Identifier: gardenersassista04thom (find matches)
Title: The gardener's assistant; a practical and scientific exposition of the art of gardening in all its branches
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Thompson, Robert, 1798-1869 Watson, William, 1858-1925
Subjects: Gardening Horticulture
Publisher: London : The Gresham Publishing Co.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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that paving, or concreting,I the bottom of fruit-tree borders is to be recom-mended in all damp situations. It is of specialadvantage where the subsoil contains substancesI injurious to vegetation. In such cases there canbe no question as to its utility, and therefore,where expense is no object, it should always becarried out. Fig. 826 shows the wall, construc-tion of paved border, and path in section. Where the subsoil is good and not too moist,paving may be dispensed with. Its advantagesdepend upon the peculiarities of the soil, situa-tion, and climate, concerning which everyonemust be guided by the circumstances of thecase. Concrete, or grout as builders term it, is a FORMATION OF THE FRUIT AND KITCHEN GARDEN. 27 mixture of lime, gravel, and sand. It is muchused for the foundations of walls and houses,and is likewise suitable for fruit-tree borders.The lime should be fresh and newly slacked,and the stones or gravel should pass through asieve of an inch-and-a-half mesh. Where gravel
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is scarce, small broken stones, bricks, or cinderswill do equally well. Four parts of clean river,or washed gravel, one part of clean sharp sand,and one part of fresh hot lime, well mixed, andthrown smartly down on the floor of the borderto a depth of 4 to 6 inches, make a first-rateconcrete bottom for fruit-tree borders. A moredurable concrete is formed by adding to thelime one-fourth part of Portland cement, anda layer 4 inches in thickness will serve as wellas one of 6 inches containing no cement. A concrete thus formed will be durable, andimpervious to roots; but if gravel cannot con-veniently be had, a mortar formed of one partlime to three or four of sand will resist theroots of trees, if laid on a bottom of a uniformsolidity to a depth of about 3 inches. Thismay be found cheaper than concreting. In proceeding to lay down the concrete, careshould be taken to prepare for it an even floorof uniform solidity. The breadth of the border,if not more than 18 feet wide, should be marked

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