ON THE FORMATION OF BORDERS FOR WALL FRUIT. 363 
cultivator to do everything by which he thinks to encourage or expe¬ 
dite the growth of his trees, that he spares no pains or expense to per¬ 
form his work effectually, and to over-do rather than under-do any part 
of his projected plan. If the ground be naturally wet, he will probably 
drain it; if the subsoil be clay, he will dig it out to gain his required 
depth ; if gravel or bog-earth, he will do the same, in order that the 
roots of his trees may have full scope, and be at the same time fully 
fed. 
* 
The border thus prepared, choice trees are planted; they take to 
their new place, and grow away finely. In the course of three or four 
years the trees have covered a large space of wall; and though they 
have not yielded heavy crops of fruit, owing to the growth being so 
luxuriant, yet the trees are promising as they continue in such vigorous 
health. 
The roots being placed in such favouring circumstances, throw up 
a superabundant supply of nourishment, which consequently excites 
every bud to exuberant action. This causes again much stopping 
and pruning; and the head, instead of its natural round form, with 
branches extended and annually extending on every side, is a mere 
section trained on a plane, without branches either behind or in front. 
The roots and head are therefore unequally balanced, for while the for¬ 
mer are rioting in their deep and rich station, the latter has not capacity 
enough to digest and elaborate the surcharge impelled into it. 
Trees so planted and managed possess a great deal of vegetable 
vigour ; their shoots and foliage are ample, and the fruit which they 
do bear are also of large size though few in number. It may be easily 
conceived, therefore, that such trees are improperly treated ; they are 
treated as if they were intended to produce timber, or merely as a cover 
for the wall, rather than for the purpose of yielding fruit. A rich feast 
of fresh maiden loam and decomposed dung is prepared for the roots, 
while the head is mutilated into an unnatural form and confined to a 
limited space ; the latter is ever striving to overtop the wall, and the 
knife is constantly employed to keep the rambling and irregular growth 
within bounds. Hence there is an unnecessary conflict ever going on 
between the energies of the roots and restraints of the knife, productive 
of neither fruitfulness, nor of that moderate state or habit in which all 
artificially trained fruit trees should be kept. 
Under such procedure on the part of the manager, he appears to 
have forgotten that his trees cannot be otherwise than beings purely 
artificial; instead of the open expanse of the atmosphere, they are to 
be treated with only a half of this; and instead of being allowed to 
assume their natural round-headed form, as already alluded to, they 
