286 Fruit Tree Protection, Cordons, etc. 



pitch, all cold, rains, and sleet are thrown effectually off; and it 

 prevents radiation more effectively than the best protections now in 

 use, even in gardens where the walls are considered worth the trouble 

 of protection in spring. It may be fixed so as to be undisturbed by 

 the highest winds ; and when the trees are out of flower may be 

 taken away, stored without trouble for another year, and the walls 

 then exposed to the refreshing and cleansing summer rains. No 

 permanent coping of like breadth and efficiency is advisable; it 

 would darken the wall too much, whereas when the temporary 

 coping is removed every leaf enjoys full light, and the wall may be 

 perfectly covered from top to bottom with healthy wood. 



But to fully compensate us for the trouble of thoroughly protect- 

 ing walls, a little revolution is necessary in our garden fruit culture. 

 We must, as elsewhere pointed out in this book,, crop the borders 

 in front of walls with fruit trees trained on the low and simple 

 cordon principle. By doing so we shall at once dispose of the 

 much-debated question of what is best to do with the fruit borders, 

 and at the same time collect such a valuable lot of fruit trees im- 

 mediately in front of each wall, as would render it both convenient 

 and highly desirable to protect efficiently both walls and borders, 

 and by the same means. A very narrow border would accommo- 

 date four or six lines of apples or pears trained on the cordon prin- 

 ciple, and an extension of the cheap canvas protection given to the wall 

 would suffice to cover them also. Where the borders were wide a 

 greater number could, of course, be planted in parallel lines, and 

 some simple mechanical arrangement made, whereby both wall and 

 border might be covered. 



In the report from Chiswick Mr. Barren remarks, that " a spring 

 like this would be fatal to low cordons." This, coming from such 

 a quarter, seems to invite a word of reply from me. Considering 

 that nearly everything else was killed, it was fair to assume that the 

 "low cordons" would be likely to share the lamentable fate of the 

 general stock, even though there is not one in the Chiswick garden. 

 I have frequently seen low cordons, properly managed, bear abun- 

 dantly in districts of France as much exposed to spring frosts as the 



