116 FRUIT CULTUEE, 



fences are placed in such a position as to be available 

 for fruit. A wooden fence is in no case so good as a 

 wall, as in the best of them there is always some draught, 

 so that there is not the same uniform temperature main- 

 tained as in the case of walls, which, from their greater 

 substance, retain a certain amount of warmth during the 

 night. Nevertheless, wooden fences are very useful for 

 fruit. They should always be wired before planting the 

 trees, as it is difficult to nail to the wooden fences, whilst 

 wire also possesses other advantages. I have seen wooden 

 fences employed to great advantage in Guernsey for fruit- 

 growing. In one case in particular I noticed a numbe 

 of light wooden fences, about six feet high, and nine feet 

 apart, running north and south, and parallel to each 

 other. These were covered on both sides with cordon- 

 trained pears, and at the time of my visit they were laden 

 with heavy crops of remarkably fine fruit, and the culti- 

 vator was by these means enabled to grow a very large 

 quantity in a small space. 



Many wooden fences surrounding the gardens of sub- 

 urban villas might be turned to very useful account for 

 growing fruit, and would afford healthful and interesting 

 employment to the over-wrought brain-worker in culti- 

 vating it, as well as enable him to supply his own table 

 with the freshest of fruit. There are also numberless 

 wooden fences, as well as walls, in many of our farms and 

 homesteads, which could be turned to profitable account 

 by covering them with fruit, trained as above described. 



. Hush Fruits. Plantations of these are usually made 

 outside the walled- in garden, either below orchard trees, 

 or in the open ground. The latter is much preferable, 

 as they can receive better treatment and safer protection 

 from birds. The last mentioned consideration is an im- 



