SECT, ill. 



OF PRUNING. 169 



2. OF PRUNING ESPALIER TREES. 



The work of pruning espalier trees is much the 

 same as for wall trees. The only difference is, that 

 instead of being spread upon walls, the branches are 

 fastened to stakes, or frames, as trellises. The fas- 

 tenings are commonly ties of ozier twigs, bark of 

 withy, bass, yarn, or soft packthread, instead of 

 nails, which however may be used to frame work, if 

 they are small and sharp pointed. See formation of 

 a garden. 



As trees planted for espalier training should be 

 young, let great care be taken to set them off right 

 at first, by regular shoots, full furnished immediately 

 from the stern ; which is effected by proper heading 

 down, as below ; and as was directed for wall trees, 

 page 137. Apples, pears, plums, cherries, &c. in 

 the general need not to be so much freed of all 

 branches at planting, as peaches, nectarines, and 

 apricots : There are however gardeners who prune 

 down to the stem, all sorts of wall and ebpalier 

 trees, as peaches are. 



The heading down of a young tree, (i. e. apple, 



&c.) for an espalier, that has only one shoot from 



the graffing, or budding, should be so low, as to leave 



two or three, or at the most four eyes on each side 



of the stem, from which will proceed shoots properly 



placed for training. If the tree has two shoots, one 



on each side, which branch out right and left, so as 



to be made principal leaders, cut each of them down 



to three or four eyes. If it has three shoots, the 



upper one, if not over strong, being shortened down 



to a few eyes, may be trained strait up, and the two 



lower ones shortened as above, for laterals; and 



and thus a good foundation will be made for a 



proper spread of branches. If it has four shoots 



