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CHAPTER VII. 



THE MANAGEMENT OF FRUIT TREES. 



The fruit trees cultivated in gardens are of 

 three kinds : the wall trees, the espaliers, and 

 the standards. To these may be added the 

 fruit shrubs and the vines ; which last are gene- 

 rally grown under glass. 



The Wall Fruit Trees. — There are two 

 things on which the welfare of wall fruit trees 

 materially depends, viz. the construction of the 

 wall, and that of the border. The walls of 

 kitchen-gardens are very generally made too 

 high : a serious fault in many respects, but 

 particularly in impeding the free passage of the 

 sun and air to the fruit. It has, indeed, been 

 found, by experience, that walls about eight 

 feet high will produce better fruit than walls of 

 ten feet or twelve feet, which is the general 

 height; and, besides, they have the advantage 

 of not throwing so deep a shadow over the 

 garden. Of whatever height the walls may be, 

 they should always be in straight lines ; as the 

 various expedients which have been from time 

 to time adopted, of curved or zigzag lines, have 

 been found not to answer in practice, but to 

 produce eddies and currents of wind exceed- 

 ingly injurious to the fruit. The garden wall 



