RATIONAL FRUIT CULTURE. 79 



to the wall. Branches which grow outwards are called " fore- 

 rights." As they cannot be trained in, they should be cut away 

 completely, unless it is possible to convert them into spurs 

 (see page 38). With this exception, the treatment of Apples, 

 Pears, and Plums against walls, is very much the same as for 

 bushes. 



NAILING UP FRUIT TREES. 

 Strips of cloth, held by cast-iron nails, are generally em- 

 ployed for attaching the branches to the wall. Lead is some- 

 times used instead of them, but is more liable to chafe the 

 bark. As the nails have large, square heads, they do not 

 easily tear through the cloth. They should be driven in above, 

 and not below, the branches, so that the latter may be slung 

 from them, and not pressed by their weight against them. 

 It is important to avoid fraying, not only of one bfanch against 

 another, but also of a branch against a nail or the wall itself, 

 For this reason a rough wall is unsuitable for fruit trees. 

 Exposed, as the cloth strips must be, to all weathers, they 

 should not be left too long, otherwise they may give way sud- 

 denly under the weight of a heavy crop, and a branch may 

 break, spoiling the tree. A year is quite long enough to 

 allow them to remain. They should then be replaced by new 

 ones. If this is done in winter, the best time, they should 

 be burned, for they will probably contain hybernating insects 

 or their eggs. 



TENDER STONE-FRUITS AND FROST. 



Apricots, Peaches, and Nectarines are grown against 

 south walls, not only because they are protected from cold 

 winds, but also because the bricks, of which most walls are 

 built, absorb some of the sun's heat during the day, and con- 

 sequently keep the trees warmer at night. In spite of this 

 fact, they are not infrequently damaged by frost, the flowers 

 open so early in the year. It may seem strange that they 



