46 DWARF FRUIT TREES 



stems which are treated essentially the same as up- 

 right cordons. (Fig. 17.) 



The double U-form is made by growing two U's 

 from the same tree. The stem is first divided near 

 the ground into two branches and each of these is 

 immediately divided into two more. The tree thus 

 provides four parallel and equally spaced upright and 

 fruiting stems equal to four upright cordons, except 

 that they are all supported from a single trunk. The 

 U- and double U-forms are employed mostly for 

 plums, apricots, peaches and nectarines. 



One occasionally sees much more elaborate schemes 

 of training than any here mentioned. There are com- 

 plex geometrical designs, even pictorial figures birds, 

 dogs, and beer-steins and sometimes the initials of 

 the gardener, or the name of his kingly and imperial 

 majesty. In every case the method of producing these 

 forms is practically the same. A frame is built of 

 wood or wire in the form which it is desired to give 

 the tree. Branches are developed at suitable points 

 on the tree and these are tied out while they are grow- 

 ing to the wooden or metal form. It does not require 

 any special care or ingenuity to produce the most 

 elaborate designs in this method. It is essentially a 

 job of carpentry. 



We come now to the cordons. If we take the 

 simplest form, namely the upright cordon, we have 

 what we may call a tree of one dimension only. The 

 upright cordon has nothing but height, eschewing both 

 breadth and thickness. A cordon is simply a tree 

 trained to a single stem and this stem may be placed 

 in any position. The position or direction of the stem 



