THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



IS 



rig. 20.— Single Cordon, 



diamond-fashion, will altogether escape. The latter 

 has heen observed for many seasons in succession, 

 and it almost seems established that the diamond 

 form of cordon ( Fig. 23) offers more resistance to 

 the radiation of heat than any other form. Each 

 square of -nood does of course act as a conservator of 

 warmth, and as the hues of radiation are vertical 

 hetween the earth and the open sky, it follows that 

 these cross-branches must intercept, and so conserve, 

 a considerable amount of the warmth of the earth. 



The old Espalier, or horizontal-shaped tree (see 

 Figs. 28 and 29), was probably almost equally 

 efiBcient in moderating or subduing the force of 

 radiation, and as a matter of observation and 

 experience such shaped 

 trees are found to pass 

 through spring frosts 

 with more safety than 

 those of pjTamidal form. 

 Perhaps the latter are 

 almost the worst for 

 exposure, in the early 

 spring, to a clear frosty 

 atmosphere radiating the 

 earth's caloric away with 

 intense acti- 

 vity and force 

 from bank to 

 sky.' For the 

 pointed form 

 of these trees, 

 tapering at 

 their summits 

 into a, sheer 

 point, and 



widening as they descend into a base from thiee 

 to six or more feet in diameter, exposes them at all 

 points of their height to the fuU and unfettered 

 influence of radiation. The wide-spreading standard 

 and irregular bushy dwarfs of the old orchards 

 were far better adapted for contending successfully 

 against, and carrying their blossoms safely through 

 vernal frosts, than the prim model pjTamids or semi- 

 weeping and freer-trained cones of to-day. 



Best Height for Escaping Spring Frosts. 



— Sufficient data are not yet in our possession to enable 

 us to determine this matter with sufficient accuracy 

 to lay down any practical rules for our guidance. 

 But it often seems as if the nearer the earth the 

 warmer the local atmosphere. And this will hold 

 good with greater force when the tree itself is of 

 such form, or is so protected, as to conserve the heat 

 of the earth under it. For example, cordons running 

 along fifteen inches from the ground, and protected 

 on their upper surface with a few boughs, have 



Fig. 21.-^Donble Cordon, 



brought their blossoms and embryo fruits safely 

 thi-ough frosts that have cut off the whole of the 

 bloom from a row of pyramidal Apples growing with- 

 in four feet of the cordons— the latter, in fact, form- 

 ing an edging to the larger trees. It is well known 

 that though on a large scale, and writing in general 

 terms, the higher we ascend the colder the air be- 

 comes, yet the cooling does not proceed in regular 

 planes of degradation like ascending the steps of a 

 stair. Within that very limited altitude of the air 

 with which our fruit-trees are brought into contact, 

 disturbing causes of mountain and plain, water and 

 solid land, grass land and arable, plantations and 

 heaths, prevailing winds, coast -lines, and points 

 of compass, and, as we 

 have seen, form and even 

 height of fruit-trees, all 

 go to make up that most 

 important of all factors 

 in fruit production with 

 which the cultivator has 

 to contend, local cliraate. 

 The more this is studied 

 the better it is under- 

 stood, and the more skil- 

 fully our fruit- 

 trees are 

 matched or 

 mated with it, 

 the greater 

 the success 

 in growing 

 Apples or any 

 other hardy 

 fruit. 

 The rormation of Cordons. — These are 

 lest grown into shape from the first. Most maiden 

 Apples naturally run into a single or multiple 

 cordon. If the}' seem disposed to produce too many 

 shoots, these should be thinned down to one or two. 

 As the season advances, and these selected shoots 

 seem inclined to run too fast or too far, nip the 

 point of the shoot out when, say, two feet long, 

 towards the end of June, or early in July. If at the 

 same time the cordon have its head bent down 

 towards the earth, as in Fig. 20, this wUl result in a 

 twofold benefit : it will retard the breaking into a 

 shoot of the terminal bud, and plump up every bud 

 on the embryo cordon so bent into almost an equahtj- 

 of size and plumpness. Should the autumn prove hot 

 and dry, most of these buds will be developed into 

 fruit-buds during the first season. (See Fig. 6.) 

 And if not, it is a great point gained to be assured of 

 a good break of buds of almost equal strength from 

 base to summit of the future cordon. Should the 

 front bud, or several towards the end of the 



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