VAEIOUS CORDONS. 21 



pruned. No long straggling shoots are ever seen. The sup- 

 ply of new wood of the proper bearing age, and the regular 

 distribution of the leaves, ensures a succession of crops. 

 The fruit is all produced close to the main stems. All parts of 

 the tree have a fair chance. The produce is doubled, since half 

 of the intervals between the branches is only required. Twelve 

 inches are sufficient for the parts where 18 or 24 inches were 

 formerly required. The trees are as readily detached from the 

 walls to clean them, as vines are from the wires, and from 

 their simple forms no injury can happen to any portion. The 

 trees are only lightly secured to the rods (which are safer, 

 after all, than galvanized wires), and it is easy to clear off 

 cobwebs and insects from the back of the trees, an advantage 

 of incalcvilable value, as the gardener well knows. All 

 these, and others, are the results of cordon training. 



But one of the chief recommendations of the system is the 

 rapidity with which a high wall is clothed with productive 

 spurs. In four years a wall, twelve to fifteen feet high, can 

 be covered with fruit-bearing wood, all disposed in regular, 

 beautiful, and harmonious succession. 



This will be obvious by a reference to the Frontispiece, 

 where the different years are indicated by their progress ; and 

 as a tree, planted at the angles shown, 7}mst grow fast, and 

 yet be fruitful, what can be desired, more ? What is shown 

 in the Frontispiece is a representation of one kind'of cordon, 

 and that the very best, — the " diagonal," — with three leaders 

 on each tree. The trees are planted in. the ground at thirty- 

 six inclies from their neighbors to right and left, there being 

 thus twelve inches of interval between each leader. In 

 France the single cordon,* with laterals of fourteen inches, 

 succeeds well, but it would fail in England. The double cor- 

 don is better adapted ; these two forms clothe a wall witli 



[* The objections to the single cordon do not apply in our climate, which is 

 quite as dry and favorable for that system of training as in France, where Mr. 

 BrShaut admits it succeeds well. Hence, those cultivators who would like to try 

 the single cordon can do so, as we shall give in an appendix an engraving and 

 details of that method, though undoubtedly generally understood from the above 

 account. The single and double differ only in the number of shoots and plant- 

 ing the trees nearer together. — c. m. h.] 



