142 Culture of Wall- Fruit Trees. 



upon them, it cannot come into competition with the loss of 

 culinary products which must result from not cropping them. 

 I have here about 12 acres of good kitchen-gai'den, and yet I 

 should be loth to fallow any of my south borders. One crop 

 must follow another in quick succession, but I am careful that 

 each successive crop is different in affinity from the last ; and, by 

 such attention, I consider the ground well prepared with an 

 abundance of choice food for the next desired article, so that no 

 injury is produced to my fruit. 



Standard Fruit Trees in Kitchen-Gardens. — I wish that those 

 who advocate so strenuously the retaining of south borders free 

 from all crops, had rather taken up their pens to condemn the 

 notorious practice of planting open standard fruit trees all over 

 otherwise fine kitchen-gardens; their papers might then have 

 produced some useful effect. Those who are short of garden 

 ground, and have but little room to spare, are obliged to pro- 

 cure all they can in the least compass ; and this object, in kitchen- 

 gardens in which fruit trees must be grown, may be much 

 promoted, with little sacrifice of culinary vegetables, by the 

 adoption of pendent trees of only one shoot. It is needless to 

 plant standards at random all over noblemen's and gentlemen's 

 gardens. To do so evinces a bad taste, because such trees take 

 off the good effect of a well-laid-out, and otherwise well-managed 

 garden, and are most unsightly as well as most injurious cum- 

 berers of the ground ; and, consequently, ought to be discarded 

 wherever they can possibly be dispensed with. Substitute, as 

 a compensation, an elegant display of numerous well-managed 

 espaliers judiciously fixed, and pay a nice attention to wall trees. 

 No one need fear having plenty of fine fruit upon the " old an- 

 tiquated fan form of training," if a due and judicious attention 

 be paid to the trees at all times. The spur-bearing kinds 

 require the spurs to be kept short, and not trimmed too early in 

 the summer, so as to excite the embryo blossom buds to burst 

 prematurely into shoots : when this precaution has been ob- 

 served, an abundance of blossom buds will be formed, and in 

 every part of the trees, for the following season. If the intended 

 bearing branches are made to droop as much as they will bear, 

 this posture will check the superabundant sap, and induce fruit- 

 fulness. 



On destroying the Insects "which infest Fruit Trees. — It is of 

 the utmost importance to the success and general well-being of 

 all fruit trees, that they be kept perfectly clear from insects, para- 

 sites of all sorts, and all extraneous matters. Winter is the best 

 season in which to operate for effecting this object ; and, with 

 regard to fruit trees trained against walls, we ought to commence 

 by loosening all of them from the wall, and giving them regular 

 and judicious pruning. After this, begin upon the main stem, 

 even below the surface of the earth, by removing a portion of 



