184 Suggestions towards Improvement. 



of such stretched along a border will not interfere with the 

 efficiency of a wall in the least degree, while it will be a con- 

 venience to have so much of the fruit work together. When the 

 wall trees are being attended to, the cordons cannot be forgotten, 

 and the whole will be under the eye at a glance. The pear may 

 be grown thus, and the apple to the highest degree of perfection ; 

 so much so that I have no doubt whatever that the splendid 

 apples which may be grown upon this system would, if put to the 

 market test, more than pay for the expense of protecting cordons 

 and wall trees at the same time, by an extension of the plan 

 shown in another chapter. Other fruits will probably be found to 

 submit to this mode of culture as well as these ; and if so, what a 

 prospect for our fruit gardens ! Efficiently protect borders and 

 walls from the time of flowering till the fruit is beyond all danger, 

 afterwards expose all to the refreshing summer rains, and then there 

 would be an end to all but mere routine work till the protecting 

 season come again. Every one hundred feet length of such well 

 protected wall and border would be equivalent to the best managed 

 orchard house ; and how very attractive the borders considered 

 from an ornamental point of view ! The fact of the borders being 

 thus covered with fruit trees will make it almost imperative to 

 protect the wall and border at the same time ; and without efficient 

 protection at flowering time, we can hope for but very little success 

 with the finer hardy fruits in this country. The border thus covered 

 with fruit trees should be mulched, the apple should in all cases be 

 on the Paradise stock, and the pear, when tried on the horizontal 

 cordon system, on the Quince, where the soil admits of it. It is 

 manifest, however, that with the horizontal cordon we may permit 

 the point of each tree to elongate as much as it seems capable. 

 By doing that and securing a regular and dense mass of spurs along 

 each cordon, I see no reason why the pear on its own stock would 

 not on dry poor soils conform to the horizontal cordon. Protection 

 from frost while in flower being more necessary with the pear tlian 

 the apple, the opportunity of giving it this on the borders proposed 

 is an additional reason for thus cultivating it. 



