The Cordon System of Training Fruit Trees. 151 



what the system is than for any merit they possess ; they are adapt- 

 able and useful in certain positions, but do not possess such marked 

 advantages as the low horizontal cordons. 



The Pear as a Cordon. — Having said so much about 

 the apple as a cordon, we will next turn to the pear and the 

 peach. It does not, as applied to either of these fruits, or to 

 other first-rate wall fruits, offer a distinct and economical way 

 of producing a letter class of fruit, as in the case of the 

 apple. Its advantages are simply quick growth, early fertility, 

 and a considerable number of varieties from a limited space. Here 

 is an example (Fig. 32) of the simple oblique cordon applied 

 to the pear. The plants at each end, which display a 

 fuller development, show the means by which the ends of the wall 

 are covered. As will be seen, the trees are placed very close 

 together, which makes the plantation costly. They, however, soon 

 run up to the top of the wall, and yield a quicker return than the 

 larger forms. Then if one fails it is easily replaced. But are these 

 advantages suflScient to justify us in adopting this system to any 

 extent for our wall pears ? I think they certainly are not, and more- 

 over believe we may secure handsomer trees, less distortion, 

 longer life, and more fruit, by adopting such simple and easily con- 

 ducted forms as those shown at page 159. Those forms are hand- 

 somer than the wall or espalier cordon for the pear, yield a great 

 number of kinds from a comparatively small space ; and moreover, 

 allow of a somewhat free and natural development. We all know 

 how comparatively few are the varieties of first-class pears which 

 succeed to perfection in any one place, and that the necessity of 

 planting a new kind at every eighteen inches along the wall does 

 not exist. For the fruiting of seedlings and testing of new kinds, 

 it is however a good plan. In these cases it enables us to attain 

 our ends in the shortest space of time, and with the least possible 

 waste of space. The pear may also be trained as a low edging, 

 like the apple, and, with better hopes of success, against tlie bottoms 

 of walls, the low front walls of houses, &c. As an edging, I have 



