PLANTING OF ALL SORTS 59 



many and large flowers. This gave me the knowl- 

 edge that much room a half -foot or more would 

 probably mean more prosperity for the sweet 

 peas, wherefore the opening year is to see a similar 

 provision for fewer sorts and many less plants 

 than usual. But the trellis? 



One sort of trellis I do know about: the trellis 

 for the espalier, for grape-vines, for blackberry 

 and raspberry canes. What I know is that the 

 ordinary "galvanized wire" offered as weather- 

 proof, and which I dutifully strung on the heavy 

 pipe posts of the espalier and on the durable locust 

 posts set for the grape-vines and the "bush" fruits 

 or brambles, has simply evaporated into nasty 

 brown rust within five years. It was not honest 

 iron wire, really "galvanized" with zinc, but 

 bessemer steel wire, merely breathed upon with 

 the white vapor of hot spelter. Bessemer steel is 

 a great structural material, I understand, with 

 tensile strength and other qualities plus; but 

 exposed to the air it invites oxygen to put it back 

 into the earth that gave it, and that speedily ! 



I complained volubly to the hardware man who 

 sold me this bunch of rust, and he admitted the 

 worthlessness of the wire, adding that there was 

 no really reliable wire obtainable. Then he pro- 

 posed aluminum, which I bought and applied, 



