276 THE PAEKS AND GAEDBNS OP PAEIS. [Chap. XVII. 



and profitable culture of fruit for market, the other all the 

 important modes of fruit-culture, the various curious and useful 

 forms of wall and standard trees, and most things necessary to 

 know concerning the subject. The part devoted to the modes of 

 culture best calculated to afford a quick and certain return is 

 planted almost entirely with the finest of all winter Pears, the 

 Easter Beurr6, and that well-known Apple the Calville Blanc. The 

 Pears are all cordons, either planted against walls or espaliers, 

 and the Apples are all the low horizontal cordon. Only the best 

 fruits are cultivated. Most of the cordons against the walls are 

 oblique (thus, ////), except on the highest wall, where they 

 are vertical. The Professor's reason for adopting these forms is 

 that the walls are more readily covered by it, and a much quicker 

 return obtained ; and he thinks these advantages . outweigh the 

 expense of planting so closely, or any other objection that may be 

 urged against the system. Between three and four thousand 

 trees of Easter Beurre, and the same number of Calville Blanc, 

 are planted in this small garden. 



One thing cannot fail to strike any visitor taking an interest 

 in fruit-growing — the precautions taken to protect the trees from 

 wet and frost. All round the walls iron brackets project from 

 immediately beneath the permanent wooden coping, to receive 

 wide copings made of felt nailed on a high wooden framework, in 

 lengths of about six feet and two feet wide. These are slipped in 

 under the short permanent coping, and rest on the bracket, the 

 hooked point of which holds them in position. The protection for 

 the espaliers is supported by iron rods projecting from the top of 

 the pine posts that are used to support the double espaliers. On 

 these are fixed thin frames of straw, each at least a yard wide. 

 They are firmly fixed down to the wires, so that in spring the 

 trees are placed under what may be called a neatly thatched shed. 

 No doubt some other material would look better than the straw, 

 but when nailed firmly between laths it does not look untidy ; and, 

 moreover, it is the object of the school to show the cheapest as 

 well as the best way of applying the protections most commonly 

 in use. The use of neat straw mats for protecting walls is very 

 common in France. Posts of pine-wood five or six inches in 

 diameter are employed to support the espaliers, because they are 

 easy to procure; and, to secure their durability, they are 



