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LV. On the Culture of the Peach and Apricot on Espalier 

 Trees. By Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq. F. R. S. $c. 

 President. 



Read April 2, 1816. 



A more favourable climate is generally necessary to bring 

 to maturity the fruits and seeds of trees, than is required to 

 ripen their wood; and, consequently, many species are 

 found to subsist, and flourish, in the climate of England, 

 which never produce in it either fruit or seeds. Exceptions 

 to this rule are not, however, wanting ; and both the Peach 

 and Fig tree will ripen their fruit, without the protection, or 

 reflected heat of a wall, in situations where their annual 

 wood will, very rarely, become sufficiently mature to bear 

 even a moderate degree of cold. It follows, therefore, that 

 wherever the climate is sufficiently warm and favourable to 

 ripen the wood, it will also ripen the fruit, of the Peach 

 tree, if its blossoms can be preserved ; and this I have found 

 to be very easily practicable on Espalier trees. My experience, 

 however, has not been very extensive : for the wood of the 

 Peach tree does not ripen at Downton, at all, on standard or 

 espalier trees, and very imperfectly either on an east, or west 

 wall; and consequently, I found it necessary to plant my 

 trees in pots, and train them to a south wall, till they at- 

 tained a proper age and size; and then to remove them 

 early in the spring, and employ them as Espaliers, under the 

 following circumstances. 



A row of stakes, about five feet high, and somewhat ex- 

 ceeding the height of the trees, was placed at a few inches 



