Chap. XVIII.] THE CORDON SYSTEM OF FRUIT-GROWING. 285 



the ground, or in gardening language " mulching," could not fail 

 to be beneficial. This is the more necessary on warm or dry soils, 

 in which the Paradise stock is least vigorous. 



The cordons are usually planted too close together in France. 

 When the trees overtake each other it is common to graft them 

 one to another — a very simple operation. If when all are united 

 they should grow too strong in rich ground, the stem of every 

 second plant may be cut oflf just beneath the wire and the trees 

 will be nourished by the others. When the line is well trained 

 and established the wire may be taken away altogether. If the 

 plantation be made on a slope, all the trees should be planted so 

 as to grow up the incline. 



Finally, in winter, the trees will be the better for being looked 

 over with a view to 

 a little pruning here 

 and there ; taking 

 care to thin and 

 regulate the spurs 

 when the plantation 

 is tlioroughly esta- 

 blished, to cut in 

 useless stumps, and 

 to firmly tie the ._, ,_.^ „ , .„ ,^^, 



•> rhc White Calville Apple. 



shoots along the 



wire but not too tightly so as to prevent their free expansion. 

 As the system is chiefly valuable for the production of fine 

 dessert fruit, only the best kinds should be selected ; but, as some 

 Apples are of high value both for kitchen and dessert, some of the 

 finer kitchen Apples are included in the following list of such as 

 will be found very suitable : Eeinette du Canada, Eeinette du 

 Canada Grise, Eeinette Grise, Eeinette de Caux, Eeinette d'Es- 

 pagne, Eeinette tres-tardive. Belle Dubois, Pomme d'Api, Mela 

 Carla, Calville St. Sauveur, Coe's Golden Drop, Calville Blanc, 

 Northern Spy, Melou -apple, Cox's Orange Pippin, Duke of 

 Devonshire, Kerry Pippin, Lodgemore Nonpareil, White Non- 

 pareil, American-Mother, Early Harvest, Lord Burleigh, Beauty 

 of Kent, Bedfordshire Foundling, Lord Sufiield, Cox's Pomona, 

 Hawthornden, Tower of Glamis, Winter Hawthornden, Betty 

 Geeson, Small's Admirable, and Braddick's Nonpareil. Some of 



