214 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 22. 
tleman waxed impatient; for “ hope deferredmakeththe 
heart sick.” He wrote to his gardener to know what 
sort of a crop the returning summer had at last pro¬ 
duced, when he received for an answer that the crop 
had failed, hut that the trees were “ making splendid 
wood.” The worthy gentleman, who felt anxious for a 
good dessert, laconically reminded him that he could 
not eat “splendid wood.” 
As these espaliers are now not very common, I will 
remark hut briefly on them, and pass on to the others. 
A young tree should he selected for such purpose, 
with a good stem, and, if possible, a pair or two of side- 
branches at distances suitable to the lines of the trellis. 
Such being planted about twelve to fifteen feet apart, a 
leader must be preserved until the height of the trellis is 
reached, when, of course, it must be stopped. The whole 
business is to get every horizontal rod, or rail, covered 
with amain branch as soon as possible; and to this 
end, high culture, by a little extra appliance, may be 
pursued for a couple of years or so, in order to force 
developments as speedily as possible; for by such prac¬ 
tice it is possible to lay on three tiers of shoots in one 
summer. This may be accomplished in the way before 
described; that is to say, by securing a very luxuriant 
leader, and by pinching it once, or even twice. The 
propriety of such a course will be manifest to our 
readers; by it we gain time, for, as before observed, 
there is, of necessity, time lost in the course necessary 
to secure, ultimately, a systematic appearance in the 
tree; and the difference between establishing a trellis in 
four or five years, instead of seven or eight, is most im¬ 
portant. 
Fan Training. —This practice is so general over the 
kingdom, on walls and fences of every denomination, that 
a long description is perfectly unnecessary. However, 
I must just glance at it as concerns the Pear. I am 
not aware that many persons train the Pear on a trellis 
in the fan manner, neither do I recommend it; I may 
merely observe that it may be done. Its disadvantages 
are considerable as compared with many other modes. 
The Pear is by nature so much inclined to become a 
timber tree, that every means has to be taken to arrest 
the tendency which the sap has to preponderate in the 
stronger branches, which, left to themselves, speedily 
assume too much of the timber character; after which 
it is vain to expect much fruit from them in a limited 
compass. 
As some of our ingenious readers may wish to know 
why it is so, I may just observe, that the sap-vessels in 
such run-away branches are necessarily so capacious, 
that once established they make unceasing efforts to 
attain that expenditure, and consequent elaboration of 
the sap, which could only accrue by allowing them to 
possess an almost unlimited amount of foliage. 
I am aware that this is a view of the subject by 
no means common; in fact, hitherto almost entirely 
undiscussed. It will, nevertheless, be found correct ; 
and hence the propriety of carrying out such a course 
of culture as shall, at all times, tend to equalise the 
flow of sap; and this applies, in a greater or less 
degree, to all artistic training. 
This, then, is one of the chief objections to the Fan 
mode, as applied to Pears; we seldom see them, but two 
or three of these timber-looking shoots occupy the centre 
of the tree, monopolising the chief power, and destroying 
that symmetry which is at once the delight of those who 
take a pride in training, and is a tolerably sure harbinger 
of success. l!y the Fan mode, therefore, the pinching 
system must be well resorted to during the first four 
years training; afterwards, the branches seldom acquire 
that even character just described. 
Horizontal Training.— This heading was meant to 
apply to walls; the old Trellis mode, however, is so very 
similar, that little need be said about it. Most of the 
wall Pears, in the first-rate gardens of our old aristocracy, 
were trained by this mode in former days ; and, as before 
observed, if it has fallen somewhat into disuse, the fault 
is not in the principle. A main leader is constantly 
secured until it reach the top of the wall, and the pro¬ 
duction of side-branches at given distances is accelerated 
by all possible means. These side-branches should be 
nine inches, or three courses of bricks apart, and in some 
cases, where the foliage is exuberant and large, and 
much tying down is resorted to, one foot will be better. 
Saddle Training. — Those who desire to become 
familiar with this mode may just visit the noble 
kitchen-gardens at Frogmore, where it is extensively 
carried out. It is a very systematic and excellent 
mode; but I do not like its application when running 
east and west: this, of course, gives a north side, 
and this is an insuperable objection. If such a line 
must be observed, why not plant the north side with 
Morellos, late Currants, late Gooseberries, baking or 
stewing Pears, the late Duke Cherry, &c. It is some 
time since I saw the Frogmore Gardens, and I really 
forget what system of training they had adopted; but, 
if I were going to establish them, I should prefer the 
horizontal mode from a straight central leader; in 
which case, the same principles must be called into 
requisition as in the case of the old Trellised Espalier 
and the Horizontal training. 
These saddles should, I think, be about four feet high 
at the apex, and should be as near the segment of a 
circle as possible. I would by no means have them 
higher than four feet, and I am not assured that three 
feet would not be preferable. 
I must now take leave of Young Pears for a little 
while ; for really there are some other pets of the dessert 
table that I should like to spend a few hours with ; and 
next week I will endeavour to take fresh ground. 
Let me advise fruit cultivators to be on the alert; it 
is nonsense being daunted by the sad reverses of the past 
and some previous springs. Such things are by no 
means unusual in Britain; our forefathers had to deal 
with them, and yet they bequeathed to us good fruit- 
gardens. The fact is, extra pains must be taken; and 
whilst we adhere to the good old maxim, “ never 
despair,” let each succeeding spring find us in the 
spirit of old Charley’s motto, “ Ready! aye, Ready!” 
R. Errington. 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY'S SHOW. 
June 3rd. 
{Concluded from page 104.) 
Geraniums. —I did not take the names of the different 
growers who exhibited the greenhouse, or old strains, 
but there were a very great number of them, all by them¬ 
selves, and away from the Fancies altogether, which was 
a great improvement on the old wav of placing the two 
classes side by side. In crimsons, Magnet had no com¬ 
petitor, and plants of it were in all the collections. In 
orange-scarlet, the best and newest was Colonel of the 
Buffs (Hoyle’s). This is a splendid flower, but is rather 
too dark for the orange scarlets; one called Peerless will 
soon be in Covent Garden with Gauntlet , for it is of that 
stamp ; but if it blooms so early and as late as Gauntlet, 
it will soon throw down the gauntlet to Gauntlet itself. 
But they tell me that Maijnet will drive all other Gera¬ 
niums out of Covcnt Garden as soon as it is so strong 
in numbers as to venture on a real contest Still, I can 
never believe that any crimson can put down the scarlet- 
awl rose sorts, either at home or in the market. Mag¬ 
nificent is another of the rose-scarlets; as is I Using Sun, 
with rather more dark in the back petals than is desir¬ 
able for a distinct strain ; nevertheless, it is magnificent, 
take it how you will. 
