THE FRUIT-GARDEN. 



commonly afford abundant crops, and the fruit 

 is not apt to be shaken by high winds. Further, 

 they tend to hide the crops of culinary vegetables 

 from the eye, and to render the kitchen-garden as 

 pleasant as an avenue in the shrubbery.' 



Espaliers are not necessarily confined to the 

 hedgelike form in which they usually appear. 

 They may be made with a quarter-arch-like curve, 

 covering the border between and the walk, thus 

 rendering it highly suitable for the growth of ferns 

 and other shade-loving plants. Or, if erected near 

 to, and arched over a walk, at a height of eight 

 to nine feet, it will be formed into a cool-shaded 

 summer promenade. In some, the trees are 

 trained on inclined rails, over sloping banks of 

 earth ; others in a horizontal tabular form ; while 



some trees are made to assume the form of cups, 

 vases, &c. When made of malleable iron, with 

 good strong posts at the ends, the standards 

 need not be closer than eight or nine feet ; and 

 the horizontal wires may be about nine inches 

 apart. 



Cordon is a French mode of training now be- 

 coming popular among British cultivators. The 

 term is strictly applicable to a tree having only 

 one fruit spur-bearing stem and no lateral branches. 

 In practice, however, such are termed single or 

 simple cordons; while those having two such 

 stems are termed double or bilateral, and some- 

 times U-shaped cordons. They are further dis- 

 tinguished as being horizontal, vertical, and 

 diagonal. 



Simple Horizontal Cordon. 



The horizontal cordons are usually trained upon 

 tightly strained wires, a, a, supported upon iron 

 uprights, b, b, b, about a foot above the surface of 

 the soil. They form excellent edgings for kitchen- 

 garden walks ; are highly suitable for very low 

 walls, such as the fronts of hot-houses ; as also 

 for covering steep sloping banks, and fruit-tree 

 borders, where the growth of soil-exhausting flowers 

 or vegetables is objectionable. When joined to- 

 gether by splice-grafting at their meetings, con- 

 tinuous cordons of any length may be formed. 

 The apple is particularly suitable for horizontal 

 cordon training. 



Vertical Cordons. 



Diagonal Cordons. 



Vertical and diagonal cordons allow of growing 

 many kinds on a given length of wall, and admit 

 of covering wall-faces both quickly and regularly. 

 The first mode is, however, only suitable for gables 

 of houses and other elevated structures j and the 

 distances between the plants need not be more 

 than from 15 to 18 inches for single, and of course 

 twice as much for double cordons. Diagonal 

 cordons may be formed at any angle between 

 vertical and 45. The latter slope is that most 

 agreeable to the eye ; but, whatever may be the 

 angle of incline fixed upon, the distance of the 

 plants apart should be such as to allow of their 



Double Horizontal Cordon. 



transverse distances on the wall-surface being also 

 from 15 to 1 8 inches. 



The Pear. 



The pear-tree, like the apple, is found in a 

 wild state in all parts of Europe, and has been 

 similarly domesticated and improved into many 

 fine varieties. It is much longer in attaining 

 maturity than the apple-tree ; and on a heavy 

 deep dry soil, it will survive and continue fruitful 

 for centuries. The tree may be propagated by 

 seeds ; but grafting or budding is necessary to 

 insure good fruit. 



The observations already offered respecting soil 

 for apple-trees, apply equally to the pear. The 

 pruning, however, is different, for the pear is a 

 very independent growing tree, and, as a standard, 

 will assume its own natural figure in opposition 

 to all restraint. All branches which lash one 

 another must be removed ; but unless the pruiier 

 cut and deform his trees in his attempts to create 

 fruitful spurs, there will seldom be a redundancy 

 of wood. A little foreshortening or disbudding 

 in the spring and summer may be useful ; but in 

 general, as the pear can seldom become fruitful 

 under seven or eight years from the grafting or 

 budding, it will be prudent to watch the gradual 

 development of the natural spurs, and to cut back 

 the laterals to them when formed, and not before. 

 Mr Knight pruned very little, shortening the main 

 shoots occasionally, not sooner than July. He 

 says : ' I would recommend the knife to be little 

 used upon the young pear-trees, particularly upon 

 the horizontal branches. As a general rule for 

 pruning trees that are to be kept Tow in gardens, 

 I recommend the upright shoots to be shortened 

 about the beginning of July.' Cordon wall-train- 

 ing is particularly suitable for the pear. 



Many varieties of pear are enumerated in cata- 

 logues, all differing from each other in their 

 qualities, time of ripening, or other particulars. 

 Among the finest sorts may be mentioned the 

 Jargonelle, Marie Louise, Beurre* de Capiaumont, 

 Louise Bonne, Napoleon, Colmar, Conseiller de 

 la Cour, Bonchrdtien, St Germain, Rousselet, 

 Beurre" Diel, Glout Morceau, Easter Beurre, 

 and Beurre" Ranee. The word beurrt, which 



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