174 THE MINIATUEE FETJIT GAEDEN 



being more pleasing to the eye than one irregularly 

 shaped. The same method of pruning is required as 

 for oblique cordons. 



Fan cordons can be managed by an unscientific 

 gardener, but to produce one well-shaped on the usual 

 plan requires a skilful and practised hand. It is pos- 

 sible that in the northern and westerly districts peach 

 and nectarine trees will produce too many unripened 

 spurs, but probably by attention and strict thinning 

 this difficulty will be surmounted. It is not yet suffi- 

 ciently known that apricot fan-shaped trained trees 

 may be made, by the most simple management of cordon 

 training, most prolific and easily managed wall trees. 

 The method is this : as soon as the tree has formed a, 

 perfect-shaped tree, no more shortening of shoots or 

 ' laying in ' of young should be practised, but every 

 branch should be made into a cordon by summer pinch- 

 ing, i.e. nipping off early in June every side shoot to 

 four or five leaves, leaving the end of the cordon shoot 

 untouched till, say, February, when, if it be more than 

 30 inches in length, it may be shortened to 20 or 24 

 inches. Peaches, nectarines, and all other kinds of 

 wall fruits may be grown after this cordon system, and 

 if the walls be not very extensive, much room may be 

 saved by adopting the five-branched upright cordon 

 (fig. 27, p. 171). 



With peaches and nectarines in rich soils it may 

 be necessary to leave one shoot on each branch as an 

 exhauster — an unpruned shoot — or to lift the tree 



