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Tip molt commonly received notion of Epaliers are 
hedges of fruit-trees, which are trained up regularly 
to a lattice of wood work, formed either of Afh-poles, 
or fquare long timbers cut out of Fir, &c. and it is of 
this fort of Efpalier that! fhall treat in this place. 
Efpaliers of fruit-trees are commonly planted to fur- 
round the quarters of a kitchen-garden, for which 
jpurpofe they are of admirable ufe and beauty ; for by 
laying out the walks of this garden regularly, which 
are bounded on each fide by thefe hedges, when they 
are handfomely managed, they have a wonderful effedt 
in flickering the kitchen-plants in the quarters, and 
alfo fcreening them from the fight of perfons in the 
walks ; fo that a kitchen-garden well laid out in this 
manner, and properly managed, will be equal to 
the fineft regular parterre for beauty. 
The trees chiefly planted for Efpaliers are Apples, 
Pears, and feme Plums ; but the two former are 
moftly ufed : fome plant Efpaliers of Apples grafted 
upon Paradife-ftocks •, but thefe being of humble 
growth, and a fhort duration, are not fo proper for this 
purpofe, unlefs for very fmall gardens ; therefore I 
fhould rather advife the having them upon Crab- 
ftocks, or (if in fmaller gardens, where the trees can- 
not be allowed to grow fo high) upon what the gar- 
deners call the Dutch-ftock •, which will caufe them 
to bear fooner, and prevent their growing too luxu- 
riantly, and thefe will continue many years in vigour. 
In chufmg the trees, for an Efpalier, endeavour as 
near as poffible, to plant the feveral forts which are 
nearly of the fame growth in one line, that the Efpa- 
lier may be the more regular, and of an equal height, 
which greatly acids to their beauty ; for if you plant 
trees which ihoot very unequally in the fame line, it 
will be impoffibie to make the Efpalier regular : be- 
fides, the diftance of the trees mull be in proportion 
to their growth ; for fome trees, viz. thofe of a larger 
growth, fhould be planted thirty or thirty-five feet 
afunder •, whereas thofe of fmaller growth, need not 
be above twenty-five feet diftance from each other. 
The width of the walks and borders between thefe 
Efpaliers fhould (in a large garden) be fourteen or fix- 
teen feet at leaft ; and if the trees are defigned to be 
carried up pretty high, the diftance fhould be greater, 
that each fide may receive the advantage of the fun 
and air, which is abfolutely neceflary, if you would 
have the fruit well tailed. And if your ground is fo 
fituated, that you are at full liberty which way to 
make the Efpaliers, I would advife the placing the 
lines from the eaft a little inclining to the fouth, and 
toward the weft a little inclining to the north, that 
the fun may Urine between the rows in the morning 
and evening when it is low •, for in the middle of the 
day, when the fun is advanced far above the horizon, 
it will fhine over the tops of fheEfpaliers, and reach the 
furface of the earth about their roots, which is a matter 
of more confequence than many people are aware of. 
The forts of Apples proper for Efpaliers, are the 
Golden Pippin, Nonpareil, Rennette Grife, Aroma- 
tick Pippin, Holland Pippin, French Pippin, Wheel- 
er’s Ruflet, Pile’s Rufiet, with fome others. The 
feafon for planting, and the method of pruning and 
training thefe trees, you will fee under the articles of 
Apples and Pruning. 
The forts of Pears proper for an Efpalier, are chiefly 
the fummer and autumn fruits, for fome of the win- 
ter Pears feldom fucceed well in an Efpalier. Thefe 
trees, if defigned for a ftrong moift foil, fhould be 
upon Quince-flocks j but if for a dry foil upon free- 
ftocks. Their diftance of planting muft alio be regu- 
lated by the growth of the trees, which are more un- 
equal in Pears than Apples, and fhould therefore be 
more carefully examined before they are planted. As 
for thofe Pears upon free-ftocks, the diftance fhould 
never be lets than thirty feet for moderate growing 
frees ; but for vigorous fhocters, the fpace of forty 
feet is little enough ; efpecially if the foil be ftrong, in 
which cafe they fhould be planted at a greater diftance. 
The particular forts of- Pears I would recommend for 
an Efpalier, are the jargonelle, Blanquette, Poire fans. 
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Peau, Summer Boncretien,' Hamden’s Bergamot, 
Autumn Bergamot, L’ambrette, Gros Rouftelet, 
Chaumontelle, Beurre du Roy, Le Marquis, Creffane, 
with fome others of lefs note ; always remembering, 
that thofe Pears which are of the melting kind, will 
do better in Efpalier than the breaking Pears, which 
feldom ripen well on aa Efpalier ; as alfo that many 
forts of Pears will ripen well on an Efpalier in a warm 
foil and fituation, which require a wall in other places j 
you fhould alfo be careful of the flocks thefe are 
grafted on-, for if the breaking Pears are grafted upon 
Quince-flocks, the fruit will be flony, but the melt- 
ing Pears will be improved by them. As to the 
method of planting, fee the article Pear j and for 
pruning and managing, fee Pruning. 
I fhall now give diredions for making the Efpalier, 
to which the trees are to be trained ; but this fhould 
not be done until the third year after the trees are 
planted , for while they are young, it will be fufficient 
to drive a few fhort flakes into the ground on each 
fide of the trees, in a flraitline, to which the branches 
fhould be fattened in an horizontal pofition, as they 
are produced, in order to train them properly for the 
Efpalier which flakes may be placed nearer, or at 
a farther diftance, according as the flioots produced 
may require and thefe will be fufficient for the three 
firft years ; for fhould you frame the Efpalier the firft 
year the trees are planted, many of the flakes would rot 
before the Efpalier is covered. The cheapefl method 
to make thefe Efpaliers is with Afh-poles, of which 
you fhould have two forts one of the largeft fize, 
which contains thirteen poles in a bundle, and the other 
fize thofe of half a hundred. The firft or largeft fize 
poles, fliould be cut about feven feet and a half long ; 
thele are intended for upright flakes, and muft be fharp- 
ened at the largeft end, that they may, with more eafe, 
be driven into the ground and if their bottoms are 
burred, or rubbed over with that compofition men- 
tioned in the article of Coverings, they may bepre- 
ferved a long time found ; thefe fhould be placed at a 
foot diftance from each other in a direct line, and of an 
equal height, about fix feet above ground ; then'you 
fhould nail a row of ftrait flender poles along upon the 
tops of the upright Hakes, which will keep them exactly 
even, and continue to crofs the flakes with the fmaller 
poles, and alfo with the tops which were cut off from 
the larger flakes, at about nine inches diftance, row 
from row, from the top to the bottom of the flakes. 
Thefe rows of poles fhould be fattened with wire to the 
flakes, which if madeof Fir, and painted over, willlafta 
longtime ; and the largeft end of thepoles fhould be cut 
fiat, and nailed to the upright flakes, which will fecure 
the Efpalier almoft as long as the poles will endure ; 
whereas, if your fattening is not ftrong, the poles will 
be continually difplaced with every ftrong wind. 
When your Efpalier is thus framed, you muft fallen 
the branches of the trees thereto either with fmall 
Ofier-twigs, rope-yarn, or fome fuch binding, obferv- 
ing to train them in a horizontal pofition, and at equal 
diftances ; being careful not to crofs any of the 
branches, nor to lay them in too thick. The diftance 
which fhould be allowed for the branches of Pears and 
Apples, muft be proportioned according to the fize of 
their fruit-, fuch of them whofe fruit is large, as the 
Summer Boncretien, Monfieur John, and Beurre du 
Roy Pears, and the Rennet Grife, Holland Pippin, 
French Pippin, and other large Apples, fhould have 
their branches fix or eight inches diftance at leaft ; 
and to thofe of letter growth, four or five inches 
will be fufficient. But for farther directions, I fhall 
refer to the articles of the feveral fruits : as alfo that 
of Pruning, where thefe particulars will be fuffici- 
ently explained. 
But befides this fort of Efpalier made with Afh-poles, 
there is another fort that is by many people preferred 
which is framed with fquare timbers cut to a proper 
fize, according to the ftrength thereof, or the expence 
the owner is willing to go to. Thefe, though they ap- 
pear more fighdy, when well fixed and painted, are 
not of longer duration than- one of the former, pro- 
vided, 
