GALVANIZED WIRE USED IN THE FRUIT GARDEN. 591 



Fig. 347. 



The French apply the term " espalier" to their wall trees, 

 and in adopting the word from them we have transferred it 

 to trees standing in the open, but trained in a similar 

 manner. They term our espalier " contre-espalier," but 

 the terms wall tree and espalier are distinctly and gene- 

 rally understood among us, and therefore it is better to 

 employ them in their usual sense. The simplicity and 

 excellence of their mode of making supports for espaliers 

 will be better shown by the figures in the account of 

 Versailles than by verbal description. The mode of making 

 trellises for espalier trees now being extensively adopted 

 in France is far 

 superior to our 

 own mode, and 

 owes its excel- 

 lence to the 

 abundant use of 

 slender galva- 

 nized wire and 

 the little tight- 

 ening imple- 

 ments, or rai- 

 disseurs. 



The wire, 

 which is so uni- 

 versally useful 

 for the fruit gar- 

 den, is sold in twenty-three different sizes. Of this an in- 

 termediate size, 12, 13, or 14, is that best suited and usually 

 selected for strong and permanent garden work, albeit a 

 mere thread to the costly bolt-like irons we use. The sort 

 suited for walls is sold at about 3/. 6s. for 100 kilogrammes, 

 equal to a little more than 220 lbs. English. Each kilo- 

 gramme (a trifle more than 2 lbs. 3 oz.) of this affords more 

 than 131 English feet of wire. The price given is that for 

 the second quality of wire; the first quality of the same 

 pattern costs about 6s. 6d. more for the 22Qlbs. Thus, of 

 this wire of the very best quality, and such as, if placed 

 properly in its position, is as permanent as it is useful, 



Wall Wired for Cordon Training. 



