1876. ] 
OOBDON-TEAINED FEUIT-TREES. 
117 
flower, presented a sigiit which cannot be quickly forgotten. On the back wall 
of the house, the trees—single cordons—^were planted thickly the whole length, 
and all were trained obliquely. This wall was covered and in full bearing in 
three years after planting, and judging from the health and vigour of the trees, 
one may suppose they will do good service for many years to come. Mr. Moffat 
allows the fruit to set, and then shortens the spurs back to the first buds above the 
fruit which are best placed, and most likely to become the finest when ripe. The 
full exposure to sun and air gives that fine colour and flavour which trained trees 
generally supply to a much greater degree than fruit grown on bushes or 
pyramids in orchard-houses. 
Along the front of the peach-house referred to, the trees were trained in the 
ordinary fan-shape, but the branches were kept thinner than is usually the case. 
The flower-buds were thinned, so that they stood clear of each other, and thus set 
more freely, a very small per-centage of the fruit dropping off, as they have all 
the advantages of springing from well-ripened wood, and of the sun and air 
doing their work in a way which cannot fall to the lot of trees which are trained 
so that the foliage forms an impenetrable screen. Unripened wood is too often 
the cause of so much fruit dropping. It seems somewhat strange that the Walburton 
Admirable Peach should be esteemed so much in an early house by Mr. Moffat, 
till one reflects that even in a house intended to furnish ripe fruit from the end 
of April onwards, a few late kinds assist to help out the supply till other houses 
come in as successions. 
At Hindlip the supply of fruit from the numerous lean-to and span-roofed 
houses must be immense. There are orchard-houses for stone-fruits generally, 
as well as a cherry-house and fig-house. Vines are grown largely, and judging 
from the quantities of fine Grapes suspended from bottles in the fruit-room, one 
may suppose that Grape-growing receives special attention. As I am not about 
to give a full notice of the place, I will not refer to its general features, but much 
could be written on the views towards the Malvern Hills; the extension of the 
park; the mansion, the new flower-garden, and the kitchen-garden—which is pro¬ 
portionately small for the wants of the family, but managed as a vegetable garden 
ought to be; and the collection of Eoses in pots, Teas and Noisettes chiefly, which 
supply flowers all the winter and spring. It was the cordons which struck me as 
the most important objects on the place—8imply4)ecause they are so far removed 
out of the usual rut. On a border Apples had been planted in three rows, and 
trained across, forming triangles, with the lines straight at back and front; they 
are nearly close to the ground, and studded with short fruit-spurs ; this border is 
exceedingly pretty, and must be very productive. Edgings of Apples, resembling 
long ropes, are neatly trained along the sides of the walks. On a wall facing 
the east are Plums trained as fans, every space being well covered; the 
trees are managed chiefly on the spur system, and all promise to give good 
crops. On the west aspect of the same wall are some cordons of Plums, but 
the greater portion is occupied by Pears trained in the form of oblique cordons, 
