The Cordon System of Training Fruit Trees. 143 



manner. Indeed, from an ornamental point of view alone it 

 would be desirable to cover many naked spaces on walls, &c., with 

 these cordons, and embellish them with their pretty flowers in 

 spring and noble fruit in autumn. 



Fig. 29 represents quite a young line of Reinettes used as an 

 edging, and, though as yet weak, very fertile. The way of fastening 

 is somewhat simpler than the first cordon figured, and the position 

 of the little raidisseur is shown. When lines of cordons are per- 

 fectly well furnished the whole line is a thick mass of spurs, just 

 like the top rod of a well-trained espalier. Some keep them very 

 closely pinched in to the rod, but the best I have ever seen were 

 allowed a rather free development of spurs, care being taken that 

 they were regularly and densely produced along the stem. If 

 anybody will reflect that as a rule the best vigour of the ordinary 



FIG. 29. Reinette du Canada as a Cordon Edging. 



espalier tree flows to its upper line of branches, he will have no 

 difficulty in seeing at a glance the advantages of the horizontal 

 cordon, particularly if he bears in mind that the system as gene- 

 rally applied to the apple is simply a bringing of one good branch 

 near the earth where it receives more heat, where it causes no in- 

 jurious shade, and where it may be protected with the greatest 

 efficiency and the least amount of trouble. It is simply a carrying 

 further of the best principles of grafting and pruning a wise 

 bending of the young tree to the conditions that best suit it in our, 

 northern climate. The simple fact that by its means we bring all 

 the fruit and leaves to within ten inches or a foot of the ground, 

 and thereby expose them to an increase of heat, which compensates 

 to a great extent for a bad climate, will surely prove a strong argu- 

 ment in its favour to every intelligent person. I believe it to be 



