292 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OP PARIS. [Chap. XVIII. 



inimical to fruit-culture in these islands. 11. By planting it 

 against low walls we may grow the fine winter apples now supplied 

 to the capitals of Europe from northern France. 



The testimony of the late Mr. James Barnes, of Bicton, is worth 

 adducing : — 



" I have seen, a good many espaliers in my time, but never one that bore a crop 

 like those little cordons that I saw at Perrieres, Versailles, and amongst the French 

 fruit-growers. The espalier on the Crab stock, no matter how big and ugly was 

 the trellis you put it upon, was always with difficulty kept within bounds, always 

 pushing its vigour to the top branch, whereas the little trees 1 saw in Prance 

 growing on very stiff moist loams were in the stubbiest and neatest condition 

 that could be desired ; and everywhere I was told that they were scarcely any 

 trouble, a little pinching now and then, and some attention to see that the spurs 

 were equally distributed along the Une, being all that was req^uired. Why, the 

 trouble is worth incurring for the sake of having such a pretty garniture to our 

 walks in spring and autumn. The pinching and training would be pleasant 

 employment for ladies and young folks, in their few ho\u:s' garden rambles, 

 affording both profitable and amusing exercise. So many tortured forms of trees 

 have been presented to the public that I do not wonder at those rejecting them 

 who cannot seethe undeniable merits which have been claimed for these cordons ; 

 but when once they are seen well done, and in working order, everybody inter- 

 ested in a garden will be charmed with them, and the plan will, I venture to 

 say, be adopted in the largest as well as the smallest gardens in the land. Every 

 operation connected with the culture of these trees will be agreeable in consequence 

 of its simplicity ; and it will be a pleasure to have the little trees under the eye, 

 from the unfolding of the buds in spring to the gathering of the fruit in autumn. 

 It is to me very surprising that some of our great fruit-growers, pomologists, and 

 others, who are, 1 believe, in the habit of travelling in Prance every year, and 

 some of them for the past thirty years, did not spy out and introduce this system 

 long ago, and more surprising still, that it is but recently that we have learned 

 from Mr. Robinson the real value and nature of the stock (others who have 

 mentioned it have always recommended the Doucin or English Paradise). No doabt 

 but for his exposition of the matter we might have gone on for many years in the 

 future as in the past without knowing anything of value about it, notwithstanding 

 the proximity of the fruit-gardens of northern Prance and southern England, and 

 the abundant intercourse between the two countries. We have brick and tile 

 edgings in all sorts of fancy forms, pebble, stone, slate, and wooden edgings, 

 also Grass, Box, Thrift, and many other living edgings ; but when once fairly 

 understood, the little edging of choice Apple-trees will prove the most popular, 

 profitable, and useful of them all for the fruit- or kitchen-garden. Apart from 

 edgings, the plan of planting the cordon on the ends, fronts, and low walls of 

 plant-pits and glass houses, low walls and fences, small vacancies or spaces 

 between fruit-trees on walls of any aspect— indeed, on any kind of blank space 

 on walls — is another distinct improvement ; and, when we have it in full operation. 



