it be ? Thorn is the quickest and cheapest, 
and if well arranged makes an effectual fence, but it is not 
well adapted for a garden. Common privet soon makes a 
dense evergreen boundary, useful alike for shelter and to im- 
pose a check on thieves, especially when it obtains a height 
of six or seven feet. The beautiful large leaved privet, 
Ligustrum ovalifoliam, is as fast growing and handsome a 
plant as can be used for a garden fence, and will cost but little 
more than the common privet. Everybody knows that holly 
is the finest of all boundary plants, but it should never be 
planted by a tenant at will unless the landlord is willing to 
pay for it, and in every case it will require the growth of years 
to thicken into a barrier and make a fair return for the money 
and labour invested in it. For general purposes, common 
privet is the very best of boundary plants for enclosing a gar- 
den, for it is not only evergreen and grows as close as a mat if 
planted thick enough, but it soon gets up to a useful height, so 
that no one can see through or over it. One of our pieces, 
which abuts on a road one side and an open meadow on the 
other, is fenced in as follows : Next the road an “ unclimbable” 
iron fence and two rows of privet, with Lombardy poplars 
twenty feet apart, and standard Ligustram ovalifolium between 
the poplars. On the opposite side next the meadow, a strong 
five feet fence of oak posts and rails leaning over towards 
the meadow, and rendered additionally difficult of access by a 
deep ditch on that side. Within the fence two rows of 
common privet and Lombardy poplars twenty feet apart. On 
this side, there are no standard privets, as we desire as free a 
range as possible for the eye over the open country. On the 
third side, which is seen from the house and abuts only on a 
field path, there is a fence of posts and rails, poplars at twenty 
feet, two rows of holly next the rails, and one row of evergreen 
barbery, Berberis aqui folium, inside the hollies, forming a 
dense screen. On the fourth side is a mixed shrubbery, 
forming the boundary that way of the pleasure garden. 
The boundaries being defined, we proceed to consider how 
far drainage is needed. It matters not what the staple may 
be, if it is water-logged periodically, and retains water for any 
