834 



THE PABKS AND GARDENS OP PARIS. [Chap. XX. 



of many of these trees, perfectly laden from top to bottom 

 in many cases, and in many more bending arched to the ground 

 with the weight of their fruit. They were not staked, but when 

 they are grown in a regular fruit-garden it is the custom to 

 connect them securely near the top by a line of wire, so that they 

 cannot bend down with the weight of the fruit. Their advantages 

 are that fruit and le9,ves enjoy abundance of sun and air. The 



Portion of Self-supportijlg espalier of Pear-trees^ formed oj horizontal and vertically trained trees, 

 the points of the horizontally-trained tree grafted ly approach to the outer branches only of the 

 vertical ones. 



fruit is said to be better flavoured than from the pyramid tree, 

 in which there is usually a good deal of shade, while they are 

 perhaps the easiest of all forms to conduct, and a great many 

 kinds may be grown on a small space. Their drawback appears 

 to be the great height to which they attain, thus rendering 

 pruning and the gathering of the fruit not so easy as desirable. 



In many French gardens a peculiarly simple and neat way of 

 training espalier Pear-trees may be seen, and there were good 

 examples both here and in the next place 

 described. It consists of a stout stake 

 for the main trunk of the tree, and of 

 wires running from this to stones or 

 pegs buried in the ground. That the 

 roots of the tree may not be hurt by a 

 large stake, this is sometimes supported 

 by the stem. Besides, the support for the 

 wires and younger branches is only required towards the top of the 

 tree ; hence another reason for not fixing the stake in the ground. 

 It is quite easy to project little stakes from the stouter parts to 



Stake for fixw^ the wires in 

 the ^ou7id. 



