CORDON PEAR TREES ON DWARF WALLS. 39 



peach and nectarine trees may be trained, and many 

 dozens of fruit produced annually. These dwarf 

 walls for the cultivation of peaches, nectarines, and 

 apricots must, however, differ from those for pear trees, 

 and be built so as to give a south or south-west aspect 

 for the front, a north or north-east for the back. The 

 latter may be planted with Morello -cherries. To 

 carry out the cultivation of the above-mentioned trees 

 on dwarf walls, it is absolutely necessary to take 

 them up biennially in November, and replant them 

 in the same place. 1 They will not require any com- 

 post to their roots, for peach, nectarine, and apricot 

 trees are generally by far too vigorous in their growth. 

 In some of the London suburban gardens the soil is so 

 rich, that annual removal, particularly with apricots, 

 may be found to be quite necessary. In country 

 gardens where the soil is poor, a dressing of manure 

 on the surface over the roots two inches deep will be 

 of service. The peach trees on my experimental wall 

 are removed biennially. The soil is not rich, yet 

 they are almost too vigorous ; they bear fine fruit and 

 give good crops. 



A matter of great consequence in peach tree cul- 

 ture on walls is to keep the surface of the soil solid ; 

 if, therefore, the trees grow too vigorously, so as 

 to require removal, say in October, the soil, after the 

 tree is planted, should, after becoming dry, be ram- 

 med with a wooden rammer, so as to be as solid as 

 a common garden path. In spring this hard surface 

 should be covered with a slight deposit of thoroughly 



1 It is a prudent practice in all cases of biennial removal to remove half the 

 number of trees in alternate years, for in dry seasons those recently removed may 

 be too much checked in their growth. 



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