50 ORCHARD FRUIT TREE CULTURE 



and what we are coming to is this : that while the close study of 

 methods may, and do, account for much in which they excel, 

 something, aye, a great deal, must be credited to the form of tree 

 upon which their fruit is grown, viz. the cordon. 



The cultivation of cordons, after they have been transplanted to 

 their permanent quarters, should follow on the principles laid down 

 in our treatment of the three-year-old trees in Chapter VII. Each 

 year should add not less than i foot to their height until the limits 

 have been reached. When, in the course of time, it becomes neces- 

 sary to remove old and exhausted spurs, others should be provided 

 to fill their spaces if the health and vigour of the tree remains 

 equal to supporting them. That balance of foliage, necessary to 

 the health of any tree, and more particularly to fruit-bearing trees, 

 must be maintained ; for if it is not sufficient to do all that foliage 

 is meant to do the fruit will quickly feel it and deteriorate in size. 

 The wood, reserved for this purpose, should be pruned back every 

 year to about three eyes, and all superfluous growths, not actually 

 necessary to the health of the tree, completely removed. 



In proportion to their size, cordons are heavy croppers, and the 

 grower, after deciding how much the individual tree can mature 

 and perfect, will thin the crop down to that quantity. He will feel 

 no remorse in removing fruit which if retained would entirely 

 defeat his objects. We have seen Allington Pippin and Cox's Orange 

 hanging so thickly on cordons that the fruit could not swell beyond 

 the size of a crab, and as marketable stuff was useless. 



The most select varieties only, of apples or pears, should be so 

 grown, for such strong growing apples as Ecklinville, Warner's 

 King, Lord Derby, etc., cannot, on cordons, show any advantage 

 over those on other forms. They can, of course, be grown and do 

 well, but generally the fruit is scarcely so large. The choicest 

 medium-sized dessert varieties are, however, improved in size and 

 appearance, and consequently the very finest samples are obtained 

 from the cordon. With pears it is somewhat different. As seen 

 by our illustrations, Pitmaston Duchesse forms an ideal cordon, 

 the weight of crop generally counteracting any tendency to coarse 

 growth. 



By judicious pruning and pinching the fruiting spurs can be kept 

 within decent bounds, and there is no good reason why they 



