November 30, 1871. ] 



JOUKNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



415 



had been given for some Strawberries (I believe they were) than could 

 possibly be made out of them when they were offered for sale. Snrely 

 if the facts were different the statements should have been refuted at 

 the time ; if they were I did not hear it, and am much obliged to Mr. 

 Cornick for correcting me and supplying the information he has done. 

 — Thomas Tatiob. 



[We cannot insert more relative to this trial. — Eds.] 



DIAGONAL CORDONS FOR PEARS. 



I HATE freqaently advocated in the Journal this style of 

 training, and 1 have a few more experienoaa to quote here. 

 That which has immediately called forth these notes 13 the 

 .question of new and select Pears, diagonal cordons being the 

 very best calculated to test the relative merits of such. Here 

 ■we have planted two walls, which are already producing re- 

 sults. I am thus enabled to state that the observations of 

 ■some of your correspondents are confirmed, the more so as 

 neighbours — and I may call them pupils in a friendly way^ 

 have also by this method given us the benefit of their ex- 

 .perienoes. 



■New Pears require at least several years, and culture in 

 •differing soils and climates, before they can be accepted gene- 

 rally as standard fruits; and so that method which enables ns 

 to ascertain their qualities the soonest must be the moBt valu- 

 able. This the diagonal cordon does better than any other 

 •lorm, the horizontal being insufficiently developed to represent 

 a good-sized tree, being, in fact, antagonistic in idea to such ; 

 while the diagonal, representing the natural angle formed by a 

 branch with the main stem, and having a larger area of bear- 

 ing wood and leaf, holds a position midway between the other 

 lorms. Nothing equals the diagonal in simplicity of pruning, 

 ■lorwhile with horizontals we require dwarfing stocks (which, 

 as in the case of Apple trees on the French Paradise, have the 

 disadvantage of exposing the root fibres to the air whenever 

 'heavy rains occur, and this dangerously whenever the border 

 slopes) in Ih? case of the diagonal we are independent of all 

 •such considerations. Nor have we any vertical shoots to re- 

 •strain as in horizontals ; the upper side of the diagonal grows 

 ■freely enough, and is too apt to dwarf the under side, but does 

 not by any means give any real trouble or care. The advan- 

 tage of removal are equal in either form ; their periods of 

 maturity are also equal. 



I have nothing to say against horizontal cordons as such ; on 

 ■the contrary, I have jast patented a " cordon case" expressly 

 to suit them, which I hope will please some readers of this 

 Journal, and as to such as depreciate what they have not even 

 seen, we must be content to leave the " case " to stand on its 

 own merits. This is the good old way. So I repeat. Grow by 

 all means abundance of horizontal cordons, especially such as 

 suit my "case" — Peaches and Apricots are best— and then you 

 will relish these little improvements in culture, such as the 

 glass cover which slides ofi, the back which removes, and especi- 

 ally the floor which lowers all at will, the whole of which my old 

 ■friend at Sawbridgeworth likes very much indeed. With such 

 aids it would be odd if others did not succeed as well as my- 

 •self in ripening Peaches for Govent Garden before Midsummer- 

 day. This is not bad practice for a case which any lady could 

 attend to. The grandest orchard house could not do more if 

 unheated. Grapes, of course, would do equally well — better, 

 possibly. 



Not, however, to wander from our subject, let me confirm 

 what others state as to the beauty and excellence of certain 

 iPaars. The one which has most struck me here is the Souvenir 

 du Congres, which wag so beautiful in colour that I made an 

 accurate sketch of it on canvas. It will prove a good market 

 sort for this reason alone, being far more showy than the 

 kindred Williams's Bon Chretien, and not unlike it in flavour. 

 I should also think it prolific, for the trees on the wall near it 

 did not bear equally. This specimen was juicy and mellow — 

 to be strictly accurate, not without a suspicion of grittiness in 

 the texture, but not to any damaging extent. 



We had many other new Pears from these walls of cordons, 

 grown in pairs side by side, thus testing their relative qualities 

 in the fairest, and, at the same time, the speediest manner 

 possible. These it would be improper to report upon, some 

 being produced on cordons naturally of feeble habit, and re- 

 quiring another season, and others not being autumnal sorts, 

 and BO unripe. But is it not evident that anyone planting a 

 wall of diagonal cordon Pear trees at this time, if he also pur- 

 chase trees two seasons old (as far as the newness of the sorts 

 allowed), and attending to them with ordinary care, such as 



good walls call for — is it not evident that such a grower would 

 realise results, gain experience undreamt of before, and, what 

 is of no little consequence, form his own ideas of what Pears 

 suited his taste ? 



Diagonal Pear cordons double-grafted, as some of mine are, 

 on the Quince, two seasons old, purchased with promising buds 

 — what a change from the days when " Pears were planted for 

 one's heirs I " 



Say a grower having a good wall 10 or 12 feet high, wired at 

 the usual intervals — horizontal wiring is the best — purchases 

 two hundred Pears, maiden trees, in pairs of sorts. This will 

 give him one hundred varieties, which he can select out of 

 many old and new Pears. Let him make a good trench along 

 that wall, taking the usual precautions to have a well-drained 

 border filledin with fresh, maiden soil to place over the 

 tender root-fibres. Then let him lay in the trees at 16 inches 

 interval against the wires at an angle of 70° for the first season, 

 not lowering them to 45° till, say, the third season. Growth 

 should be encouraged to restore root action disturbed by change 

 of position. The shoots should be merely equalised, unless 

 very gross, and the leader steered by a light guiding rod at the 

 proper angle. What mystery is there in all this which a lad 

 would not fathom ? Only common observation is needed, and 

 no doubt need be felt as to results. The shoots at the winter 

 regulation will all be cut-in to two buds, and the leader 

 shortened by one-third to a fruit bud. Next summer these two 

 buds will push forth, and these young shoots should be stopped 

 back to 4 inches as soon as eight buds are developed ; the se- 

 cond growth to 2 inches as soon as four are seen ; the third 

 growth to 1 inch as soon as two are seen. At the winter pruning 

 all these will be cut back. If a fruit bud be clearly visible at 

 the base, we -may cut back to it ; if doubtful, leave a bud be- 

 yond, and the next season will establish it as a permanent 

 bearing fruit bud. 



All these rules, seemingly empirical, are, however, useful 

 in practice. After a time one becomes careless, and it is then 

 good to read up the subject again. 



The leader should be shortened very little, or not at all ; at 

 any rate, if well grown it will soon take care of itself. This 

 supposes, of course, that the fruitful shoots have been well 

 tended, and are becoming thick, healthy, and have plenty of 

 fruit buds. Then the tree seems to advance of itself, and re- 

 quires the mildest amount of skill. While your neighbours 

 are wearying over the even-balancing of the ■wings of their 

 " British fane," and covering their walls with slow stages of 

 wood, having to extend each way as well as to rise vertically, 

 your diagonals will be soon covered with handsome fruit, and 

 you a judge of its value by the sure way of tasting. Tour 

 hundred varieties, being likewise in pairs, will enable you soon 

 to compete at provincial shows w'th a dozen dishes of six or 

 twelve fine Pears of varieties quite unknown, even by name, to 

 your neighbours. Toil may lose the prize yon seek for this 

 reason, but it is not much loss after all, and you will stiU be 

 far ahead of your competitors when knowledge has reached 

 your judges. Remember also to thin with an unsparing hand, 

 and every year you will have the same average of crop to rely 

 on, increased, let me note, by the natural development of the 

 trees. 



Should you be dissatisfied with any variety, it is easy to re- 

 move it, and the short period which will render the trees fruit- 

 ful will obviate any long uncertainty. What is the value of 

 sneh a tree compared to your priceless time and labour ? 



These are some of the advantages of diagonal cordons. 

 There are other forms, such as the standard, whereby to Itest 

 varieties, but trees so trained are far longer in producing their 

 fruit, are more difficult to train properly, and do not, as a rule, 

 produce such handsome fruit as those on walls. We hear of 

 splendid specimens grown on standards, and doubt not that for 

 market purposes this is the best way ; but where one man can 

 raise a handsome Pear from a standard a score will be found 

 unable to do so. 



Let me hint to amateurs. Leave these trees to market gar- 

 deners, and to exceptionally good soils and local temperatures, 

 keeping, of course, what suits your gardens for the bulk — 

 shall 1 say the rougher part? — of your crop, and reserve for dia- 

 gonal cordons on your walls a good place, and for the very best 

 sort you can find or fancy. In this' way all exigencies will be 

 provided for. Where much is required cordons alone will not 

 suit, but they are the most suitable to test new sorts and to 

 grow them for the table, for succession, and for exhibition.' lit 

 is possible that in these conditions your greatest triumphs will 

 be found ; at any rate, a vast amount of knowledge of Pears 



