By Cuttings

All the varieties may be raised in this mode, though some, as the Burr-knot, Codling, and June-eating, more readily than others. Trees so raised are said to be not so liable as their parents to canker. In February take cuttings of young shoots from some of the horizontal branches, about eight inches long, cutting off a portion of the old wood of the branch attached to the shoot; remove all the buds except the upper three. Plant these firmly in saudy loam, giving water and covering with a hand-glass until the cuttings have well vegetated. Shade from the midday sun; remove the hand-glass in August; and remove the plants into the nursery early in November.

Soil

The most favourable soil is a strong loam, two feet deep, on a dry subsoil, thoroughly drained, for stagnant root moisture induces canker and moss.

Planting

The soil should be trenched, and some cultivators place immediately beneath each tree, according to the extent of its roots, chalk, stones, or brick-bats rammed so as to form a kind of pavement to direct the roots horizontally. Plant so that the roots nearest the surface are twelve inches below it.

Espaliers

In America the apple is seldom trained as an Espalier, though they might thus be cultivated in gardens of limited extent, and in some cases serve a double purpose, affording shade and fruit. When first planted the young plant is cut down to within about a foot of the ground, and only three shoots permitted to spring from it, one of which will be the leader, and the others will form the first or lower tier of bearing branches, which are to be secured to small stakes, so as to keep them in their proper places.

The following season the upright leader must be shortened to nine inches or a foot above the two horizontal branches, and deprived of all its shoots excepting the three uppermost, which are to be treated the same as before. In this way the leading shoot is to be stopped at the requisite distance above the horizontal ones, until it has reached the height of five feet. It is then cut off, and no more allowed to grow upright, the whole strength of the tree being directed to the fruiting branches. - Gard. Chron.

Espalier apple trees should be at not less than twenty feet distance; but five-and-thirty feet is better, especially for trees grafted on crab or apple stocks, which are free shooters; for trees grafted on codlin and paradise stocks eighteen or twenty feet may be a sufficient distance. They should be planted with their heads entire, only removing any very irregular growths that do not range consistent with the intended form, and pruning any broken roots. Let all the branches be trained horizontally to the right and left, an equal number on each side, all at full length, five or six inches asunder, and, according as they shoot in summer, still continue them along entire. At the same time train in a further supply of new shoots, to increase the number of horizontals or bearers, and thus continue increasing their numbers every year, till the espalier is regularly filled from the bottom to top, preserving all the branches at full length, as far as the allotted space will admit.

They must have a summer and a winter pruning annually; in the summer cut out all the superfluous and ill-placed shoots of the year, and train regular ones towards the lower parts in vacant spaces, at least to remain till winter, some of which may be then wanted to fill some unforeseen vacancy, clearing out all others at this time as close as possible. And in winter, if any worn out or decayed parts appear, then is the time to retrench them, retaining young branches in their places, and if any vacancy occurs, retain some contiguous young shoot to fill it. Cut clean out close to the branches, still continuing all the branches, and any occasional supply of shoots, at full length, as far as their limited bounds will allow; then train the whole regularly, tying them in as straight and close to the railing as possible, about six inches asunder.