356 THE PAEKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Chap. XXI. 



also proud of his skill in overcoming difficulties of training, and 

 shows it by these curiously and very successfully trained trees 

 against his walls. It is only just to state that these elaborately- 

 trained trees bear freely and well ; but 

 except for curiosity's sake or for show, 

 they should not be attempted. 



Branches of large trees trained nearly 

 in a horizontal position, fifteen feet, were 

 three inches higher at the apex than at 

 the base, a difi'erence which scarcely 

 removed them from the horizontal j)osi- 

 tion, and yet sufficed to give an easy 

 ascent to the sap, and prevent all tendency 

 Mode of preservu,g the Lo%m-r Part of thc branch to shoot vlgorously from 



of the stems from the Sun. . , ,-> -, 



any point near the base, as is sometimes 

 the case with the branches when placed exactly in a horizontal 

 position. Apart from this, the growing-point of each main 

 branch is allowed to push freely a little upwards, so as to en- 

 courage the sap to flow regularly through the branch, and not 

 halt at any one point to the detriment of all. Grafting by 

 approach is practised to cover naked branches. Four to five 

 hundred Peaches are gathered from the best trees, or an average 

 of about ten for every yard in length of fruiting-branch. 

 Cheap and rather thin planks, about twenty inches wide, are 

 preferred for the temporary coping ; walls twelve feet high would 

 be benefited by a few inches more. Cordons of Calville Blanc and 

 other fine Apples are planted plentifully on the spaces between 

 the trees ; no matter how well the walls are covered, there is 

 always space for cordon trees between them, in consequence of 

 the branches having an upward inclination. 



M, Lej)ere's garden here is large, and consists of a series of 

 oblong spaces surrounded by Peach-walls, both walls and ground 

 being well covered and cropped. The Peach is the favourite 

 subject, but neat pyramidal and cordon Pear and Apple trees are 

 also to be seen, and the place is a very interesting one. Outside 

 the entrance of the Peach-grounds there is a small garden, Avhere 

 against a wall may be seen several capital examples of Peach- 

 trees, the finest being trained after what is called the square 

 form. This is much admired by the best cultivators, but they 



