TRAINING. 41 



up his trees so that they will become quite perfect in shape, he should 

 select plants one year old from the bud or graft, with single upright 

 stems ; these will of course have good buds down to the junction of the 

 graft with the stock. The first spring a tree of this description should 

 be headed down, so as to leave the stem about eighteen inches long. If 

 the soil be rich, from five to six and seven shoots will be produced ; one 

 of these must be made the leader, and if not inclined to be quite perpen- 

 dicular, it must be fastened to a stake. As soon in summer as the 

 leading shoot is ten inches long, its end must be pinched off ; and if it 

 pushes forth two or more shoots, pinch off all but one to three leaves, 

 leaving the topmost for a leader. The side shoots will in most cases 

 assume a regular shape ; if not, they may be this first season tied to 

 slight stakes, to make them grow in the proper direction. This is best 

 done by bringing down and fastening the end of each shoot to a slight 

 stake, so that an open pyramid may be formed ; for if it is too close and 

 cypress-like, enough air is not admitted to the fruit. They may remain 

 unpruned till the end of August, when each shoot must be shortened to 

 within eight buds of the stem. This will leave the tree so that no prun- 

 ing in winter will be required. The second season the tree will make 

 vigorous growth ; the side shoots which were topped last August will 

 each put forth three, four, or more shoots. In June, as soon as these have 

 made four leaves, they must be pinched off to three leaves, and if these 

 spurs put forth shoots, which they often do, every shoot must be pinched 

 down to one leaf, all but the leading shoot of each side branch. This 

 must be left on, to exhaust the tree of its superabundant sap, till the end 

 of August. The perpendicular leader must be topped once or twice — in 

 short, as soon as it has grown ten inches, pinch off its top, and if it break 

 into two or three shoots, pinch them all but the leader, as directed for 

 the first season ; in a few years most symmetrical trees may be formed." 



The best modes of training for this country, on walls or espaliers, are 

 fan-cordon and horizontal training. The first is the simplest and easiest 

 mode of training the Peach, the Apricot, Nectarine, and Cherry ; and 

 the latter is best adapted to the Pear. In training to a wall, the branches 

 are fastened in their places by shreds of leather and nails ; and as espa- 

 liers, by tying them with slips of bass matting to the rails of the trellis. 



Cordon-training has within the past few years become quite a feature 

 among French gardeners, and is now being practised with success by 

 many amateurs in this country. There are a number of varied modes of 

 training en cordon, among which those termed oblique cor -don and espalier 

 or lateral cordon are most in use. Oblique cordon training serves to test 

 in a small space a large number of varieties, and may in many cases be 

 adopted with great satisfaction. Dubreil says : " In its practice choose 

 healthy and vigorous young trees of one year's growth, carrying only one 

 stem. Plant them sixteen inches apart, and incline them one over th.3 

 other at an angle of sixty degrees. Cut off about one-third of the length 

 at or just above a front fruit-bud. During the following summer favor 

 as much as possible the development of the terminal shoot ; all the others 

 must be transformed into fruit branches by the same means as described 

 for pyramidal trees. The second pruning has for its object to transform 

 the lateral shoots into fruit-spurs ; the new extension of the stem must 

 be cut back one-third. If the terminal extension has grown but slightly, 

 and shows signs of weakness, the cut must be made lower down on the 

 two-years wood, in order to obtain a more vigorous terminal shoot. By 



