BOURG-LA-REINE. 



625 



most permanent if not the cheapest I have seen. Figure 

 155^ p. 354_, renders a description unnecessary. Several 

 hundred feet of wire may be placed between two of these 

 supports with the greatest advantage, and nothing can look 

 neater. The appearance of the horizontal cordon is very 

 much improved by this mode of arranging it, which is 

 to be preferred to that of using wooden posts. The 

 trainer remarked that any required length of wire 

 might be supported between two of these supports, 

 ^^even five hundred or six hundred feet.^^ For short 

 distances it would not be necessary to have such strong 

 supports. 



In this same garden the plan of adopting three rising 

 shoots from one base, instead of the cordon system, has 

 been carried oat. It is applied to the Apricot and the 

 Peachj one kind being worked on each ascending branch, 

 and three kinds borne by one root. There was no indica- 

 tion of a disposition on the part of any of the trios thus 

 united not to grow agreeably together ; indeed, they were 

 as equally balanced and healthy as could be wished. 

 Where it is desired, by nurserymen or private growers, 

 to have a goodly number of varieties in a restricted 

 space, this is proved here to be the best plan of all. 

 Western and southern walls require more protection 

 and wider copings than those with northern and eastern 

 aspects, the abundant rains being more dreaded than 

 the frost, and the western walls here have several inches 

 more coping than the eastern. It seems odd that culti- 

 vators living in such a perfect climate should take more 

 precautions against cold rains than we do in these watery 

 islands ! 



Durand^s garden contains a collection of the choicest 

 grapes grown in France, and though quite recently formed, 

 already contains promising trees of many kinds. This 

 plan of devoting a special garden to fully formed fruit 

 trees is worthy of imitation by our nurserymen. I am 

 particularly indebted to M. Durand for valuable assistance 

 in seeing the gardens of the neighbourhood — those below 

 ground as well as on the surface — for we descended to- 



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