128 
ON THE PRACTICABILITY OF RENOVATING FRUIT-TREES. 
has made shoots, to secure it against being blown out of its place by the 
wind. The best security is to tie a rod from the stump into which the 
graft is inserted, along the espalier stakes, and to which rod the leading 
shoot is kept trained as it lengthens during the summer. 
Re-grafted trees never grow so strong, nor do the branches extend so 
far as at first; but they are much more prolific : the natural vigour of 
the tree being subdued by double working, induces moderate growth 
and fruitfulness at the same time. Indeed, when the seasons are 
favourable at blooming time, and if insects can be kept off, more fruit 
are likely to set, than a tree of such moderate growth may be able to 
bring to perfection; but this is a circumstance for which an easy 
remedy is found in a timely thinning of the crop. 
The stems of the trees above alluded to were, at the time they were 
re-grafted, cleared completely of all their old scabrous bark, in order 
to relieve the stem of any constriction, and all the rugged, exfoliated 
parts which might form a harbour for insects and their eggs. This 
decortication is always salutary, whether trees be grafted or not. 
Espalier trees are certainly renewable by grafting; and, of course, 
wall-trees are equally so. We well remember an instance of several 
fine old crasanne, colmar, and St. Germain pear-trees being renovated 
by different means in the same garden, and about the same time. Some 
were cut back, and re-grafted in the way already described ; others 
were simply cut back, but not grafted, trusting to the young wood which 
would be produced to replenish the wall. Two others, very large col¬ 
mar pears, on a south-east aspect, whose branches were trained out six 
or seven yards on each side of the butt, were effectually renewed by 
simply cutting smoothly off every old spur from the branches, leaving 
the latter, as the operator expressed himself, like “ bare poles.” Abund¬ 
ance of summer shoots was produced as usual, along the whole length 
of the branches ; of these a proper selection was made and laid in, the 
supernumeraries being displaced. The reserved shoots became bearers 
as soon as possible; that is about the third year, and continued to be 
afterward very fruitful. 
We had not the pleasure of seeing those trees after these different 
operations were performed ; but, being particularly interested in the 
anticipated results, had regular reports of their progress for six or seven 
years subsequently, and learned that all the schemes succeeded to the 
entire satisfaction of the manager. 
If such or similar expedients answer in one place, they may cer¬ 
tainly succeed in others; and were such practice sufficiently known 
and executed, there need never be seen immense fruit-trees occupying 
a large surface of walling or espalier rails, yielding nothing but annual 
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