10 
COLOURING OF GARDEN WALLS. 
ARTICLE II. 
ON CLEANING AND COLOURING OF GARDEN WALLS. 
BY MR. J. MEARNS. 
Gardener to His Grace the Duke of Portland, Welbeck. 
When I had the pleasure of a visit from you the other day, you 
were pleased with the clean and neat appearance of the garden walls 
at Welbeck ; and requested I might send you an account of my me¬ 
thod of performing it; I will he as brief with it as I can. 
Take a quantity of Lime-stone, as it comes fresh from the kiln, 
according to the extent of walling desired to be washed over. Slack 
it with cold water; have ready som q finely sifted, clean, sharp sand, 
and mix it with the finely slacked quick-lime, (in a large water tub, 
for the convenience of removal where required,) in the same propor¬ 
tion which is practised by builders in preparing a good cement for 
brick laying; add to it such a proportion of the best bright red 
ochre, or raddle, as, when dry, becomes a lively blush, or pink colour. 
This colour, when laid upon the walls, has a cold raw appearance; 
but if double the quantity of best bright Yellow Ochre be added 
to that of the red, it gives a tint that is warm, rich, and pleasing. 
Thin the mixture with cold water, till of the consistency of well pre¬ 
pared oil paint. It is applied to the walls with the usual white¬ 
wash brushes, and when put into the method, any expert labourers 
lay it on expeditiously and well. In using, stir it well up, so that 
the sand, &c. be kept suspended in the water, to be taken up in its 
required proportion, with the brushes. 
When the trees are all unnailed, and the shoots and branches 
carefully tied into bundles, and drawn to stakes, from the walls, pre¬ 
vious to laying on the mixture ; it is of importance that all moss and 
lichens, &c. be scoured off from the face of the bricks, by rubbing 
them over with a free gritted stone, and water, or with an iron scra¬ 
per taking out all bad bricks, replacing them with sound ones, and 
repairing all the bad joints, &c. In laying on the colour, it is of the 
greatest consequence that it be well worked into every chink, hole, 
and crevice in the face of the walls; for they are more effectually 
preserved from the frost and wet; and the hybernaculcum of insects 
are the more effectually destroyed, and will well repay to be repeated 
every second or third year. 
