riLVCTICE OE GARDENING. R uit III.
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as accidental circumstances, or the purposes to wliieh it is intended to devote the intervening
spiice, may dcternniie. This space is technically called the slip, and, iic-eording
to hIThiail and most authors, should not be narrower than 30 ft., nor so wide tvs tt) throw
the plantation for shelter too far oil’ to produce its effect.
2828. 'The breadth o f the dip, according to Nicol, should be at least 20 ft., in order to
afford a suflicient border for the trees, and a walk ; hut it may be as much more in breadth
as may be necessary to give ground without the siiacc enclosed by walls for the snpi>ly
of the family, and it may be enlarged ou ali sides, or on any piu'ticular side, for that
purpose, ( k a l , p. 6.) The garden, Forsyth states, should be surrounded with a hordei-,
or slip, from 40 ft. to 60 ft. wide or more, if the ground can be spared ; and this again
enclosed with an oak paling, from 6 ft. to 8 ft. high, with a cheval de fr ize at top, to
prevent people getting o v e r: it will also strengthen the paling. ' By makiiig slips
on tho outside of the garden wall, you will have [ilciity of ground for gooseberries,
currants, strawberries, &e. Y'ou may allot that part of the slips which lies nearest to
the stables (if well sheltered and exposed to the sun) for melon and cucumber h ed s ;
aud yon can ])lant hoth sides of the gardcn-wail, wliich will give a great addition to tho
quantity of wall-fruit. (T r. on Fr. Trees, p. 294.)
S e c t . X. Placing the Cidinary Hothouses and'the Melon-ground.
2829. The situation o f the hothouses o f a kitchen-gaixlen is as various as the size and
fonn of gardens. Iu very extensive establishments, as at Kew, and the Royal Gardens
Frogmore, <a garden or walled enclosure is entirely devoted for this department, including
also the frame or melon ground. In ordinary cases, however, the culinary hothouses
are either placed against tho north wall of the garden, or against one or more of i
the cross walls. Sometimes they are placed in the slip, which is made wider ou purpose,
either on the east aud west sides of the garden, or to t!ie north, where it is situated on a
considerable declivity. Their effect, however, is almost ahvays best when situated
within the walls of the garden, cither attached to, or ou the north of cross walls. In this
way they are sources of greater interest to tlic proprietor, and come more naturally
into the general course of promenade than hy any other arrangement; for it must
not be forgotten, that the pleasure or satisfaction derived from even culinary hot-
lioiiscs docs not wholly consist in being put in possession of certain fruits of excellent
quality (for, if so, recourse need only he had to public markets), but in mai'kiiig
the progress of the trees or plants on which these fruits arc grown, in all their different
stages, and, as Nicol observes, in being able to say, “ these are the products of my own
garden.”
2830. Placing ihe hothouses in a range with a directly south aspect, or one inclining to
the east, is reconitnciidcd by Nico l; and it may be here observed, that what is a desirable
aspect for the best walls of a garden, will also be the best aspect for the hotliouses.
By placing them in a range, “ there will he an evident saving in tho division or end
lights, besides the saving of labour and time to those who attend to them. Being
properly arranged according to their different lengths, breadths, and heights, veiy much
beauty and variety may be given to the whole appearance.” (Kal., p. 272.)
2831. The hothouses occupy a considerable part o f the south wall, Neill observes, “ in
many gardens. In the area behind them arc sheds for tanners’ bark, rich mould, and
other requisites; wliilc there is a cart-acccss to the doors of the furnaces, and these with
the rubbish necessarily attending the operations of forcing, arc comjilctely hidden from
view. In some places all the forcing-houses form a continuous ran g e ; hut generally
the pine-stove and snccession-pit, being of different dimensions, arc placed separately.”
(Edin. Encyc., art. Hort)
2832. Culinary hothouses should not he mixed with houses fo r plants o f ornament. In
some old ill-arranged places, the gTccnhousc and plant-stove, ov botanic hothouses, are
united with those destined for culinary products, and this is vciy suitable, or is rather
a matter of necessity, in places on a moderate scale ; but where variety and effect are
taken properly into consideration, the ornamental or curious productions of gardening
will be kept separate from those whose beauty consists entirely or chiefly in their iitilit}-.
In this way, two distinct and strongly marked characters arc produced, instead of scenery
of a mixed, and, as it were, neutralised character.
2833. The situation o f the melon-ground is generally in the slip ; and, where the range
of hothouses is placed on the north wall, with tlic ground sloping, so as to shorten the
shadow thrown by this wall in winter, when the sun is low, the melon-gi-ound is with
great propriety placed in what may be called a hay of the slip behind the north wall
(Jig. 748. c). This may almost always he the case when tlic compost-ground and
melon-ground are placed adjoining each other, as the part most liable to be shaded may
be devoted to the former. “ The reasons,” Forsyth observes, “ for allotting part of the
outside slip next the stable, to hotbeds for raising melons and cucumbers, arc, first,
: Î'
, k I
l a y i n g OUT T U B A R EA . 7 4 ,
because there will be uo litter to carry within tho walls to dirty the walks • sccoiidlv tho
' " ‘r é tac a c o u v !.“ ? /
L toll Î " " carting and wheeliiio-
1 fhn " f o s s a i j especially 111 exposed situations^ to enclose tho melon-ground with
cither a wall or paling trom 6 ft. to 8 ft. liigh. It was formerly a praetieS to end,,se
mdon -p o u n d s with recd-lences ; buq although these arc tolerably wann, and are easily
■craoved from one place to another (being Tnade in separate pands),
to ) arbour vermin.” ( 7 V . Trees, p. 295.) In Didmeny garten, n L h L f i , . ; ?
us the melon-ground is situated on tho east side of tho garden, the gardeii-wall beiiiv
to t e w ilT f ta " Hi® otbor walls, and llucd like tl the rest
“
L t e - g ? . ! , ; ™ I“ “®-®"»™® “ Ita pit® “fC placed i
in this
above suggested, sliould generally be coni-
ho b I k a i.rtl ’ ™<1 ™11 be most convenient, if placed between the pits and
hotbeds, and the g-ardcii wall 011 wlucli the range of hothouses is placed ; and tliii.s wlieii
the melon-ground is p accd in the bay behind tho north wall, the compost-ground oc'cniiies
a space tliat would otherwise be too much shaded for hotbtals or pits. ’
S e c t . XI. Laying out the Area. ¡ntizBZZxZzr" '>> " ""““ta'
eonimonly called quar-
tors (d d), and bordci-s,
or narrow slijis (n),
riinniiig parallel to tlic
walls (4) and walks (c).
The magnitude and
numbei', both of compartments
and borders,
as well as of the walks,
depend ou the size of
the garden, and partly
also on tho taste of the
designer, licctangiiiiir
figures are almost uni-
vcrsaJIy preferred for
both. Tho breadth of
wall-borders ought generally
to be the same
‘b® b®ta®re “ “7 1'® broader, but do not pro-
aiioc a good cflect when narrower. In a garden of an .acre within the walls tho w dl-s
t e L Z ' i f e l r- A } " '“11 border t / A T t o Z J /
fixed about' 5 f t '? * * \ •' J ? " ‘ “ "1 ™ ®®P“ber rail is frequently
t e i L T L r “ i " ‘b® “■®®® “ '■® P'“" ‘®<i “lo fe
( , \ sc ¿ t ? 1 ! I ?'■’ ? i “ “ “11®7ora path,sepal atcs tho borders from the compartments. In commonly 2 ft. wide
tne Slip may be formed irregular compartments or bor-
acrs (ç), the gardener’s liouse (g), and the compost and
melon-grouud ( / ) . The fence on the south side may
be an open railing (p ), and on the north a wall or close
iiolly-licdge, the wliole suiToiindcd by a plantation, near
or more distant according to circumstances. TJie hothouses
bemg placed against the north wall (b), behind
them ai-c placed the sheds, and on a moderate scale these
may contain a working-room (h), fruit and seed-room
(e), tool-houscs (h), and the furnaces (i). To the open
space behind ( / ) , for composts and hotbeds, there should
always be a carriage entrance (n), for bringing in earth,
uiel, dung, &c. In the centre of the garden may be a
ioiuitam or basin of water (m), and in the gardener’s
Jiousc an upper bcd-room to overlook the whole. In
smaller gardens ( fg . 750.) the same general plan is
aaopted, as far as thcir extent admits. Where ornament
IS to bo combined with use, the standard fruit-trees and
slirubs may be planted in borders accompanying the
walks (c c); but where economy of ground is the object,
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