S32 



THE PRACTICAL GARDENER. 



of more importance tlian appears in general to have been 

 attached to it. The principal reasons, in support of such 

 arrangement is, the facility with which borders may be pre- 

 pared for different species of fruits ; thus, fifty or a hundred 

 yards of border for the more delicate trees, such as peaches, 

 nectarines, &c., may be prepared entirely for them, whereas, 

 if they be promiscuously planted among the other trees, 

 the preparation of the border could not be so well accom- 

 plished. The advantage of protecting them occasionally, of 

 watering, &c. will be great, independently of the effect which 

 it will produce when the trees are established, and each occu- 

 pies its respective share of the wall, thereby giving a regu- 

 larity and order to the whole. The merits of the sorts can 

 be better ascertained by comparison, when growing conti- 

 guously, than if grown at a distance from each other. 



A south or principal aspect should be occupied with vines, 

 figs, peaches, nectarines, the finer sorts of pears, and a few 

 cherries, plums, and apricots. The vines and figs must occupy 

 such a portion of the wall, according to the circumstances of 

 the situation, such as the probability of their ripening, &c. ; 

 and the portion appropriated to figs must be regulated by the 

 taste of the proprietor. Unless in very favorable situations, 

 and where the proprietor esteems the fruit of the fig, the small- 

 est proportion of the wall should be occupied by them. Or 

 the vines may be planted at convenient distances, and trained 

 to the top of the wall with a naked stem, and then ti'ained 

 horizontally along under the coping. In this way they will 

 not occupy much space, nor interfere, at least for some years, 

 wilh the other trees. If trained in this manner, they may be 

 planted at thirty or forty feet apart ; but if planted to fill up 

 a regular space of wall, which for many reasons is to be pre- 

 ferred, they may be planted at the distance of four to six 

 feet apart, according to the height of the wall. For high 

 walls, and weak growing vines, they may be planted at three 

 feet apart ; but for strong gi'owing sorts, and walls of less than 

 the ordinary height, they must be planted at a greater dis- 

 tance from each other. The largest proportion should be 

 planted with peaches and nectarines, at a distance of from 

 twelve to fifteen feet apart, that i-?, the trees which are in- 



