ESPALIER AND WALL TREES. 



15 



espalier method, hitherto considered unpracticable, is 

 remunerative, and it will speedily have its advocates. 



When grown on a wall in this country, the trees 

 should be trained at least six inches from it, so as to 

 allow of the free circulation of air among them during 

 the summer time, and in the winter they should receive 

 some protection from the sun's rays, otherwise they 

 will sustain injury through the alternate freezings and 

 thawings to which they would otherwise be subjected. 

 In the middle and southern states some protection 

 would be of great service to them during spells of sunny 

 weather in the winter time. This covering would here 

 be employed to retard the growth of the trees as much 

 as possible until after the usual time of the last frost. 



The method of espalier or wall training offers induce- 



liers, and if they were planted in rows six or eight feet 

 apart, and running north and south, they would natur- 

 ally shade those parts that are usually exposed to the 

 full action of the sun. If one could find valuable 

 varieties that would thrive as espaliers, it would be a 

 great advantage to garden truckers and others, who 

 could, by this means, add to their income. We know 

 that in France all varieties will not thrive on the various 

 systems adopted there, and there are some varieties, I 

 believe, that even there require to be grown on a very 

 hot wall to bring them to perfection. Some of these 

 varieties one would be led to imagine could be induced 

 to thrive on the walls or as espaliers in this countr)-. 



Many walls and waste places could be utilized for the 

 production of fruit by various modifications of the sys- 

 tems noticed. Perhaps the cordon system would be 

 found the most valuable. 



There is no doubt that on the western, eastern and 



Fig. 7. Japanese Pear, Shiri-yuki. (See page 10). 



ments in a variety of ways. Pears that are too early 

 when grown as standards can be easily protected with 

 canvas, netting or boughs at the time of blooming when 

 grown on walls or as espaliers. The fruit, too, may be 

 supported so as to enable it to attain its largest possible 

 size. Early varieties of pears or other fruits may be 

 made to give their crops before the market is glutted. 

 Pears that are too late when grown as standards might 

 be made to produce a crop if grown on a wall having a 

 southwest frontage. The walls might also be used for 

 the purpose of retarding the ripening of certain kinds of 

 fruit, so as to have them on hand when the glut is over. 



Greater objections can be raised to the wall tree than 

 to the espalier. The latter stands free, and is, as a 

 rule, well supplied with leaves. I believe that many 

 varieties of pears could be successfully grown as espa- 



northern aspects of walls and houses in the middle and 

 southern states several varieties of the orange and 

 other similar fruits could be successfully grown where 

 the mere suggestion would be ridiculed ; yet in time to 

 come not only will the orange be so grown, but many 

 other semi-tropical and tropical fruits will be success- 

 fully grown and cultivated, and by this means no small 

 amount of revenue will be afforded to the various states. 

 In the south, doubtless, many varieties of pears could 

 be successfully grown on northern aspects, where now 

 they are failures. It is quite possible that in time to 

 come these methods may be extensively employed in 

 California, and it is very probable that in a few years 

 these various methods will force themselves upon the 

 observation of the fruit grower. 



Balon Roun\ La. H. W. Smith. 



