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The moft commonly received notion of Epallers are 

 hcdo-cs of fruit-trees, which are trained up regularly 

 to a lattice of wood work, formed cither of Afli-poles, 

 or fquare long timbers cut out of Fir, &c. and it is of 

 this fort of Eipalier that I fhall treat in this place. 

 Efpaliers of fruit-trees are commonly planted to fur- 

 round the quarters of a kitchen-garden, for which 

 purpofe they are of admirable ufe and beauty •, for by 

 laying out the walks of this garden regularly, which 

 are bounded on each fide by thefe hedges, when they 

 are handfomely managed, they have a wonderful effeft 

 in fheltering the kitchen-plants in the quarters, and 

 alfo fcreening them from the fight of perfons in the 

 walks i fo that a kitchen-garden well laid out in this 



■ manner, and properly managed, will be equal to 

 the fineft regular parterre for beauty. 



The trees chiefiy planted for Efpaliers are Apples, 

 Pears, and fome Plums; but the two former are 

 moftly uled: fome plant Efpaliers of Apples grafted 

 upon Paradife-ftocks ; but thefe being of humble 

 growth, and a fnort duration, are not lb proper for this 

 purpofe, unlefs for very fmall gardens ; therefore I 

 fnould rather advife the having them upon Crab- 

 fbocks, or (if in fmaller gardens, where the trees can- 

 not be allowed to grow fo high) upon what the gar- 

 deners call the Dutch-ftock •, which will caufe them 

 to bear fooner, and prevent their grov^/ing too luxu- 

 riantly, and thefe will continue many years in vigour. 

 .in chufing the trees for an Efpalier, endeavour as 

 ,near as pofnble, to plant the feveral forts which are 

 nearly of the fame growth in one line, that the Efpa- 

 lier may be the more regular, and of an equal height, 

 wl^ich greatly adds to their beauty ; for if you plant 

 trees which flioot very unequally in the fame line, it 

 will be impoflible to make the Efpalier regular : be- 

 fides, the diftance of the trees mull be in proportion 

 . to their growth ; for fome trees, viz, thofe of a larger 

 . growth, fliould be planted thirty or thirty-five feet 

 • afunder ; whereas thofe of fmaller growth, need not 

 • be above twenty-five feet diftance frorii each other. 

 ^ The width of the walks and borders between thefe 

 . Efpaliers fhould (in ^ large garden) be fourteen or fix- 



■ teen feet at leafl: -, and if the trees are defigned to be 

 carried up pretty high, the diftance Ihould be greater, 

 that each fide may receive the advantage of the fun 

 and air, which is abfolutely. neceflary, if you would 

 have the fruit well tafted. And if your ground is fo 

 fituatcd, that you are at full liberty which way to 

 rhake the Efpaliers, I would advife the placing the 

 lines from the eaft a little inclining to the fouth, and 

 toward the weft a little inclining to the north, that 

 the fun may fliine between the rows in the morning 

 and evening when it is low ; for in the middle of the 

 day, when the fun is advanced far above the horizon, 

 it will fliine over the tops of the Efpaliers, and reach the 

 furface of the earth about their roots, which is a matter 

 of more confequence than many people are aware of. 

 The forts of Apples proper for Efpaliers, are the 

 Golden Pippin, Nonpareil, Rennette Grife, Aroma- 

 tick Pippin, Holland Pippin, French Pippin, Wheel- 

 er's Rufi*et, Pile's Ruffet, with fome others. The 

 feafon for planting, and the method of pruning and 

 training thefe trees, you will fee under the articles of 

 Apples and Pruning. 



The forts of Pears proper for an Efpalier, are chiefly 

 the fummer and autumn fruits, for fome of the win- 

 ter Pears feldom fucceed well in an Efpalier. Thefe 

 trees, if defigned for a, ftrong moift foil, fl:iould be 

 iipon Qiiince-ftocks ; but if for a dry foil upon free- 

 ftocks. Their diftance of planting muft alfo be regu- 

 lated by the grov/th of the trees, which are more un- 



■ equal in Pears than Apples, and fiiould therefoi'e be 

 more carefully examined before they are planted. As 

 for thofe Pears upon free-ftocks, the diftance fiiould 

 ■never be lefs than thirty feet for moderate growing 

 trees; but for vigorous fliocters, the fpace of forty 

 feet is little enough ; efpecialiy ifthe foil be ftrong, in 

 which cafe they fiiould be planted at a greater diftance. 

 The particular, forts of Pears I v/ould recommend for 

 an Efpalier, are the Jargonelle, Blanquette, Poire fans 



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Peau, Summer Boncretien, Hamden's Bercramor 

 Autumn Bergamot, L'ambrette, Gros RouiTelc/ 

 Chaumontelle, Bcurrc du Roy, Le Marquis, Creliane' 

 with fome others of Icls note; always remetnberini>* 

 that thofe Pears which are of the melting kind, wjii 

 do better in Efpalier than the breaking Pears, which 

 feldo;n ripen well on an Efpalier ; as alfo that manv 

 forts of Pears will ripen well on an Efpalier in a warrri 

 foil and fituation, which require a wall in^ther places- 

 you fiiould alfo be careful of the ftocks thefe are 

 grafted on ; for if the breaking Pears are grafted upon 

 Quince-ftocks, the fruit will be ftony, but the melt- 

 ing Pears will be hnproved by them. As to the 

 method of planting, fee the article Pear; and for 

 pruning and managing, fee Pruning. 

 I fliall now give dire6tions for making the Efpalier 

 to which the trees are to be trained ; but this Ihould 

 not be done until the third year after .the trees are 

 planted ; for while they are young, it will be fufficient 

 to drive a few fliort flakes into the ground on each 

 fide of the trees, in aftraitline, to which the branches 

 fiiould be faftened in an horizontal pofition, as they 

 are produced, in order to train them properly for the 

 Efpalier; which ftakes may be placed nearer, or at 

 a farther diftance, according as the fiioots produced 

 may require ; and thefe will be fufficient for the three 

 firft years ; for fiiould you frame the Efpalier the firit 

 year the trees are planted, many of the ftakes would rot 

 before the Efpalier is covered. The cheapeft method 

 to make thefe Efpaliers is with Afti-poles, of which 

 you fiiould have twq forts ; one of the largeft fize, 

 which contains thirteen poles in a bundle, and the other 

 fize thofe of half a hundred. The firft or largell fize 

 poles, fiiould be cut about feven feet and a halflono;; 

 thefe are intended foruprightftakes, and muft be fliarp- 

 ened at the largeft end, that they may, with more eale, 

 be driven into the ground ; and if their bottoms are 

 burred, or rubbed over with that compofition men- 

 tioned in the article of Coverings, they may bepre- 

 ferved a long time found ; thefe fiiould be placed at a 

 foot diftance from each other in a direct line, and of aa 

 equal height, about fix feet above ground ; then you 

 Ihould nail a row of ftrait flender poles along upon the 

 tops of the upright ftakes, whichwill keep them exactly 

 even, and continue to crofs the ftakes with the fmaller 

 poles, and alfo with the tops which were cut off from 

 the larger ftakes, at about nine inches diftance, row 

 from row, from the top to the bottom of the ftakes. 

 Thefe rows of poles fiiould be faftened with wire to the 

 ftakes, which if madeof f ir, and painted over,willlafta 

 longtime ; and the largeftend of thepoles fiiould be cut 

 flat, and nailed to the upright ftakes, which will fecure 

 the Efpalier alnioft as long as the poles will endure ; 

 whereas, if your fattening is not ftrong, the poles will 

 be continually difplaced with every ftrong wind. 

 When your Efpalier is thus framed, you muftfaftep 

 the branches of the trees thereto either with fmall 

 Ofier-twigs, rope-yarn, or fome fuch binding, obferv- 

 ing to train them in a horizontal pofition, and at equal 

 diftances ; being careful not to crofs any of the 

 branches, nor to lay dicm in too thick. The diftance 

 which fiiould be allowed for the branches of Pears and 

 Apples, muft be proportioned according to the fizeot 

 their fruit; fuch of them whofe fruit is large, as the 

 Summer Boncretien, Monfieur John, and Beurre du 

 Roy Fears, and the Rennet Grife, Holland Pippin, 

 French Pippin, and other large Apples, fiiould have 

 "their branches fix or eight inches diftance atleaft; 

 and to thofe of leflTer growth, four or five inches 

 will be fufiicient. But for farther direftions, I fliall 

 refer to the articles of the feveral fruits : as alfo that 

 of Pruning, where thefe particulars will be fuffici- 



ently explained. 



But befides this fort ofEfpalier made with Afii-poles, 



there is another fort that is by many people preferred , 

 which is framed with fquare timbers cut to a proper 

 fize, according to the ftrength thereof, ortheexpence 

 the owner is wiUing to go to. Thefe, though they ap- 

 pear more fightly, when well fixed and painted, are 



not of longer duration than one of the former, pro- 

 vided 



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