FORMS OF TREES 5 



FORMS OF TREES 



The intending planter of apple trees must first make 

 up his mind as to the kind of tree he intends to 

 purchase, and this of course will greatly depend upon 

 the land or garden at disposal. If the latter is a small 

 one, it would of course be folly to invest in large 

 growing Standards, for, besides creating a great deal of 

 unnecessary shade, such a practice would very severely 

 limit the choice of varieties, as but few such trees could 

 be accommodated in a small garden. 



The principal forms of apple trees are the following : 

 Standard, Half-Standard, Bush, Pyramid, Espalier, and 

 Cordon. 



A few remarks upon each may perhaps serve to 

 explain its chief features and the positions for which 

 it is best suited. We will first take the Standard. 

 This is a form that must be known to everyone who is 

 at all familiar with a country orchard. As a rule the 

 Standard has a clear stem of six feet from the ground, 

 that is to say, up to this point no branches or twigs are 

 allowed to develop from the stem, which is perfectly free. 

 Then, at a height of about six feet, the branches of the 

 tree are allowed to develop, and are gradually so trained 

 as to form a large more or less cup-shaped head, each 

 branch, however, being properly regulated so that there 

 may be no overcrowding of shoots and leaves. The 

 shape of the Standard apple tree varies considerably, for 

 different varieties are dissimilar in growth ; some grow- 

 ing almost erect, while others again have a much more 

 spreading habit. In time, however, a Standard invari- 

 ably forms a large and spreading tree, the height of 

 which varies according to the sort. The Standard is 

 invaluable, indeed indispensable to the planting of an 

 orchard on grass land. It is much more at home in the 

 orchard than in the garden proper, unless the latter be 



