THE PEACH GARDENS OF MONTREUIL. 443 



Fig. 256. 



admirable culture everywhere prevails. The walls are as 

 white as snow^ — they are whitewashed every year_, with a 

 view to the extermination of insects, — and the trees are of 

 the brightest and healthiest green — quite a pleasure to look 

 upon. The knuckle end of the leg-bone of a sheep projects 

 from the wall, at intervals of a couple of inches only, and 

 at about a foot and a half from the top of the wall. These 

 are placed so as to firmly fix the temporary coping in 

 spring. The boards or neat frames of straw are placed be- 

 neath the permanent coping and on the supports. The space 

 between coping and brackets being very narrow, there is 

 considerable support afforded the temporary 

 covering, especially at the back part; by at- 

 taching an eye to its under surface, and 

 firmly tying it with a twig of osier, wire, or 

 strong twine, to the bone projecting so neatly 

 and firmly below, it is perfectly secured 

 from all danger of removal by winds. The 

 cold rains which occur during the several 

 months while the trees are in bud and flower, 

 and all the time the shoots and newly formed 

 fruit are tender, run off the plaster coping 

 on to the temporary one, and from it safe 

 beyond the trees, while radiation and conse- 

 quently frost are effectually prevented from 

 doing harm. 



To suppose that this thoughtful protection is 

 merely necessary for the flowers and to secure fruit is a fallacy; 

 a little temporary coping is improvised here even over quite 

 young trees without a fruit on them, simply to guard their 

 leaves in spring from the maladies consequent upon the 

 extreme cold and many vicissitudes of the French climate at 

 that season. This extemporized coping is simply formed by 

 placing little wooden brackets against the wall at about four 

 feet from the ground, and placing thereon a thin rough 

 board. Such a thing is never thought of in England, where 

 there is of course quite as much necessity for it. The effect 

 of the sun on the stem and larger branches of the tree is 

 also guarded against, pieces of bark or boards being placed 



Small Wooden 

 Coping used to 

 protect young 

 Peach Trees in 

 spring. 



