Fruit Tree Protection, Cordons, etc. 28; 



neighbourhood of London. Low cordons might lose their crop 

 such a season as the present, but what variety of fruit tree can be 

 so easily protected if arranged as I have elsewhere in this book de- 

 scribed the walls and borders both perfectly covered and the whole 

 thoroughly protected ? By proper management the severest spring 

 we experience could not injure such cordons j and the only thing 

 that their extensive planting would prove fatal to would be reports 

 such as those that are now too common, and of which the above is 

 a type. Even Chiswick, much as it suffers during such frosts as 

 the present, could not fail to succeed with the cordons arranged as 

 proposed. I will venture respectfully to suggest to the Council 

 that by planting its fruit borders with cordons, and thoroughly pro- 

 tecting all, they would by the certain and superior crops soon obtain 

 a considerable return, and at the same time teach the public a useful 

 practical lesson. 



Whether the border is covered with cordons or not rising but 

 little above the ground, they cannot shade the wall the lower parts 

 of the walls, if not perfectly covered with the larger trees, should 

 be covered with cordons as soon as possible, and from them alone may 

 be gathered, in many places where there is bare wall space, as much 

 fine fruit as would pay for the expense of protection. The only 

 objection urged against my proposal, that the bare lower portions 

 of our garden walls, &c., should be covered with the finer apples and 

 pears, worked on the Paradise and Quince stocks, was that if the 

 walls were properly and sufficiently clothed with the trees to which 

 they are devoted, there would be no. room for the cordons. A 

 likely objection enough, if walls were often to be seen in such a 

 state. I have recently noticed miles of garden wall quite bare at the 

 bottom which is capable of affording quantities of as Jine fruit as it is 

 possible to grow. And if I noticed this in a tour through the richest 

 and best gardens in England, how much more so does it apply to 

 the thousands of gardens in these islands that do not receive regular 

 and skilled attention ! However, my proposal for rendering this 

 waste space highly profitable is certain to be universally accepted 

 ere long j and I was agreeably surprised to find it already under trial 



