GARDENING, or HORTICULTURE, differs from agriculture in the comparatively small extent of ground used, the much greater variety of productions sought from it, and, consequently, also to no small extent in the manner of cultivation. The different ordinary productions of the garden are usually classed under the three heads of flowers, fruits, and culinary vegetables, concerning which see FLOWER-GARDEN. FRUITS, and KITCHEN-GARDEN. In large gardens, these departments are kept very distinct, particu larly the first and last of them; but in small gardens they are generally more or less combined.
Where circumstances permit a choice of situation, a garden ought to be as fully as possible exposed to the rays of the sun, and in the northern parts of the world a gentle slope to the s., s.e., or saw. is even preferable to a perfect level. But a slope in the opposite directions is by all means to he avoided. The form of a garden, unless where some peculiarity of situation determines it otherwise, is usually a parallelogram; and it is considered desirable, at least in the case of a walled garden, that it should be longer from e. to w. than from n. to s., in order to have as much as possible of the best exposure of wall for Iruit-trees. This is also sometimes increased by the inelosure within a fence of some other kind, of a piece of ground called a slip, exterior to the ,,wall. A wall, either of brick or stone, is the best inclosure for a garden; brick being preferable on account of its more perfect adaptation to fruit-trees (see IVAr.r.-TBF.Es); but where this is deemed too expensive, hedges of thorn, holly, etc., are resorted to. Hedges afford good shelter from winds, but have the disadvantages of harboring,birds and snails to an inconvenient degree, and of withdrawing to their own support much of the strength of the adjacent soil. The garden, if in the form of a parallelogram, is usually divided into smaller parallelograms; a large garden, in the first instance,;by cross-walls, smaller gardens at once by walks, and the plots thus formed arc, if neces sary, broken up by paths into smaller plots or beds for different kinds of plants. The paths within the plots are made by mere treading with the foot, when the ground has been newly dug, and are intended only for a single season; the walks are permanent, and are carefully made, usually by throwing out the earth to the depth of at least a few inches, and supplying its place with stones, cinders, broken bricks, slag from furnaces, or the like—whatever, in fact,'is least likely to afford nutriment to plants—the surface being covered with gravel, which is kept clear of weeds by frequent stirring with the hoe or Dutch hoe. The walks are seldom less than ft. in width. The ground occu
pied by them is still useful for the nourishment of plants, and particularly of trees or shrubs, growing near them. They have generally edgings (q.v.) to separate them neatly from the adjoining cultivated ground; and in damp situations, it is thought desirable to have them as much elevated in the center as is consistent with comfort in walking on them.
The soil of a garden is often prepared with a degree of are which is impossible in regard to a farm. A deep, rich, and easily penetrable soil is desirable; and where the immediate expense is not much regarded, the soil of -a garden is sometimes almost entirely artificial; more generally, means are used for ameliorating the original soil. Of these means, one of the most important is trenching, by which the . soil is deepened, and it is desirable that the soil of a garden should be at least 3 ft. deep. The proper depth of trenching, however, depends ou the original depth of the soil and the nature of the subsoil; where the soil is pretty uniform to a considerable depth, the deepest trenching is advantageous; and the available soil may often be deepened by incorporating a portion of the subsoil with it; but if too much of a subsoil unsuited for vegetation is at once thrown up by trenching, it may communicate its own barren ness for years to the soil, ere it is mellowed by exposure to the air, manures, and the processes of cultivation. A stiff clay soil is very unsuitable for many of the crops required in a garden, and ought to be mixed with as much sand and vegetable matters as can easily be procured, both at the formation of the garden and afterwards. It is of course necessary, in all cases, that a garden be thoroughly drained; it is also of great consequence to have the means of irrigation, or at least of abundant watering, which, even where the climate is generally moist, greatly tends to increase the produce in dry seasons, and is almost always necessary to the perfection of certain crops. Indeed, if water can be obtained to form a small pond, or to pass through the garden as a rivulet, it may not only be turned to account for purposes of ornament, but also of utility, in the cultivation of many plants which cannot be successfully cultivated otherwise. This use of water is far from being so common as it might be in British gardens; even a cranberry-plot, although a pleasant thing and of easy attainment, seldom thought of; the Chinese are, better acquainted with it, and cultivate aquatic plants to an extent that has never been equaled amongst any other people.