124 THE FLORIST. 



daily require watering, and occasionally fumigating. By the middle of 

 May they will have made a large quantity of roots, and will move well 

 and do much better than if cramped up in pots. Pelargoniums, Ver- 

 benas, Petunias, &c., may be planted out in this manner. By getting 

 as many thiiigs as possible put out in this way, it gives persons au 

 opportunity to bring forward more delicate plants, and anything that 

 one may be rather short of There are nearly in all places some 

 sheltered warm spots that may be made available for this purpose, and 

 by a little contrivance a great quantity of " bedding stufF" may be had 

 in first-rate order, for planting out any time after the middle of May. 

 It is better to take a little extra trouble now, so as to have sufficient 

 plants, than, when bedding-out time comes, to find oneself short of this 

 thing and of that. 



M. Saul. 



ON ESPALIER TRAINING GOOSEBERRIES AND 

 CURRANTS. 

 By training these fruits espalier fashion, they present a neater appear- 

 ance in gardens, and are well adapted for accompanying walks or 

 dividing plots of ground. The fruit is likewise more easily gathered, 

 and can be more effectually covered with netting when birds are 

 troublesome. The plan practised at Bowood, after the ground has 

 been duly prepared, is to plant the trees in lines four to five feet apart 

 (if intended for a plantation), and the plants four feet apart in the 

 rows. After planting, the back and front shoots will require cutting 

 away, reserving those which range with the line of trees, for training ; 

 the first season it will only be necessary to place a few stakes crosswise 

 against each tree (in the same manner as young fruit trees in the 

 nurseries are trained), and tie in the wood to these in a fan-shaped 

 manner. The second winter a regular espalier must be formed by 

 placing upright stakes, 3 feet apart, in the direction of the rows of trees. 

 The part of these inserted in the ground should be charred, by which 

 they will last for several years ; to these, rails or horizontal rods should 

 be tied with osier twigs ; the lowermost one should be one foot from 

 the ground, and the next nine or ten inches higher. The espaliers 

 here are about four feet high, which is sufficient for all the kinds 

 except the Upright Red, or Ironmonger, which is a strong grower, 

 and takes a five feet espalier. The rails may be of any kind — Hazel 

 or Ash — the slenderer the better, as then the uprights need not be so 

 strong. The trees will fill a trellis four feet high in three years, after 

 which they give very little trouble, excepting cutting back the young 

 wood not wanted for filling up, which is done after the fruit is gathered, 

 and occasionally replacing a rotten stake. The cflltivation in other 

 respects is similar to the old plan ; on dry soils a mulching of half 

 rotten manure spread between the rows in May will keep the ground 

 cool, and greatly benefit the crop. We find by this plan enormous 

 crops are produced on a small space of ground, and although rather 

 more trouble, the many advantages espalier training has over the old 



