INTRODUCTION. xiii 



will be found an immense gain in every class of garden except 

 those on dry and poor sandy or gravelly soils, remarkable as it is 

 in inducing early fertility, and affording a better result without 

 root-pruning than either the Crab or English Paradise does with 

 that attention. The knowledge that the Doucin of the French 

 is an admirable stock for all forms of tree between the standard 

 of the orchard and the very dwarf cordon or bush, will also be 

 useful. The Apple should not be worked on the Crab unless it is 

 desired to form standard trees in orchards — .by far the best method, 

 if properly carried out, for market and general supplies. 



Fourthly, by the adoption in Peach-culture of some of the 

 smaller forms of tree that may be observed in French gardens, 

 as they will enable us to cover our walls with fruitful handsome 

 trees in a few seasons instead of waiting many years, as hitherto, 

 only perhaps to see them partially covered after all. These forms, 

 the cordon, U or double U forms figured in this book, are particu- 

 larly desirable where the soil is too light and poor for the health 

 and full development of large wide-spreading trees. 



Fifthly, by adopting for every kind of fruit-tree grown against 

 walls a more efficient and simple mode of protection than we now 

 use. In speaking of fruit-culture, nothing is more common than 

 to hear our climate spoken of as the cause of all our deficiencies — 

 the " fine " climate of Northern France being supposed to do every- 

 thing for the cultivator. The error of this view of the case is 

 well illustrated by the fact that the fruit-growers about Paris take 

 care to protect their fruit-walls in spring by means of wide 

 temporary copings. In this country I have never anywhere seen 

 a really efficient temporary coping, though endless time is wasted 

 in applying boughs, nets, etc., none of which are in the least 

 effective in protecting the trees from the cold sleety rains, which, 

 if they do not always destroy the fertilising power of the blossoms, 

 prepare them to become an easy prey to frost.* 



Sixthly, by the acquirement and diffusion among every class of 

 gardeners of a knowledge of budding, grafting, pruning, and 

 training equal to that now possessed by the French. Many of the 

 illustrations in this book show the mastery they possess over each 

 detail of training— the branches of every kind of tree being con- 



* Since writing the above, various persons have introduced useful wide 

 temporary and permanent copings, and with excellent results. 



