64. THE MANSE GARDEN. 



widowhood ? Children half reared, the means reduced, 

 the widow's loneliness, and the flitting, were $ares 

 that could not well accord with the training of trees. 

 Be not rash to blame, but think of the next flitting, 

 and let the unknown term lead the heart to higher 

 things, whilst the hand proceeds to the recovery of 

 your trees from the effects of mismanagement or of 

 long neglect. 



It will probably be found that your espaliers, now 

 become standards, have grown so high as to cast 

 your sunny wall into the shade, whilst the wall-trees 

 themselves have run as wild as willows by the stream. 

 For such inveterate rebellion of either province, there 

 can be no remedy without some death ; but proceed 

 with mercy to the flexible, and use policy to reduce 

 the obstinate. A venerable pear must not be cut 

 down, for it will be a long time before those of your 

 own planting will yield much fruit ; and an old tree, 

 however lost by neglect or bad training, may be 

 wonderfully reclaimed. Leaving the espaliers to be 

 afterwards called to account, we suppose, in the case 

 of an aged pear upon your wall, that its branches 

 have got as thick as your arm, and bear only at the 

 farther extremities all the spurs near the centre 

 being quite effete, and nine tenths of the tree nearly 

 fruitless ; yet, by the following method, may such a 

 tree, in the course of two years, become the wealth 

 and ornament of your garden. By means of a large 

 chisel and mallet, let every alternate branch be taken 

 out, with a clean cut, close by the main stem ; and, 

 with the same implements, smooth off all the fruitless 

 spurs of the remaining branches near the middle of 

 the tree. Several young shoots will spring where 



