282 



THE PAEKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Chap. XVIII. 



and in Regent Street they are some,times marted two and three 

 shillings each, and in St. Petersburg they are sold in winter for 

 as much as six shillings each. Considering the great number 

 of walled gardens there are in this country, there can be no 

 doubt whatever that by merely covering, by means of this plan, 

 the lower parts of walls now entirely useless, we could easily 

 supply our markets with the very choice fruit referred to, and 

 be independent of other countries in this respect. 



Many will suppose that 

 such very fine fruit must 

 require a warmer country 

 than ours for their produc- 

 tion. But by treatin_g them 

 as the French do we may 

 produce quite as good a 

 result, and may, in addi- 

 tion, grow tender but fine 

 apples, like the Calville 

 Blanc, that do little good 

 when grown as standards. 

 The climate in most parts 

 of England will be found to suit them as well as that of Prance, 

 if not better, because the sun in some districts of France is 

 rather too strong for the perfect development of the flesh and 

 flavour of the apple. There is no part of this country in which 

 the low cordon will not be found a useful addition to the garden 

 —that is, wherever first-rate dessert fruit is wanted. So great is 

 the demand in the markets for fruit of the highest quality that 

 sometimes the little trees more than pay for themselves the first 

 year after being planted. In any northern exposed and cold places 

 where choice apples do not ripen well it would be desirable to give 

 the trees as warm and sunny a position as possible, while the form 

 recommended for walls should be used extensively. In no case 

 should the system be tried except as a garden one— an improved 

 method of orcharding being what is wanted for kitchen fruit, and 

 for the supply of the markets. 



When lines of well-grown cordons are completed the whole forms 

 a mass of bold spurs. Some keep them very closely pinched in 

 to the rod, but the best are allowed a rather free development of 



Cordon Tree on low W all oj Plant-house. Jn this way 

 Calville Blanc, Reinette du Canada, Melon-Apple, 

 American-Mother, and the Jiner and tenderer Apples 

 may be grown to perfection. 



