24 ON TRAINING AND PRUNING. 



until spring, all such parts as may have been affected by the 

 weather, can be removed to the extent to which the damage 

 has been sustained. As the pruning of such unripe wood 

 in the autumn would be injurious, so it frequently is when 

 it is done during winter, and the more so according to its 

 severity ; because, whenever a cut is made on such g? een 

 wood, the frost generally affects it, as the sap is not so 

 dense, nor the wood so firm, as to be able to resist its intense- 



Whatever method is adopted in training trees, care should 

 be taken to keep the two sides as nearly equal as possible ; 

 this may easily be done, whether they are trained in the fan 

 or horizontal method. For espalier trees, the horizontal 

 method has many advantages over any other; the small 

 compass within which the trees are obliged to be kept, 

 requires such a direction for the branches, in order to make 

 them fruitful ; and were very high trellises formed, so as to 

 admit of the trees being trained in the fan method, such 

 would be very objectionable, by reason of the shade they 

 would cause, and the trees would also be deprived of the 

 benefit of a warmer temperature, which those less elevated 

 receive. 



As some young gardeners may not know what is meant 

 by espaliers, it may be necessary to explain, that espaliers 

 are hedges of fruit trees, which are trained up regularly to a 

 frame or trellis of wood-work ; they produce large fruit plen- 

 tifully, without taking up much room, and may be planted 

 in the Kitchen Garden without much inconvenience to its 

 other products. For espalier fruit trees in the open ground, 

 a trellis is absolutely necessary, and may either be formed 

 of common stakes or poles, or of regular joinery work, 

 according to taste or fancy. 



The implements employed in pruning, and the manner of 

 using them, are matters of moment. If the operation is 

 commenced when the tree is young, and judiciously followed 

 up, a good knife, a small saw, a mallet, and a chisel fixed 



