480 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



tical ones were laid in.. One great objection to 

 horizontally-trained apple and pear trees, both 

 on walls and espaliers, as in general managed, 



Fig. 212. 



SV-'A.v/„-,-. 



RIVERS' UPRIGHT TRAINING. 



is, that the fruit they produce is usually towards 

 their extremities, and these, extending to a 

 great length, cause an amazing waste of space, 

 while the centre parts are comparatively barren 

 of fruit. The following will, in connection with 

 the figure, explain his views : " The shoots a a 

 should be 8 inches from the central stem, and 

 those marked h i the same distance from those 

 marked a a. Thus a tree with five branches 

 will occupy 32 inches, say 3 feet, of wall room ; 

 a tree with seven branches will require 4 feet, 

 but as some space ought to be allowed for the 

 spurs on the outside branches, say 5 feet. If 

 the wall is of a moderate height — 8 feelfc for in- 

 stance — a tree with seven branches will produce 

 quite fruit enough of one sort. This method 

 offers a, strong contrast to espaliers on pear 

 stocks, planted in the usual manner, 24 feet 

 apart, and trained horizontally : nearly five 

 trees for one will give so many additional 

 chances to the cultivator. A single tree may 

 fail, or its fruit may become imperfect, owing to 

 an adverse season, but out of five trees there 

 will in every season be a good chance of having 

 some good pears." The first proceeding, as re- 

 gards the vertical shoots, after they are ripened, 

 is to shorten each to from 10 inches to a foot 

 in length, and the leading shoot must be short- 

 ened at the same time, and to the same extent. 

 In May, each of these shortened branches will 

 have put forth two or three shoots, which, as 

 soon as they have attained the length of 4 

 inches, are to be pinched back to 2 inches, leav- 

 ing the topmost one on each shoot, a a and b b, 

 as shown in the cut. The leader is to be served 

 in the same manner. " You will then, if the 

 tree is five-branched, have five young leading 

 shoots. As soon in June as they have attained 

 to 8 inches in length, pinch off the end of each, 

 and when they break into two or three shoots 

 as before, pinch all but one to each branch : 

 this may be repeated, if the soil be rich, two, 

 three, or four times in the summed-. The tree 

 will soon reach the top of the wall, and every 

 bud in the five branches will be perfect, either 

 a blossom-bud or one in embryo. When every 



branch has reached the top of the wall, com- 

 mence root-pruning in autumn." (Vide Moot- 

 pruning, p. 399). If larger trees are wished, go 

 as to give more fruit of each sort, " trees with 

 nine upright branches may be planted 7 feet 

 apart, or trees with eleven upright branches 9 

 feet apart. Trees, however, can seldom be pur- 

 chased with shoots so numerous ; young trees 

 must, therefore, be planted and cut back annu- 

 ally for two or three years, till the proper num- 

 ber of perpendicular shoots are supplied." 



This is an excellent plan for amateurs, or 

 those having only a limited extent of walling, 

 yet desirous of growing a considerable number 

 of sorts, either for variety, or for proving new 

 kinds. The vertical position, however, of the 

 branches will induce a disposition in the trees 

 to grow strongest near the top of the wall or 

 espalier, but this can readily be corrected by 

 judicious root-pruning, and pinching back the 

 young wood. Reversing the position of the 

 tree — that is, allowing the main stem to reach 

 the top of the wall or espalier, and carrying a 

 branch horizontally under the coping to the 

 right hand and to the left, and from these train- 

 ing the wood produced by them in a pendant 

 form — would moderate the flow of the sap, and 

 produce flower-buds in even greater abundance. 



Pruning and training the apple and pear 

 against walls. — The finer varieties of these, 

 especially the latter, can only be expected to 

 ripen in full perfection in the northern counties 

 of England and in most of Scotland when trained 

 against walls, and those in the coldest localities 

 must have a southern exposure. There are a 

 few situations, however, even in Scotland, where 

 many of the finest apples and pears ripen toler- 

 ably well when trained as espaliers and dwarf 

 standards, and many others where they ripen on 

 walls with an east or west exposure. On walls 

 heated by hot water, as at Dalkeith, most of the 

 French and Flemish pears ripen to full perfec- 

 tion. The general modes of training adopted 

 are the horizontal and fan forms; other forms 

 are, however, often met with. In regard to the 

 quality of the fruit and its capability of keep- 

 ing, there is no doubt that the same varieties 

 ripened on open standards around London, and 

 in the southern counties, are far superior to 

 those ripened on our best unheated walls in the 

 north. On account of the natural luxuriance of 

 growth, more especially of pears, the horizontal 

 mode of training has long been the favourite 

 form, and more especially in the case of walls of 

 less than 8 or 9 feet in height. Mr Rivers, how- 

 ever, and others, have adopted other forms 

 (Wde fig. 212). For the mode of setting off— 

 that is, giving the first formation to horizontal- 

 trained trees— vide article Espaliers,-p. 5S6. The 

 same rule is apphcable to wall trees also. Much 

 of the health of all fruit-trained trees depends 

 on judicious summer-pruning. (See our re- 

 marks on that head also.) Harrison, an excel- 

 lent practical authority, has, in his " Treatise on 

 Fruit Trees," laid down his views on the sum- 

 mer and winter pruning of the apple and pear 

 in a very clear and luminous manner, carrying 

 the subject through twelve consecutive years, 

 with useful illustrations. His principle is to 



