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JOURNAL OF HORXIOPLTUBE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



[ AprU a», 18«». 



more important object might be gained by pointing out the 

 right way to treat these spurs than by disonssing the mode of 

 training the stems and branches, for I never ooald discover 

 any particular difference in the hearing qualities of a branch 

 whether grown in a straight or curved direction. Perhaps 

 there was a difference between a vertical and a horizontal 

 branch, but in general some modification of the latter is 

 adoJ4ed in all fancy training, and I have often wondered in 

 what the difference consisted between the two modes of train- 

 ing called cordon and espilier, excepting in name, when both 

 are merely horizontal branches clothed with what are ex- 

 pected to be fruit-bearing spurs. If there is any difference, 

 it would seem that the newer form is more contracted, and 

 of course not ao fruitful. Training, however, has always 

 been a favourite pursuit of the amateur, and tho change in 

 the fashion in that respect need not be wondered at. Whether 

 every change is an advantage or not, is a question that might 

 be asked with propriety of those who assume to teach us the 

 form an Apple tree ought to take. The future, in all proba- 

 bility, will condemn much that is done now, and while fashion 

 tyrannises over us we ought to exercise a charitable feeling to 

 others. A Chinese mandarin has as much reason on his side 

 for admiring the distorted little foot of his lady love as the 

 English gentleman has for being proud of the miniature Apple 

 tree he has confined in a pot, or in some way dwarfed into 

 the smallest proportions compatible with its bearing fruit. 

 The analogy between the two cases is more striking than may 

 at first sight appear, and other instances might be given. Let 

 us not too hastily condemn those modes of training for the 

 adoption of which there are good reasons. On the other hand, 

 iet every mode of growing good fruit be fairly represented, and 

 the result of each fairly pointed out. 



Amongst the earliest modes of training the Apple tree that 

 I have any knowledge of from personal inspection (setting 

 aside wall and espalier training), is a mode not yet extinct, 

 and of which the first specimen I remember seeing must have 

 been formed before the commencement of the present century, 

 and for anything I know to the contrary, the plan might have 

 been followed a century earlier. It is simply to take a dwarf 

 tree, eay with a stem 1 foot high out out the centre of the tree, 

 and tie-in all the branches to a hoop a little way up, so as to 

 form a sort of skeleton like that of au inverted umbrella with- 

 out the handle. These branches are shortened and multiplied, 

 80 as seldom to exceed a height of H feet, and a diameter at the 

 top of about the same dimensions. Spurs more or less fruit- 

 ful, and, I may observe, more or less ugly (in winter certainly 

 so), stud the sides of these branches, and every year the tree 

 undergoes one or more prunings. Very good fruit is often 

 obtained in this way, and in places where it is important not 

 to interfere with the view of some distant place, this mode 

 may have its advocates, but fewer trees are met with thus 

 managed than thirty or more years ago. 



Another mode of training, partly a modification of the last, 

 is to start the tree in the same manner, but instead of shorten- 

 ing the branches to rather encourage them upwards, and re- 

 move most of the lateral branches, excepting natural spurs. 

 The leaders only were shortened when necessary, and the 

 centre of the tree kept open and hollow, so that the sun could 

 shine on the north side of the tree as well as on the south, by 

 its rays penetrating the centre. I remember one of the 

 prettiest orchards of trees of this kind that I think I ever saw, 

 just coming into full bearing. The trees were eight or ten 

 years old and in robust health, when, with those in many 

 other orchards in the same neighbourhood, they were struck 

 with blight, and not a single leaf was to be seen on the whole 

 orchard of several acres on the Ist of July. This was, I think, 

 in 1850, but I may be mistaken a year. The trees were all 

 King Pippin, a populpr kind at that time. They recovered, 

 but have never presented the robust healthy character they 

 did before, but at the time I mention other trees suffered in a 

 like manner. The evil must not be ascribed to the mode of 

 training, which is much to be admired when the ground is 

 retained in tillage, but when it is laid down in grass it is not 

 SO convenient. 



Where a few very fine fmit are required for some special 

 purpose, as for exhibition, I believe there is no better mode of 

 obtaining them than on young healthy trees trained espalier 

 fashion. I do not affirm that they would not be as good, on a 

 wall with a favourable aspect, but such walls are generally 

 wanted for other kinds of fruit, and I mention the espalier as 

 being the next beat mode of securing good specimens of fruit. 

 la giving this opinion, size and appearance are ths qualities 



supposed to be expected, for I am not sure that the flavour is 

 any hotter than, if so good as, that of fruit from trees grown 

 in a more natural way. As the latter, however, are exposed to 

 high winds and other casualties which often bruise or blow off 

 the best samples of fruit, I have recommended the espalier, as 

 being more safe. A neatly-trained espalier tree is also an orna- 

 ment to a garden ; but it is often made to serve another pur- 

 pose as well — namely, to act as a screen to conceal unsightly 

 objects. Without, however, giving any further opinion on the 

 merits of this mode of growing fruit than as regards the 

 quantity and quality of the produce, I fear the former must not 

 be looked into very closely, but the latter, where the trees are 

 healthy and other things favourable, ^\ill bear investigation as 

 well as that of fruit grown in any other way. 



On the many fanciful forms the Apple tree has been twisted 

 into, it is not my purpose here to enter, further than to give a 

 mere glance at one or two prominent ones. First amongst 

 them I may mention the arched trellis and the table trellis, as 

 the late Mr. Errington used to designate it. The merits and 

 demerits of both were somewhat alike, being the full exposure 

 to sun of the fruit at top,, and the full exposure to frost and 

 other enemies to the blossom in spring. Certainly the character 

 of the training gives good opportunities for using some protect- 

 ing material, and when trouble and expense are not cared for, 

 the plan might be recommendable. The arched trellis, when 

 enclosing a walk, is often an object of beauty and of utility as 

 well, but I am not certain of ever having seen better fruit ob- 

 tained from them than from the ordinary espalier, and very 

 often healthy ordinary standards yield as good fruit as either. 

 Another fanciful mode I oncp had the management of, was to 

 train the Apple-tree branches spirally round a sort of iron 

 cage of a cylindrical shape. As objects of mere fancy, I used 

 to think the trees looked better than those trained in other 

 fanciful forms, espeoially in winter, and they bore neither better 

 nor worse, as far as I could judge, than others pruned on the 

 artificial spur system, and which, when long continued, gives 

 a branch a miniature pollard-headed character ; the fruit so 

 produced, however large, fills the basket but slowly, and is in- 

 ferior in flavour to that born,e on standards, and, therefore, 

 more fully exposed to the sun and air. 



The pyramidal training of the Apple does not appear to be 

 so successful as that of the Pear, the natural form of the Apple 

 tree being unfavourable, but I believe some good examples 

 of this mode of training are to be met with ; still, in the cases 

 where they exist, it may be supposed that a very good result 

 might also have been obtained had a more natural mode been 

 adopted. A favourable situation, assisted by a good season, 

 will usually insure a successful result. The proper question 

 to ask is. Whether the same result might not have been at- 

 tained in a more simple and economical manner ? and if this 

 can be proved to be the cafe, the advocates of any particular 

 mode of training may bo asked to put their case in some statis- 

 tical form, so as to phow what advantage a great amount of 

 labour and attention has on its side, if a like result can be 

 attained with half that labour and attention. Where these 

 become pleasure it is needless to push the question ; but, in 

 general, people do not take things in that light, and if a bushel 

 of Apples can be had from a large tree for a certain sum as 

 good as the same can be had at a greater cost from some pecu- 

 liarly-trained small tree, they will naturally ask, What is thp 

 use of all the stopping, pruning, and the like? 



If I were asked my opinion of what most nearly approached 

 perfection in an orchard of Apple trees, bearing in mind the 

 requirement of a fair remuneration to the producer, I would 

 point to some of the many good exarnples of standard trees on 

 grass— not that they have always been surrounded by grass, 

 but, on the contrary, they have been reared on tilled ground, 

 but as the trees attained a proper size the ground was laid down 

 in grass. Examples of this mode of culture are plentiful 

 enough, and so are some decrepit trees as well. In one of the 

 best orchards of this kind, fruit may often be seen produced by 

 hundreds of bushels ; and if we were to look through Covent 

 Garden Market and trace the best samples of Apples met with 

 there to the places they came from, these would most likely be 

 fuond to be orchards of this description. I have no hesitation 

 in saying that in my opinion the mode of cultivation referred 

 to has a decided advantage over all others in providing Apples 

 for the million, and not unfrequently the hest dishes gracing 

 an exhibition table are furnished by trees so treated. And why 

 should it not be so ? The Apple, if not a native fruit, is cer- 

 tainly an improved form of the wild Crab found amongst ns, 

 and tb« natural form of the Crab tree is.a f»it example of that 



