THE FRUIT GARDEN. ' 321 



such as arc put up at a gi-eat expense, and will be out of repair 

 ill much the same time. Larch or other wood, with the bark 

 left on, will last longer, but it has not so neat an appearance, 

 as the bark after a time will come off in pieces. In a rustic 

 or Swiss garden, we would recommend the bark being left on, 

 as being more in character with the place. 



U i U 



Iron espaliers are in some places used; they resemble a 

 common street railing. The columns or stiles may be either 

 fixed into oaken blocks {a a) ; or, when this mode is not 

 adopted, to form their base in the shape of a reversed j^, set- 

 ting them on a foundation of brick-work. Such rails may be 

 erected at something more, in regard to expense, than wooden 

 ones, but as soon as the oaken blocks, into which they are 

 fixed, begin to decay round their outer circumference, a va- 

 cancy is thus formed between the posts and the ground, which 

 is daily increased by the shaking of the rail by wincl^ or other 

 causes, and, in consequence, the rails soon get twisted, which 

 is increased by the expansive and contractive property of the 

 metallic matter, and in a few years becomes very unsightly. 



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