FRUIT TREE PROTECTION, CORDONS, &c. 



URING the latter part of April, and after this book had 

 gone to press, I made an extensive tour through the mid- 

 land and northern counties, visiting many of the best- 



managed gardens, taking particular notice of the state of the garden 

 fruit crops, and more particularly of the means taken to protect 

 them from frost. 



By this time many fruit-growers must be aware of the disastrous 

 effects of the spring upon their crops of wall fruit. We have rarely 

 had a spring so destructive. At first bright and beautiful for many 

 weeks, it induced the trees to waken out of their wintry sleep before 

 the accustomed time ; and then, just as pears were fully in bloom, 

 and apple trees blushing with the unfolded flowers, killing frosts 

 occurred and destroyed the expanded blooms of the pear, the young 

 closed buds of the apple, and to a greater extent those of other 

 fruits. This was the case about London, and also to a considerable 

 extent in other districts. Never had bloom buds been so abundant. 

 Some may suppose their apples to be safe, while the flower buds 

 are in numerous cases killed at the heart, though perfect looking 

 externally. Such at all events is the case in low-lying situations, 

 those more or less elevated seeming to escape with slighter injurj'. 



If I had nothing to say of the subject but this, it would simply 

 be a waste of space to notice it ; for the loss of fruit crops in our 

 gardens is too common an occurrence to demand recording. What 

 does require notice, and theurgent attention of everybody interested 

 in the garden culture of fruit trees, is the fact that the rule in 

 British gardens is not to afford the trees any efficient protection 

 while they are in a state liable to be injured by frost. I have 

 recently visited many of the finest and best-managed gardens in 

 England, and found the best and tenderest of our open-air fruits 

 without protection in the majority of cases, and very imperfectly 

 protected in others. Gardens grand in extent and with every 



