THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



17 



again in August. The season being hot and dry, the 

 power of the sun on the hard sloping bank was so 

 great that the whole of the three growths were 

 ripened, unless just at the tips of the shoots 

 These were cut off in the winter, aud the next 

 season the cordons fruited on the first and most of 

 the second-made wood. This crop of fruit aud the 

 subsequent effects of drought and heat very nearly 

 abolished the necessity of future pruning, and re- 

 solved their further training into a mere matter of 

 tying in their heads to the wires. The fruit, too. 



gardens. It will be easy to see how our Figs. 8 and 9 

 may be converted by a series of stoppings and 

 winter pruniugs, such as we have described, into 

 these forms. It is found in practice that bush Apples 

 under proper management produce quantities of the 

 very finest fruit. After growing into fair size— say 

 four feet high and one yard through— top growths 

 should be discouraged by heavy crops of fruit, and 

 root-pruning, as under such repressive treatment the 

 trees continue in good condition and oirry capital 

 crops of fruit for many years without greatly enlarg- 



rig. 23.— DuuoND COBDOir. 



was exceptionally good in colour and flavour, the 

 size being somewhat reduced by over-cropping. 



As a rule, however, as already remarked, the fruit 

 on cordon Apples is far above the average size, and 

 not a few grown by us on horizontal, oblique, and 

 zigzag cordons, are models at once of beauty and 

 quality. "We use the latter form (Fig. 30) frequently, 

 to fit into vacant spaces between Peach or Apricot 

 trees on walls, and such trees have been much admired 

 for their effect, as well as greatly prized for their 

 full yield of fruit of the highest quality. Horizontal 

 Apple cordons are also run along the bases of walls 

 within a, few inches of the ground, with equally 

 satisfactory results. 



Bush. Apple-trees, — In Fig. 24 we give an il- 

 lustration of the most useful form for small or other 

 50 



ing their size. The system of shortening back and 

 thinning out fruit-bearing spurs, as illustrated ia 

 Figs. 18 and 19, is also of great importance in the 

 proper management of bush Apple and other fruit- 

 trees. But once fruit-trees get into the habit of pro- 

 ducing such clusters of fruit-spurs as those exhibited 

 in Fig. 17, it is, seldom that they grow so much wood 

 as is there shown, but more commonly only a few 

 shoots a few inches in length, and not seldom merely 

 a duster of leaves. With a fertile habit thus firmly 

 established, it reproduces itseU year after year, in 

 accordance with the great law so potent among fruit- 

 trees of like producing its like. 



Pyramidal or Conical Apple - trees. — 

 These have become the most common of all in 

 gardens. Nevertheless, the Apple does not grow 



