50 CORDON TRAINING. 



them off. If grown as bushes in the house, spur them in 

 more closely^ and shorten the branches freely. A damp situ- 

 ation is quite unsuitable for a good cherry tree, and they re- 

 quire calcareous matter in the soil. As to Morcllo cherries, 

 it is a waste of time and labor to grow them on north walls — 

 better leave them to the birds; while if placed in a fair posi- 

 tion, this sort will rival many of the others. 



I find cherries do remarkably well as Diagonal Cordons, 

 and they do not, as I feared, grow too strongly to be treated 

 in this way. 



I have a high south wall of these cherries intermingled 

 with good plums, and they look very promising, all on the 

 Diagonal plan. Some of my best are the Duchess of Palluau, 

 a new and splendid variety, as a fan-shaped Cordon, and an 

 Early Black, extremely well grown, because the branches, 

 with the addition of a guiding rod, will grow as straight as 

 pipe sticks, and look magnificent. Pyramidal bushes in pots 

 are very handsome. As soon as four leaves appear on the 

 shoots, pinch in to three, and favor the development of the 

 Jjase, but not so as to exceed the diameter of the pot. 



CHAP. XII. 



CORDON TRAINING IN PEAR TREES. 



This most valuable fruit is a general favorite, and requires 

 a somewhat peculiar treatment, because it differs from the 

 preceding, especially from the peach, in this important par- 

 ticular, that as soon as a fruitful spur is formed, there is no 

 necessity to renew it, — it will last as long as the tree, with 

 due care. No alternation of bearing wood is here needed, as 

 in the peach, and therefore it is the basis of a quite different 

 treatment, which is also applicable to the apple". 



The pear, however, resembles the peach and nectarine in 

 this respect : that it is equally suited for the various forms of 



