182 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. 



the open paling will be preferable except on tlie north 

 side, to the tight board fence, as it offers less obstruction 

 to the air and light. A high fence around a very small 

 garden, besides being injurious to vegetation in it, looks 

 quite out of character, giving to it the appearance of a 

 huge box. Live hedges, as recommended for orchards, 

 might be employed around country gardens of considera- 

 ble extent, say an acre or upwards, but they require to be 

 kept in the neatest possible condition. 



Trellises. — In England, and other parts of Europe, 

 where the summer temperature is not so high as it is here, 

 espalier trees are trained directly on the garden walls or 

 fence ; but our hot sun renders this unsafe, except in the 

 case of the grape, or on the north sides of the walls. The 

 sun strikes the south side of a fence with such force that 

 the foliaoje in contact with it is burned. It is therefore 

 necessary, where the walls or fences are to be occupied 

 with espaliers, to erect suitable trellises at the distance of 

 six to twelve inches from them, on which to train the trees ; 

 the form of these differs according to the nature of the sub- 

 ject to be trained. They are generally made of upright 

 and cross bars, of inch boards three inches wide, placed 

 wdthin six to twelve inches of each other, according to the 

 growth of the species ; the larger the foliage and the 

 longer the shoots, the greater may be the distances ; thus, 

 the grape twelve inches, and the peach eight. Sometimes 

 they are constructed of wooden bars and wire rods alter- 

 nately ; these answer a good purpose for the grape, as it 

 fixes itself to the wires by the tendrils. The trellis is fast- 

 ened to the wall by iron hooks, and should stand a little 

 farther from it at the bottom than at the top, for the pur- 

 pose of giving the tree a better exposure to the sun, rain, 

 &c. Fruits are grown so successfully in this country in 

 the open ground that walls or trellises are seldom used, 



