I 
100 
TIIE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
May 11. 
ON CROPPING WALL-BORDERS. 
Having, at page 24, given some reasons for the fie- j 
quent failures we so often see in the Peach, I herewith 
propose to continue the same subject, hut in a different 
light, and shall begin by attacking what I believe to be 
a much more serious evil than many are aware of—“the 
close cropping of Peach-tree borders” with various kinds 
of early vegetables, flowers, and such like; but before 
doing so, it would be better to glance a little at the : 
Peach, and study its character,its requirements, and, what 
is not less necessary to know, its dislikes. 
In the first place, the preceding chapter would convey 
much that bears on the native place and constitutional 
wants of the Peach; flourishing, as it does, under the 
j genial sun of the east, it seems to have been transported 
to the west with equal advantage; for we hear of ourtraus- 
i atlantic cousins feeding pigs with this esteemed fruit, ' 
i only their notion of what becomes a good well-flavoured 
■ Peach runs diametrically opposite to ours, inasmuch as j 
with us the variety called “Clingstones,” are not half in ! 
| the repute with us that they arc in America, and, doubt- 
l less, both parties may be right, as, in fact, both parties i 
j often are in most disputes. However, allowing our 
i friends in the west the full power to choose for them- 1 
j selves, wc have a sufficient task in setting forth the 
; evils which we too often inflict on our trees at home by 
j that greedy and injudicious mode of heavily cropping 
! the ground, which we sec so often adopted in gardens j 
j where almost everything else seemed faultless. The 
reason, or rather the excuse, for so doing, is certainly one | 
i that ought not totally to be disregarded; for the vnlue of 
a dish of Peas some three or four days earlier than usual, [ 
or the production of Potatoes, Cauliflowers, Lettuces, 
and other eatables, may all have their claims in such a 
way as to leave some doubt whether they were not to 
be regarded as the legitimate occupants of the border. 
However, as these crops are all useful in their way, and, 
whatever may be said to the contrary, it is certainly 
proved beyond a doubt that a south border is the place j 
where these things are best preserved through a winter, ( 
and brought soonest to a useful state in the spring. The 
temptation to plant or sow them, then, is such as few 
gardeners can resist, notwithstanding that all are sensi¬ 
ble of the evils they do; and as it is of no use expecting 
to find a border equally applicable for early vegetables 
and fruit-trees, when the latter is excluded for the vege¬ 
tables, for wherever a wall of five feet and upwards 
exists it is in vain to expect such a wall to remain idle, j 
unless it.be one of those primitive ones which defy all 
attempts to fasten a tree to them; but as few such are to 
| be found attached to gardens, we are led to conclude that | 
I all sheltered borders calculated to hasten on or protect 
] vegetable crops, are themselves protected by the wall or [ 
> building to which we refer. It is true, that now and 
then, the same effect will be produced by a hedge, but 
that is not so well, for the roots of that barrier are sad 
robbers of the adjacent ground. It is, therefore, left j 
for us to do the best we can with the early vegetables 
and Peach-trees, between which the contest for the sov- i 
reignty of the wall-border has been waged for many years. 
I Whoever has noticed a wall-border where a heavy 
crop of Peas or Cauliflower has been removed, will 
easily see the exhausted condition of the soil these 
greedy feeders have been enjoying themselves in, 
especially if the season be dry; for in that case they will 
have been sending their roots downwards in search of 
food, after exhausting all that is near the surface. The 
result was, that the border was quite worn out for the time, 
and, though naturally good, its powers had been taxed to 
such an extent as to leave it little energy for future 
exertions, until it had again been renovated, either 
by exposure to the influences of the atmosphere, or by 
some extraneous help furnished it from other sources; 
the latter is the one most in use. A heavy vegetable 
crop is removed, and a good manuring is expected to put 
all to rights again; this, however, is not the case ; for it 
is reasonable to suppose that heavy crop lately removed 
withdraws more ingredients from the ground than coidd 
be immediately supplied to it again by a mere good 
dunging, useful as the latter may be; but even if it were 
so, which I by no means admit, the loss the tree has 
sustained by being so unjustly deprived of its proper 
nourishment at an important stage of its growth, is such 
as very often brings on disease, or opens the road to 
insects, or, in some way or other, paves the way to that 
unsatisfactory result which we so often witness. Now, 
in this, and many other cases, a sort of middle course is 
very often adopted with advantage, and it is this middle 
course, with some other judicious treatment, that I now 
advise. 
When, as illustrated above, a border has been under 
crop of Cauliflowers, Lettuces, or Peas, and has been 
cleared about the end of June or beginning of July, 
which is about the time such things usually get off, and 
the weather at the time be dry.it would much assist the 
struggling tree if the ground was well watered with 
weak manure-water, forking it at the same time, of 
course. This watering, or rather applying manure in a 
liquid state, is more useful than solid dung at this time, 
for the absence of moisture, at such a season, is a sad 
drawback to the healthy action of the roots; but cold 
deluges of spring water are bad, and ought to be 
modified if possible. The after-culture of the ground is 
easily attended to, and it is seldom that the same piece 
is again subjected to such a severe ordeal that season; 
but, as the object of this paper is to try and moderate 
the evils resulting from vegetable crops, rather than try 
aud cure what has been done, it is better to turn back 
to the culture of the year following, and chalk out what 
it is proper to do, and what to avoid. 
As it seems an almost conventional usage to occupy 
the south wall borders for early vegetables, it is right 
here to enforce the necessity of their being planted very 
wide, so as to allow sufficient space for their roots 
to ramify in all directions without occupying all the 
ground ; a better class of vegetables will be the result, 
if there be fewer; and the wall-trees will not be so 
much deprived of the utility of the ground. But, the 
most important duty of all is to supply the vegetable 
crop with food while in its growing state, so as to pre¬ 
vent its exhausting the border so much, as well as, in 
fact, feeding the border too The process is an exceed¬ 
ingly simple one, yet in its effects satisfactory, and in its 
application not expensive. Apply, from time to time 
(as the weather and other circumstances seem to require 
it), liquid-manure over all the ground the crops occupy 
—do this with no grudging hand; and, as the crops 
alluded to are generally all cleared ofF by the end of 
June, the length of time this duty is called for is 
by no means great, while the uses at that import¬ 
ant period are such as cannot be commanded by any 
after-treatment. The rapid growth of all vegetation 
at that time is such as to require more of those juices 
with which the earth abounds than at any other season; 
consequently, to supply the vegetable crop with what 
they want in the growing months of May and June is 
calculated to keep their roots near the surface, which 
systematic watering is sure to do, and, consequently, 
prevent their doing that harm by absorbing so much 
from what ought to belong to the l’each-tree roots below. 
All manure so given ought to be in a liquid state, and it 
ought to be applied both plentifully and often, and the 
result will prove more beneficial than many may imagine; 
for the Peach, as well as some other things, do not at the 
moment tell the injury they are suffering; unlike a plant 
in a pot lacking water, its plaintive notes are not so im¬ 
mediately beard, but it is not the less sure to follow for 
all that. 
