256 TWO NEW FORMS OF TRAINING WALL TREES. 



ing attention to the arrangement there shown ; for it is very im- 

 portant, and has been attended witli complete success wherever 

 it has been adopted. The Peach-trees (for this plan is only ap- 

 plicable to them) are planted obliquely at a distance of 34 inches 

 from each other, and so that, the stems being inclined at an 

 angle of 45°, the perpendicular distance between any two of ' 

 them which are adjacent may be 2 feet. At the first pruning 

 the stem is cut at about 20 inches from the graft, and during the 

 following summer the shoots which make their appearance are so 

 managed that an elongation is obtained only at the top, whilst 

 fruit-branches are produced on the two sides. The next year 

 the length of the new growth is left at from 2 feet 4 inches to 

 3 feet, according to the strength of the tree, and the fruit- 

 branches are treated in the ordinary way. The stem of each 

 tree is thus made to elongate continually, in the line of inclina- 

 tion, until the top of the wall is reached. The tree is then 

 completely formed, and consists of one single stem inclined at an 

 angle of 45°, and bearing nothing but fruit-branches. 



Fear might be entertained lest the sap, being confined to a 

 single stem, should cause the lateral buds to develope too vigor- 

 "ously to admit of the formation of flower-buds. But this action 

 of the sap being proportional to the quantity of the roots, and 

 these being confined by their proximity to each other, tlie vigour 

 of the trees does not become excessive. Tlie walls against which 

 trees are thus trained should not be less than 10 feet in height, 

 otherwise the trees will, notwithstanding their inclination, be too 

 •confined to fruit well. 



In order that empty spaces may not be left on the wall, it is 

 necessary, as appears from the figure, to begin the series of trees, 

 to the right, with a half horizontal, and to end, to the left, with 

 a, tree bearing a liorizontal principal branch A, which itself must 

 bear secondary branches inclined at an angle of 45°. This prin- 

 cipal branch is in fact nothing but the original stem of the tree 

 gradually brought down, and upon which the secondary branches 

 have been allowed to develope, beginning with those farthest 

 from the stock. 



Let us now see whether this arrangement does or not possess 

 the advantages we ascribe to it. And first, inasmuch as the 

 successive elongations of each stem when pruned are on the 

 average 32 inches in length, it cannot take more than 6 years 

 -at most to cover a wall 10 feet in height, since the stems inclined 

 at an angle of 45° are at the end of that time upwards of 16 

 feet long. Five years, then, at least are gained by the above 

 method, which cannot be gained by any of the others, and most 

 •of the inconveniences attributed to them are at once avoided by 

 this. If one of the trees should die, another may be put in its 



