19S 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTUBB AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



[ March 12, 1868. 



Stood throngh the winter, so far looking quite healthy and 

 likely to survive, unless we have some very severe weather. — 

 M. H., Acklam Hall, Middlesborough-on-Tees. 



CORDONS— BUSHES— PYRAMIDS. 

 I HAVE no desire to enter the lists in controversy with such 

 a pomological giant as Mr. Eivers, but to state my experience, 

 and venture an opinion to other amateurs, who, like myself, 

 may take an active interest in fruit-growing. That what I 

 assert may go as nearly as possible for what it is worth, I will 

 commence by stating that I have about twelve hundred fruit 

 trees in various stages of growth, of these forty-six are cordons, 

 and about one thousand bushes and pyramids. I have had 

 only five years' experience, but during that time have studied 

 Eivers, Du Breuil, Brfihaut, and others, besides the weekly con- 

 tents of " our .Journal." In learning the theory and practice, I 

 have been more or less assisted by Mr. Rivers, the Eev. T. C. 

 Brfihaut, Messrs. Abbey, Pearson, and a host of gentlemen's 

 gardeners, whom I take this opportunity of thanking. 



In January, 1865, 1 had a piece of old meadow land trenched, 

 and planted with 122 bushes on Paradise and Quince stocks, as 

 advised in the " Miniature Fruit Garden " (twelfth edition) ; of 

 these fourteen are Cox's Orange Pippin. lu 1866 the produce 

 was one Apple ; in 1867, 115, or two pecks, instead of a quarter 

 of a peck each. Sixty-three trees have as yet produced nothing, 

 twenty-three half a dozen fruit each or less, and twenty-three 

 bore ten or more last year ; but I must add they promise, with 

 few exceptions, to do grandly in future. 



One word as to labour. Mr. Rivers says that "an active 

 man can lift and replant one hundred in a day." According 

 to my experience, to dig up carefully, trim the roots, and re- 

 plant in quincunx order or straight lines, one hundred trees 

 are a good day's work for two first-rate spadesmen. 



I much prefer bushes to pyramids for everything except ap- 

 pearance. Whilst M. Du Breuil says the fence must be 7 feet 

 high, and Mr. BrShaut 10 feet at least, Mr. Rivers much sur- 

 prises me by recommending a wire fence so low as 4 feet for 

 diagonal cordons ; planted at an angle of 45° the trees when 

 5 feet long would be at the top, and though their roots are so 

 close together they will send up shoots 4 feet long in one sea- 

 son, in spite of biennial root-pruning. However, the " average 

 of one dozen fruit each, of very fine quality," certainly is 

 "not a bad return for good cultivation " — such a return as I 

 never have had or expect to have so early as in " the second 

 year after planting;" eighteen Pear trees on a boarded fence 

 having given me a total of only twenty-two fruits last season, 

 though the same sorts do well here as bushes. My crop, no 

 doubt, was unusually bad, but I venture to think that half a 

 dozen each is a far more probable average for such young trees. 

 _ The directions for the cultivation of cordons are delightfully 

 simple, the promised produce most seductive, but " all is not 

 gold that glitters." " Cut down to two eyes which next summer 

 produce two shoots, then pinch to four leaves," &c., but sadly 

 too often one of these eyes declines to bud in spite of all you 

 can do, and the only cure is to cut " that melancholy single 

 shoot " down to two leaf buds next winter. Cordons, more- 

 over, require constant attention. Few men are permitted by 

 their occupations to go round their garden every morning 

 scissors in hand. Most men take a few weeks' leave of absence 

 during the summer, when, unless they can leave them in ex- 

 perienced hands, woe betides the cordons. Some carefully 

 nurtured shoots become a prey to catei-pillars, others become 

 so rarnpant as to defy any amount of pinching, twisting, and 

 " partial fractures." Moreover, all drawings that I have ever 

 seen of cordons represent the growth as equal on the upper and 

 lower sides, whereas, in fact, it inclines mainly to the upper. 



Nearly as much space in " our Journal " might be taken up 

 hy stating the objections to cordon training as has been 

 occupied by statements in its favour. I would, with all de- 

 ference to their advocates, amongst whom I rank myself under 

 certain conditions, give a word of advice to those amateurs and 

 market gardeners who may intend planting on this system, 

 1st, Don't (as Punch say.'? othose about to marry), tUl you have 

 Been some growing and f wn for some time. If you have not 

 this chance plant but i .• by way of experiment. 2nd, On 

 the authority of M. Du Jrenil and Mr. Brehaut, to which I 

 humbly add my own, do not attempt to grow them on a fence 

 less than 7 feet high (10 feet would be far better). 3rd, On the 

 same authority, do not attempt to dispense with the guide rods. 

 4th, If you cannot give them constant attention (impossible, I 



should say, for market gardeners with their press of work), or 

 if you cannot during your summer absence leave them in 

 charge of an experienced person (improbable, because at pre- 

 sent few understand their culture, and practical men have 

 several reasonable grounds against its adoption), leave cordons 

 alone altogether ; and, 5th, until English nurserymen will give 

 us maiden trees at something like French prices, instead of 

 from f)d. to Is. each, we had better let alone the French 

 system. Still, I say, if you have time and inclination, grow a 

 few as an agreeable hobby, but do not expect too much pro- 

 duce or httle trouble. 



Some readers may infer that I have made a " regular mess " 

 of fruit culture in general, and have read and learnt to but little 

 purpose. I, therefore, feel bound to add that I have trees that 

 for production have equalled, and for shape excel the photo- 

 graphs BO famiUar to fruit-growers ; dwarf trees, overfruited 

 for experiment, have been the admiration of many to whom I 

 have had the pleasure of showing them, and fruits from trees 

 purposely much limited in the number allowed to ripen, have 

 excelled in quality any I have yet seen ; but it would be a pity, 

 if out of one thousand trees I could not obtain something worth 

 looking at. As every tree is numbered, its culture and produce 

 separately noted, I can, if such knowledge be thought worth 

 acquiring, state what each sort produces, and the peculiarities 

 of its habit and character. 



I have thus honestly given the results of my experience by 

 way of caution to amateur fruit-growers, and in so doing have 

 to my ability discharged a debt of gratitude which I owe to 

 many an amateur and gardener who has depicted his successes 

 and failures for my benefit. I will conclude with a quotation 

 from Mr. Brthaut, which is to my mind the best thing written 

 on cordon training. " For an amateur to take up cordon 

 training, and to endeavour to practise it, irrespective of the 

 exigencies of our rainy skies, and to expect results attainable 

 in other dry and sunny localities, is simply absurd." 



I hope as years wear on to give, if you care to have them, 

 further notes on my rapidly increasing plantation of fruit 

 trees.— C. C. E. 



[We do care to have them, as we always covet details of prac- 

 tice intelligently conducted. — Ens.] 



AIR-ROOTS ON VINES. 



If the readers of this Journal are like myself, any experi- 

 ment connected with the Vine will always be of interest to 

 them, even if it only confirms that which has been previously 

 advanced by other writers. 



For the last two years I have made notes of observations 

 taken during a succession of Vine-forcing in order to obtain 

 some reliable information as to the causes of air. roots on Vines, 

 the effect they have, and the treatment to prevent their ap- 

 pearance. As a rule. Vines that are forced put forth more air- 

 roots than those that are not forced, or which are allowed to 

 grow naturally. This I attribute to the unequally balanced 

 action between the roots and branches, in other words, to the 

 deficiency of supply as compared to the demand brought on by 

 the unseasonable time at which the roots are called upon to act, 

 and the great difficulty experienced in keeping the temperature 

 of the roots on equal terms with that of the branches. I am 

 more convinced of this being the case, from starting a fresh 

 house of Vines every month from December to April, and as 

 the season advanced the proportion of air-roots diminished. 



Over-cropping is another very frequent cause of the pro- 

 duction of air-roots, whether the Vine is growing naturally or 

 artificially. I have found that if a Vine is placed in the most 

 favourable situation, both for its roots and branches, it does not 

 root or grow with the same vigour every year, consequently it 

 is not always able to carry a full crop, but it is too much the 

 custom to take one from it regardless of consequences; this 

 weakens the constitution, and Nature seeks to assist herself 

 by the production of air-roots. 



This brings me to the second part of my subject — viz., the 

 effect air-roots have upon the Vine. Although I believe they 

 do afford a slight amount of assistance to the Vine during a 

 certain stage of its growth by feeding upon the moisture in the 

 atmosphere of the structure, yet I have proved that to allow 

 them to grow is to bring disappointment to the cultivator and 

 injury to the Vine, for as soon as air is admitted more freely, 

 and the atmosphere kept drier to favour the colouring process, 

 the air-roots dry up and die. The Vine thus receiving a serious 

 and sudden check, inferior-coloured Grapes are the consequence . 



