ESPALIER WALLS AND TRELLISES 



trees, as it is primarily a single stem of leaves and 

 fruit, proceeding from the root. As originally grown 

 in French and English gardens, it was customary 

 to train them only in vertical and horizontal posi- 

 tions against walls and trellises. In the vertical 

 position the single stem is trained upright to a height 

 of eight or ten feet, and is pruned back until fur- 

 nished throughout its entire length with short fruit 

 spurs. To form the horizontal cordon the upright 

 trunk is bent over sharply a few inches above the 

 ground and then trained in a horizontal position. 

 The cordons can be planted much closer together 

 than any other form of espaliered tree. From a foot 

 to eighteen inches apart in the row will be sufficient 

 for most trees grown in this form. The horizontal 

 form is more ornamental than the vertical, and it is 

 claimed that the fruit is even better when grown on 

 the stems that have been sharply bent out of their 

 upright position. For furnishing a long wall of 

 horizontal cordons, the first tree has its stem bent 

 over only a few inches from the ground. The second 

 is bent over about six or eight inches higher up the 

 stem, and follows the horizontal position along the 

 wall, parallel with the one below it. The bends are 

 thus continued higher up the stem, with each succeed- 

 ing tree, until the entire wall is covered with the 



261 



