390 THE TARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Chap. XXITT. 



CHAPTEE XXIII. 



Training. 



In France the commonest garden-labourers frequently possess a 

 knowledge of pruning and training trees which we might look for 

 in vain anywhere in this country ; and by way of illustrating 

 their skill in this way, we cannot do better than describe their 

 mode of forming two of the most popular forms of fruit-trees — 

 the Palmette Verrier and the Pyramidal Pear-trees, chiefly after 

 Du Breuil. The Pear will serve to illustrate training and pruning 

 as well as any other tree, and the principles laid down will apply 

 to other fruit-trees. 



The Palmette. — Wherever large wall-trees are grown, the 

 simple and beautiful form known to the French as the Palmette 

 Verrier is sure to obtain a place among them. It is the finest 

 of large forms, and is preferred by many of the best French 

 cultivators to any other, though for quick returns the vertical 

 forms now begin to supplant it in some gardens. The reader 

 may think it impossible to attain such perfect shape as is shown 

 in the illustrations, but there are many trees even more beautiful 

 than those represented. This figure also shows the advantages 

 of the kind of support used in France for espalier-trees as com- 

 pared with our method of using rough wooden or iron posts and 

 strong bolt-like wire. It will be seen that the tree difiers from 

 the form of Pear-tree that we are in the habit of placing against 

 walls ; it is easy to point out its advantages in securing an equal 

 flow of sap to all the branches. In the common horizontal form 

 strength and fertility are apt to desert the lower branches, in 

 consequence of their not possessing a growing-point to draw the 

 sap through^ and particularly when constant care is not taken to 



