321 



THE TRACTICAL GARDENER. 



piece of ^.ound for a fruit-garden, then the usual mode of 

 introducing them into the cuhnary-garden must be adopted. 

 There are many very excellent examples of fruit-trees having 

 been introduced, either as espaliers planted along the sides of 

 the walks, or as dwarf or half-standards, either along the sides 

 of the walks, or in rows through the middle of the quarters. 

 In both cases, they generally do well, for the ground having 

 been previously made for the culinary vegetables, is generally 

 pretty good for fruit-trees. Some give the preference to dwarf 

 standards, some to espaliers, and others recommend a variety 

 of stiff and unnatural forms of training, such as spiral-dwarfs, 

 fusiform, conical, and concave or cup-shaped dwarfs. How- 

 ever fascinating these plans may appear, they are, like most 

 of the French and Dutch modes of training, radically bad, 

 and certain of defeating the object in view, namely, having fine 

 fruit and healthy trees. 



Espaliers, if well trained, either fan-formed, or which is 

 more common, although less natural, horizontally formed, 

 have a good effect in a kitchen-garden, and, by being planted 

 from three to three and a half, or four feet from the walks, 

 according to the size of the garden, will form an agreeable 

 hedge or blind, by which the interior of the garden can be 

 concealed. The narrow borders may be planted, according 

 to fancy, either with flowers or strawberries ; or dwarf- 

 standards, or Buzzelars, may be planted along the sides of 

 the walks with pretty good eftbct, if well kept, and produce 

 a great quantity of fruit in most seasons. Tall standard-trees 

 should be never admitted into a small garden, as casting too 

 great a shade ; neither should espaliers be above four or five 

 feet high, nor dwarf-standards too thickly planted, nor be 

 allowed to attain too great a height. From six to eight feet 

 may be taken for the extreme height. In gardens of larger 

 extent, the espalier-trees may be allowed from six to eight feet 

 in height, but six feet will always have a better effect than 

 if extended to a greater height. 



