XXVI 



ESPALIER WALLS AND TRELLISES 



A PRACTICAL HORTICULTURAL HOBBY DEVEL- 

 OPED INTO AN ORNAMENTAL GARDEN 

 FEATURE 



WALLS of brick, stone, concrete and glass, and 

 trellises of wire and woodwork in various decora- 

 tive forms, are being introduced by enterprising 

 landowners for the express purpose of experiment- 

 ing with the fascinating hobby of growing dwarf 

 fruit trees. The art of espalier work reached a high 

 degree of perfection among the Swiss and the Ital- 

 ians many years ago; then the English, the French 

 and the Germans made excellent progress in achiev- 

 ing a practical success of what was at first considered 

 but a quaint and interesting hobby. Since its intro- 

 duction into American gardens it has served a two- 

 fold purpose. The propagation of luscious fruits of 

 unusual size, under peculiar conditions, is primarily 

 the object of espaliers. Their use as architectural 

 features, in garden formation, though of a second- 

 ary nature, in reality gives them their greatest im- 

 portance in American gardens. 



The term espalier-has come to be used in a broad 

 sense, applying to the dwarfed trees trained in 

 various forms against walls and trellises, and also 



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