THE CORDON SYSTEM OF FRUIT GROWING. 



335 



alluded to in the Gardener's Chronicle : — " What a vast 

 proportion of controversy and dispute might be saved, would 

 people only agree as to the meaning to be attached to 

 words. Just now, as it appears to us, a great deal of 

 unnecessary discussion is raised as to the word 'cordon.' 

 A wrangle about words is about as satisfactory as an argu- 

 ment to prove a negative. It may serve, perhaps, to stop 

 this futile wordy debate to give the opinion of M. Du Breuil 

 himself on the matter. This renowned horticulturist, in a 

 recently written letter, which has been submitted for our 

 inspection, says that he applied the word ' cordon ' to trees 



Tree with horizontal branches. This form, very commonly seen in our gardens, 

 has been called a " cordon" by some writers, but has nothing whatever to do 

 with that form. 



consisting of a single branch, bearing fruit-spurs only, 

 and never allowed to ramify. When there are two such 

 branches, M. Du Breuil applies the expression 'double 

 cordon/ In order to be quite accurate, we subjoin M. Du 

 Breuil's letter verbatim et literatim : — 



' Le mot ' cordon ' derive en francais de cord : j'ai 

 employe cette expression pour designer les formes d'arbres 

 dont la charpente se compose seulement d'une seule branche 

 qui ne porte que des rameaux a fruit/ " 



Professor Du Breuil states distinctly that, struck with 

 the long period it took to cover a wall by means of the 



