545

GARDENING.

fountains, canals, cascades, &c. which are the greatest ornamentsof a garden.

IV'. The last thing to be considered, is the prospect of a fine icountry ; and though this is not absolutely necessary, yet it is oneof the most agreeable beauties of a tine garden : besides^ if a gardenbe planted in a low place that has no kind of prospect, it will notonly be disagreeable but unwholesome.

Of Laying out and Planting Gardens.

Gardens are usually distinguished into Flower-Gardens, Fruit'Gardens, and Kitchen-Gardens . The lirst being designed for |pleasure and ornament, should be placed in the most conspicuouspart, that is, next to the back or front of the house ; and the twolatter, 1 icing designed for use, should be placed less in sight. Butthough the fruit and kitchen gardens are here mentioned as dis-tinct, yet they are now usually united ; as they equally require agood soil and exposure, and should both be placed out of the viewof the house. In the laying out and planting of gardens, the beau-ties of nature should always be studied ; for the nearer a gardenapproaches to nature, the longer it will please. According to Mr.■Miller, the area of a handsome garden may take up 30 or 40 acres,but no more ; and the following rules should be observed in thedisposition of it. There ought always to be a descent of at leastthree steps from the house to the garden ; this will render thehouse more dry and wholesome, and the prospect on entering thegarden more extensive. The first thing that ought to present itselfto view should he an open lawn of grass ; which ought to be con-siderably broader than the front of the building ; and if the depthbe one- half more than the width, it will have a better effect: if ion the sides of the lawn there are trees planted irregularly, by"'ay of open groves, the regularity of the lawn will be broken,a "d the whole rendered more like nature. For the convenienceOf walking in damp weather, this lawn should he surrounded witha gravel-walk, on the outside of which should be borders three orfour feet wide for flowers; and from the back of these the pros-pect will be igreeably terminated by aslope ofever-green shrubs ;"’bicli, however, should never he suffered to exclude agreeableProspects, or the view of handsome buildings. These walks maylead through the diflerent plantations, gently winding about in an*asy natural manner; which will be more agreeable than eitherthose long straight walks, too frequently seen in gardens, or thoseforpentine windings that are twisted about into so many short turnsas to render it difficult to walk in them ; and as no garden can bepleasing where there is a want of shade or shelter, these walksshould lead as soon as possible into plantations, where persons may"'alk in private, and he sheltered from the wind. Narrow rivu-fots, which have a constant stream, if they are judiciously led aboutthe garden, have a better effect than large stagnating ponds or ca-J'als so frequently made in large gardens. When wildernesses are'''tended, they should not be cut into stare and other ridiculous.gurcs, nor formed into mazes or labyrinths, which in a great de-sign appear trifling. In a word, the several parts of a.garden ifoould be diversified ; but in places where the eye takes in the i"hole at once, the two sides should be always the same. In de- I®'gns, the aim should be always at what is natural. 'I he general ’Imposition of a garden and of its parts ought to be accommodated |fo the different situations of the ground, to humour its inequaii- ■fo s > to proportion thr number of sorts of trees and shrubs to eachP ar t, and to shut out from the view of the garden no objects that*"ay become ornamental. But these extended views ot the sub-d e °t are not to our present purpose. A practical attention to apreen, is by some esteemed a degrading employment. It is- tu< “> indeed, that pastoral and agricultural manners, if we may° rt n a judgement from the dignified descriptions of Virgil, areS r <-*atIy degenerated. The employments of the shepherds audhus-‘"Klnien are now become mean and sordid. I he work of theprden is usually left to a peasant. Nor is it unreasonable to as-'Sn the labour, which wearies without amusement, to those who ir e sufficiently amused by the prospect of their wages, but thePerations of grafting, of inoculating, of pruning, of transplanting,Jj e curious experiments in natural philosophy i al 'd that they areP 1 easing as well as curious, those can testify who femember whatae y felt on seeing their attempts in these brandies of practical-", fooiing attended" with success. Among the employments suit-

e to old age, Cicero has enumerated the supenntendance ot av °b h.-no. 92 .

garden. It requires no great exertion of mind or body; and itssatisfactions are of that kind which please without violent agitation.Its influence on health is an additional reason for.an attention to itat an age when intirmities abound. But it is not the extensive gar-den alone that calls our attention, or yields us pleasmie. The pos-sessor of an acre, or a small portion, may receive a real pleasure..from-observing the progress ol vegetation, even in a plantation ofculinary plants. A very limited tract, properly attended to, willfurnish ample employment for an individual. Nor let it bethought a mean care ; for the same hand that raised the cedar,formed the hyssop on the wall. Kven the orchard, cultivated,solely for advantage, exhibits beauties unequalled In shrubbery ;nor can the greenhouse produce an appearance to excel the bloslsom of the apple and the almond. The kitchen-garden ought tohe situated on one side of the house, near the stables, from whencethe dung may be easily conveyed into it; and after having builtthe wall, borders should be. made under them, which, accordingto Mr. Miller, ought to be eight or ten feet broad. Upon theseborders, exposed to the south, many sorts of early plants may hesown ; and upon those exposed to the north, may be sow n somelate crops, taking care not to plant any deep-rooting plants, espe-cially beans and pease, too near the fruit-trees. Next proceedto divide the ground into quarters ; the best ligures for these* are asquare or an oblong, if tbe ground will admit of it ; otherwisethey may be of that shape which will be most advantageous. 'Flicsize of tfiese quarters should be proportioned to that ot the garden ;if too small, the ground will be lost in walks, and the quartersbeing inclosed by espaliers of fruit-trees, the plants will draw upslender, for want of a more open exposure. The walks shouldalso he proportioned to the size of the ground ; these in a smallgarden should be six feet broad, but in a large one ten, and oneach side of the walk there should be allowed a border three or fourfeet wide between it and the espalier. In these borders may besown small sallads, or any other herbs that do not take deep rootor continue long ; but they should not be sown or planted withtbe same plants two years together. In the quarter nearest to thestables, and best defended from the cold winds, should be thehot-beds, for early cucumbers,-melons, &c. and to these thereshould be a passage from the stables, and a gale through which asmall cart may enter. The most important points of general cul-ture consist in well digging and manuring the soil, and giving aproper distance to each plant, according to their diflerent grow ths:as also in keeping them clear from weeds: for which purpose, al-ways observe to keep the dunghills free from them, otherwisetheir seeds will be constantly brought in and spread with thedung.

. The Gardener’s Calendar.

Under this head we proceed to point out what is proper to bedone in the different months of the year, in the Kitchen-Garden ,Flower-Garden, Orchard, &c. It is necessary, however, to men-tion here, that the arrangement in the following Calendar wasoriginally drawn up for the climate of England; but will suit thoseparts of Scotland where the climate is mild equally well, uponallowing a difference of ten or twelve days later for sowing orplanting. Where the seasons are still more backward, a propor-tional allowance will be made by the judicious gardener, or prac-titioner in this pleasant art.

JANUARY.

Kitchen-Garden . Cauliflower-plants under glasses and frames,should be covered with pea-straw, or mats, to defend them fromthe frost. Celery and endive should be digged up as soon as thefrost begins, for daily use, and the other c overed with straw. Cu-cumbers for the first crop, to come in early in March, should nowbe sown. As soon as they are three or four days old put eachinto a small pot, and every week sow more to have plenty ofplants. Dung should he wheeled into the kitchen-garden infrosty weather, when other work cannot be done. Ground lyingvacant should be digged up, if omitted in October, and thrown upinto ridges. Hotbeds and loam should he prepared for asparagus,cucumbers, and melons. Lettuces under glasses should be ex-amined, and if they be killed, sow more on a hotbed. Mushroom-beds w ill require regular attendance, and frost and rain must be

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