170 THE MANAGEMENT OF [CHAP. VII. 



heat renders mealy and insipid ; and these 

 would obviously be injured instead of improved 

 by a south or south-east wall ; while other 

 fruits, such as the peach, could not produce 

 good fruit in our climate without one. Before 

 planting trees against the walls of a garden, it 

 will thus be necessary to select the trees proper 

 for each wall ; and, as some of the finer kinds 

 will be several years before they attain a suffi- 

 cient size to fill up the places assigned to them, 

 trees of inferior kinds may be planted between 

 them, so that no part of the wall may be lost ; 

 the inferior trees being cut in as the others 

 grow, and being finally removed. This is 

 accomplished by planting alternately dwarf 

 trees of the kind which is to remain, and trees 

 grafted standard high, which are called riders, 

 of the kinds which are to be removed. The 

 distance at which the permanent trees should 

 be planted, depends upon the nature of the 

 tree. 



There is, however, one objection to a south 

 or south-east wall for tender plants, which 

 should be carefully guarded against. This is, 

 the danger from spring frosts, to which the 

 blossoms are exposed during the night, from 

 being brought prematurely forward during the 

 day. To guard against this, the south wall 

 should have a deep wooden coping, supported 

 by holdfasts, projecting about a foot from the 

 wall ; and under this coping there should be a 

 row of hooks, on which should be hung a kind 

 of curtain of bunting, which should be kept on 

 day and night in frosty weather, while the 

 blossoms are expanded. This serves not only 



