188 PK ACTIO AL GARDENING. 



trees on a wall have not half the branches, these branches will 

 reach a much longer way, and the filhng of all the spaces is a 

 far more important consideration than the exact figure which 

 is proposed to be accomphshed by training. Some authors 

 are partial to the serpentine, or undulating form, ia which to 

 train the branches of wall-trees, and it is founded on this 

 fact, — if a branch be bent doA\Tiwards, and so fixed, the 

 strongest shoots will come out nearest its base where it joins 

 the tree, in other words at the highest part of it ; whereas if 

 it be placed sloping upwards, as it would naturally grow, the 

 strongest shoots would come at the end furthest from the 

 trunk. It is therefore concluded, that by distorting the 

 branches, and thus interrupting the free passage of the sap, 

 the development of branches and fruit may be more equalized. 

 Hence, we see one author recommending the branches of a 

 vine to be bent like a snake in motion, another advocating 

 the branches of wallfruit-trees, especially the peach and nec- 

 tarine, to be bent serpentine-fashion ; but when we have 

 constantly before us examples of plain simple management 

 producing first-rate fruit, and plenty of it, all this fanciful 

 stuff seems mere child's play. The truth is, that gardeners 

 too often begin by putting fruit-trees into extraordinary rich 

 borders, exciting an unnaturally vigorous growth, and then 

 have to employ their wits to counteract mischief of their own 

 creation. Fruit-trees want nothing more than good natural 

 loam ; all the made-up borders will, perhaps, when the gar- 

 dener has brought his trees into proper subjection, give larger 

 fruit, with invariably a weaker flavour ; for it is one of those 

 laws which cannot be abrogated, that the more vigorous the 

 growth the milder the flavour, and, so that it be healthy 

 growth, the slower it is the stronger the flavour; so that, how- 

 ever desirable splendid-looking fruit may be, size is always 

 attained at the expense of flavour, as if a certain quantity 

 were assigned to each fruit, and the increased size weakened 

 it. It is this which makes size so desirable in vegetables, 

 which are the milder for it, but beyond a reasonable specimen, 

 not desirable in fruit, because we desire richness instead of 

 mildness, when the flavour is desirable at all. The more 

 aromatic and rich the juice of a pear, the better; but the 

 milder the cabbage, or the turnip, or the onion, the more it is 

 esteemed. But unfortunately, the taste, we mean the intel- 

 lectual taste, is a good deal perverted in the growth and 



