Chap. XVIIIJ THE CORDON SYSTEM OF FRUIT-GROWINa. 293 



the specimens of the finer and tenderer fruits grown on tliis method will be such 

 as we have not yet had in this ooimlry."— Gardener's Chronicle, February 27, 

 1869. 



On the same subject the late Mr. J. A. Watson of Geneva wrote 

 to the same journal : — 



" M. Vaucher, the President of our Horticultural Society, began fruit-growing 

 at Chatellaine, a mile from Geneva, three years ago. Knowing that he had made 

 large plantations of the horizontal cordons, I paid him a visit early in July with 

 the view of ascertaining their condition. The plantation is not more than three 

 years old, the garden having been a grass field previously. In entering the 

 garden the first things that catch the eye are the very neat lines of these little 

 trees running around the borders, and at about one foot from the margin of the 

 gravel walk. The space between the cordons and gravel is planted with the 

 finer kinds of Strawberries. The borders margining each square are cut off 

 from the body of the square by alleys, and these are also edged by cordons in 

 the same way. In most cases two lines of cordons are employed, one above the 

 other, the fruit of the lower line sometimes coming within three or four inches 

 of the ground. The effect of the whole is neat, and such as would make a 

 tasteful gardener use them for edgings, even if the result they yield be ever so 

 problematical. But as regards the Apple, with ordinary care there is nothing 

 problematical about it, for the most dense crops already adorn these beautiful 

 little trees. Here are my notes and measurements of a few of them : — Calville 

 d'Hiver, eighteen inches from the ground, seven feet six inches long, thirty-seven 

 fine promising fruit ; the same kind, seven feet long, seven inches from the ground, 

 twenty-four fine fruit ; Pepin d'Angleterre, six feet long, the fruit fifty-seven in 

 number, hanging at an average of fifteen inches from the ground ; Reinette 

 d'Espagne, three feet six inches long, twenty-four fruit ; the Lady Apple, six 

 feet long, 110 fniit. These were some of the best examples I saw ; and I need 

 not remind your readers that the fruit, instead of being too thin, is much too 

 thick. I may safely say that if properly thinned as fine fruit as ever grew will 

 be gathered from these young cordons — so neat in appearance, and at the same 

 time such a source of profit. I particularly observed that the fruits on the lower 

 line of wire, at an average of about six inches from the ground, were quite as 

 good and fertile as those on the upper wire, at an average height of about eighteen 

 inches— although, perhaps, at some disadvantage from being exactly under the 

 higher line. I may add, that there are many gardens about Geneva in which these 

 cordons on the Paradise are a perfect success, that they give little trouble to the 

 gardeners, who are always fond of them, be the gardens or the ' help ' large or 

 .small." 



It is not merely in the way it is at present practised in France 

 or elsewhere that the cordon system is interesting and instructive 

 to all taking an interest in the culture of hardy fruits. It offers 

 a means of training trees so that we may readily give them that 

 protection in spring, the want of which is in nine cases out of ten 



X 



