1038 



PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS 



thick branch shows an error in training ; 

 great care is necessary with young fan 

 trees in order to prevent this ; in a per- 

 fect tree the thick portion ascends only 

 about li or 2 feet above the ground level. 



FIG. 147. — FAN-TRATNED TREE. 



It wUl be noticed that the main branches 

 do not radiate with the symmetry of the 

 ribs of a fan, although they were origin- 

 ally intended to do so. The tree, however, 

 being a living thing, and somewhat wilful 

 in its nature, endeavoured in the course 

 of time to take other courses, leaving gaps 

 in some places which had to be filled up 

 later on with younger twigs or branches. 



7. Cordons. — Trees grown in this way 

 admit of a large number of varieties being 



FJG. 148. — SINGLE OBLIQUE CORBONa. 



grovra in a small space. They usually 

 consist of a single main stem running 

 obliquely to the left or right or horizon- 

 tally. In the latter case, if two branches 



are trained they may be attached to a 

 wire stretched between two posts. As a 



PIG. 149. — DOUBLE OBLIQUE CORDONS. 



rule, however, cordons are confined to 

 walls, and the trees may be as close as 

 2 ft. from each other. The fruit is borne 

 on the small spur branches at the side, 

 and it is essential that these be pruned 

 every year, to prevent overcrowding. 



There are several other forms into 

 which fruit trees may be trained, but they 

 are all more or less 

 modifications or com- 

 binations of the above. 

 Pigs. 148 and 149 show 

 what oblique cordon 

 training is like with 

 single or double stems, 

 and fig. 150 shows an 

 upright cordon with 

 two vertical stems 

 arising from a single 

 main stem. 



Fruit Borders 



Wherever fruit 

 trees are trained on 

 walls, there is usually 

 a border at the base 

 varying in width ac- 

 cording to taste and 

 circumstances. This 

 border is frequently 

 used for producing 

 various crops, such as 

 Strawberries, Dwarf 

 Beans, Early Potatoes, Cabbages &c., 

 without interfering with the roots of the 

 trees. Where such crops are grown they 



FIG. 160.— DOUBLE 

 UPRIGHT CORDONS. 



