180 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[December, 
THE CULTURE OF WALL FRUITS. 
Chapter XXII.—THE PLUM ( Concluded ). 
S FEW words on aspects may be useful. 
I consider that the trees should be 
about equally divided between eastern 
and western aspects, or those which approach 
nearest to them. It often occurs at this place, 
when the spring happens to be characterised 
by unusually biting and severe easterly winds, 
that we get scarcely any fruit on the eastern 
aspects, whilst on the western the reverse is 
the case, the trees carrying heavy crops ; in 
fact, I do not remember a season in which 
both aspects have failed entirely, and some¬ 
times, as in the present season, they both carry 
heavy crops. I have tried a few trees on the 
north wall, but it is a waste of space and 
labour. A few trees of some of the best early 
dessert Plums planted against a south wall 
will generally be found useful towards keeping 
up an unbroken succession for the table. 
Where the fan-shaped system of training is 
adopted for Plums on walls, there must be a 
much larger space allowed for the proper de¬ 
velopment of the branches, and, therefore, fewer 
varieties can be obtained from the space ; but 
given the requisite space, the system is calcu¬ 
lated to produce a large amount of very fine 
fruit and well furnished walls. The trees also, 
from being less restricted in their growth, be¬ 
come rapidly furnished with fine, strong, 
healthy wood, which will form the foundation 
of branches to carry a fruitful growth in after¬ 
seasons, and also the basis of very handsome 
and well furnished trees, but which, at the 
same time, are not so easily and quickly 
brought into a fruit-bearing state as when 
they are subjected to a more rigorous system 
of restriction of root and branch; yet I am 
compelled to admit that so managed, that is, 
more in accordance with natural conditions, 
the trees are more healthy and longer-lived, 
and that although it is generally some years 
before they become very fruitful, yet, when 
such is the case, the very act of fruit-bearing, 
judiciously regulated, forms the natural re¬ 
strictive power through which we are enabled 
to maintain the balance between fruit-bearing 
and wood-development, so as to keep the tree 
in a healthy and fruitful state for a long series 
of years. 
In order to derive the full advantage which 
the system offers, we must adopt a combination 
of spurring-in most of the superfluous shoots, 
and training in those properly placed for fruit¬ 
ing purposes. These spurs should not be left 
too thickly on the main branches, and in the 
course of time should be removed, when they 
project so far from the wall as to interfere 
with the young wood—the supply, for purposes 
to be presently mentioned, to be kept up on 
succeeding main branches. It is to the young 
wood which is annually trained in that we 
have to look for the best quality and greatest 
quantity of fruit, and therefore spurring is 
subordinate to it; at the same time, it is useful, 
not only as carrying a fair proportion of fruit, 
but by giving the trees a well-furnished 
appearance, and by securing additional foliage 
assisting in sheltering the main branches from 
the direct rays of the sun, which, when acting 
directly and powerfully on the exposed branches, 
is frequently very injurious, by hardening the 
bark, and preventing its due expansion on all 
sides. A little reflection will, however, con¬ 
vince the intelligent observer that such a 
practice—exposing the branches—is directly 
opposed to the operations of Nature, where trees 
have free room for development. In the case 
of these, it would appear that the natural 
design has been to throw the stem and main 
branches into the shade as much as possible, 
and to make them the medium of exposing as 
much foliage as possible to the influence of 
light and heat; and, considering the important 
part which the foliage plays in the economy of 
growth, it is obvious that the exposure of an 
abundant and healthy development of it is 
quite as much to be studied in the manage¬ 
ment of fruit-trees as the production of fruit. 
Of course, the latter is the ultimate object; but 
I am convinced that the more attention is 
bestowed upon the former, the more satisfac¬ 
tory will be the results. We cannot place 
trees in an artificial condition by training them 
out on hot walls, and at the same time neglect 
those precautions which the trees themselves 
would develope under purely natural conditions. 
The retention, therefore, of sufficient foliage 
during the summer becomes important; and 
in the case of Plums, is greatly assisted by the 
retention of a sufficient number of spurs on the 
main branches to secure that object. 
