THE PRESIDENTS’ GARDENS 139 
common vegetable level. This upper terrace enter¬ 
tains only the finer herbs, the salads, simples and small 
fruits, with the fine tree fruits against the wall as it 
faces the south. Apricots, nectarines, peaches, fine 
plums, pears—all these were trained against the wall 
in Washington’s time, as is the English custom; and 
the General’s table enjoyed the earliest and richest 
delicacies as a consequence. 
But even these too he was denied, a part of the 
time at least. Writing his superintendent in 1794 he 
says, “In the Gardener’s report is a query, if Apricots 
will be wanting to preserve.—I answer No.—for the 
situation of public business now is, and likely to re¬ 
main such, that my family will not be able to spend 
any time at Mount Vernon this summer—that is—I 
cannot do it, and Mrs. Washington would not chuse 
to be there without me.” So apricots from his own 
garden neither fresh nor preserved, were his portion 
for that year; but good for Mrs. Washington, who 
would not “chuse” to leave him sweltering and weary 
in the city, even to go home to her preserving! 
The upper terrace is really a charming garden, for 
in addition to its herbs and wall fruits, there are grapes 
trellised along the terrace edge, and shrubs here and 
there. A border of venerable, unkempt boxwood in¬ 
closes the walk from the lawn to the steps, and there 
are old flowers, both annual and perennial, brightening 
